Is LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) a Solution to Chronic Pain, Inflammation, Autoimmune Disease, Lyme Disease or Fibromyalgia?

At our stem cell therapy and functional medicine clinic in Tulsa, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about LDN or Low Dose Naltrexone.

Today I’d like to help you better understand what LDN is, how it can be helpful for patients with autoimmune disease, chronic pain, inflammation, decreased immunity, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease and how our clinic incorporates LDN therapy with our patients.

What is Naltrexone?  It’s an opioid antagonist, meaning it blocks the opioid receptors in your brain. These receptors are meant to respond to endorphins—your body’s natural “feel good” chemicals.

Opioids (including the ones used in prescription pain medications such as Percocet, Dilaudid, Lortab, and Vicodin as well as drugs such as heroin) attach to these same receptors and produce a similar result. They block pain, slow breathing, and lead to a generally calming and anti-depressant effect.

As an opioid blocker, Naltrexone prevents opioids from attaching to your receptors and producing this result.

Doctors began prescribing Naltrexone in the 80’s for opioid addiction because, taken at doses of 50mg to 100mg, it completely prevented patients from experiencing the high of opioid drugs.

It is often used while a patient is in recovery to keep them from relapsing.  LDN works by actively stripping opioids from receptors, effectively stopping an overdose from opioids in its tracks.

While Naltrexone is primarily for opioid addiction, a doctor in New York, Dr. Bernard Bihari, discovered that when it was taken at a much lower dose, LDN exhibited beneficial results for patients with autoimmune issues, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. Hence the name Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN).

These low doses actually increase the level of endorphins in your body. They partially block your opioid receptors when your endorphin levels are typically highest (around 3AM to 4AM). This sends signals to your brain that your levels are low, so it ramps up the production of endorphins and increases your overall levels.

The effects may be beneficial for autoimmune patients due to the fact that endorphins play a role in immune system modulation. Autoimmune patients typically have lower levels of endorphins than others.

No one knows exactly how endorphins help modulate the immune system or why they are decreased in autoimmune patients, however, LDN can be used for any autoimmune disease, although it has typically been found most effective for painful conditions.

Patients and physicians have seen success with LDN in almost every autoimmune disease, including: Hashimoto’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus , Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, MS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Celiac, Psoriasis, Lyme Disease, Sjogren’s, Autism, Scleroderma and more!

If you or anyone you know has concerns or questions regarding LDN,  then we invite you to call today and schedule an appointment with one of our medical experts here in Tulsa! Call 918-493-3824.

Click here to watch our YouTube Video on LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone).