LDN – Low Dose Naltrexone

Alcoholism Recovery

Addictions / Addictive Tendencies

There are a number of practitioners who will use a naltrexone implant placed in the lower abdomen, and more rarely, in the posterior to replace oral naltrexone. This implant procedure has not been shown scientifically to be successful in “curing” subjects of their addiction, though it does provide a better solution than oral naltrexone for medication compliance reasons.

Parkinson's Disease / Risk

According to Dr. Bihari, LDN clearly halts progression in multiple sclerosis. As such its use has been more recently extended to other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) whose etiology remains unknown but for which there is suggestive evidence of a possible autoimmune mechanism.

Multiple Sclerosis / Risk

According to Dr. Bihari, LDN clearly halts the progression of multiple sclerosis.

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders. By Elaine Moore, co-author SammyJo Wilkinson Foreword by Dr. Yash Agrawal, MD, PhD.

This is perhaps the first, and so far only book on LDN, and as such represents a milestone in the effort to bring LDN into mainstream use. Written by Elaine Moore, a high level science writer with a portfolio of previous accomplishments, her LDN book is perhaps somewhat technical and may be difficult for the untrained non-professional to follow. It delves into the sophisticated jargon of the medical research world. For example, in Chapter 5 on LDN and Cancer, there is a discussion of Zagon’s work on Cyclin dependent kinases, P53 and protein 21 and how this relates to inhibition of cancer by LDN.

However, in addition to the esoteric technical sections of the book, there are also chapters devoted to the lay reader interested in learning how LDN can help them on a practical level. A listing of dispensing practitioners was included which I found contained my own office address and phone number.

The book is highly recommended for other health care practitioners who wish to get quickly up to speed in this new area of medicine which is destined to become the medical paradigm of the 21st century, casting a giant shadow over the rest of mainstream medicine.[ Comments on the LDN book by Jeffrey Dach MD]

Ulcerative Colitis

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders. By Elaine Moore, co-author SammyJo Wilkinson Foreword by Dr. Yash Agrawal, MD, PhD.

This is perhaps the first, and so far only book on LDN, and as such represents a milestone in the effort to bring LDN into mainstream use. Written by Elaine Moore, a high level science writer with a portfolio of previous accomplishments, her LDN book is perhaps somewhat technical and may be difficult for the untrained non-professional to follow. It delves into the sophisticated jargon of the medical research world. For example, in Chapter 5 on LDN and Cancer, there is a discussion of Zagon’s work on Cyclin dependent kinases, P53 and protein 21 and how this relates to inhibition of cancer by LDN.

However, in addition to the esoteric technical sections of the book, there are also chapters devoted to the lay reader interested in learning how LDN can help them on a practical level. A listing of dispensing practitioners was included which I found contained my own office address and phone number.

The book is highly recommended for other health care practitioners who wish to get quickly up to speed in this new area of medicine which is destined to become the medical paradigm of the 21st century, casting a giant shadow over the rest of mainstream medicine.[ Comments on the LDN book by Jeffrey Dach MD]

Crohn's Disease

As of September 2002, Dr. Bihari was following eight patients with Crohn’s Disease on LDN. In all eight cases, within 14-21 days the signs and symptoms of disease activity stopped. All eight had remained stable since anywhere from 2 months to 36 months.

Dr. Jill Smith’s original article, “Low-Dose Naltrexone Therapy Improves Active Crohn’s Disease,” in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (2007;pp.102:1–9), officially presents LDN to the world of scientific medicine. Smith, Professor of Gastroenterology at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine, found that two-thirds of the patients in her pilot study went into remission and fully 89% of the group responded to treatment to some degree. She concluded that “LDN therapy appears effective and safe in subjects with active Crohn’s disease.”

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders. By Elaine Moore, co-author SammyJo Wilkinson Foreword by Dr. Yash Agrawal, MD, PhD.

This is perhaps the first, and so far only book on LDN, and as such represents a milestone in the effort to bring LDN into mainstream use. Written by Elaine Moore, a high level science writer with a portfolio of previous accomplishments, her LDN book is perhaps somewhat technical and may be difficult for the untrained non-professional to follow. It delves into the sophisticated jargon of the medical research world. For example, in Chapter 5 on LDN and Cancer, there is a discussion of Zagon’s work on Cyclin dependent kinases, P53 and protein 21 and how this relates to inhibition of cancer by LDN.

However, in addition to the esoteric technical sections of the book, there are also chapters devoted to the lay reader interested in learning how LDN can help them on a practical level. A listing of dispensing practitioners was included which I found contained my own office address and phone number.

The book is highly recommended for other health care practitioners who wish to get quickly up to speed in this new area of medicine which is destined to become the medical paradigm of the 21st century, casting a giant shadow over the rest of mainstream medicine.[ Comments on the LDN book by Jeffrey Dach MD]

Lupus, SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythromatosis) / Risk

Sarcoidosis

Periarteritis

Autoimmune Tendency

The experience of people who have autoimmune diseases and who have begun LDN treatment has been remarkable, according to Dr. Bihari. Patients with diagnoses such as systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Behcet’s syndrome, Wegener’s granulomatosis, bullous pemphigoid, psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease have all benefited.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

According to Dr. Bihari, LDN clearly halts progression in multiple sclerosis. As such its use has been more recently extended to other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) whose etiology remains unknown but for which there is suggestive evidence of a possible autoimmune mechanism.

Poor/Slow Wound Healing

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders. By Elaine Moore, co-author SammyJo Wilkinson Foreword by Dr. Yash Agrawal, MD, PhD.

This is perhaps the first, and so far only book on LDN, and as such represents a milestone in the effort to bring LDN into mainstream use. Written by Elaine Moore, a high level science writer with a portfolio of previous accomplishments, her LDN book is perhaps somewhat technical and may be difficult for the untrained non-professional to follow. It delves into the sophisticated jargon of the medical research world. For example, in Chapter 5 on LDN and Cancer, there is a discussion of Zagon’s work on Cyclin dependent kinases, P53 and protein 21 and how this relates to inhibition of cancer by LDN.

However, in addition to the esoteric technical sections of the book, there are also chapters devoted to the lay reader interested in learning how LDN can help them on a practical level. A listing of dispensing practitioners was included which I found contained my own office address and phone number.

The book is highly recommended for other health care practitioners who wish to get quickly up to speed in this new area of medicine which is destined to become the medical paradigm of the 21st century, casting a giant shadow over the rest of mainstream medicine.[ Comments on the LDN book by Jeffrey Dach MD]

AIDS / Risk

Since the mid-1980’s, low dose naltrexone (LDN) has consistently demonstrated a markedly beneficial effect in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. There are a score of such patients who, even today, continue to successfully use only LDN. When combined with HAART, LDN has shown itself to be an absolute preventive for lipodystrophy, as well as a synergistic therapy that diminishes viral breakthroughs and bolsters the restoration of CD4 cell levels.

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders. By Elaine Moore, co-author SammyJo Wilkinson Foreword by Dr. Yash Agrawal, MD, PhD.

This is perhaps the first, and so far only book on LDN, and as such represents a milestone in the effort to bring LDN into mainstream use. Written by Elaine Moore, a high level science writer with a portfolio of previous accomplishments, her LDN book is perhaps somewhat technical and may be difficult for the untrained non-professional to follow. It delves into the sophisticated jargon of the medical research world. For example, in Chapter 5 on LDN and Cancer, there is a discussion of Zagon’s work on Cyclin dependent kinases, P53 and protein 21 and how this relates to inhibition of cancer by LDN.

However, in addition to the esoteric technical sections of the book, there are also chapters devoted to the lay reader interested in learning how LDN can help them on a practical level. A listing of dispensing practitioners was included which I found contained my own office address and phone number.

The book is highly recommended for other health care practitioners who wish to get quickly up to speed in this new area of medicine which is destined to become the medical paradigm of the 21st century, casting a giant shadow over the rest of mainstream medicine.[ Comments on the LDN book by Jeffrey Dach MD]

Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome

According to Dr. Bahari, people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome have had marked improvement using LDN, suggesting that these entities probably have an important autoimmune dynamic as well. Many have reported improvement – some noticing an immediate difference and others only after a prolonged period of use.

Immune System Imbalance (TH2 Dominance)

Low doses of Naltrexone can help reduce TH2 cytokines to assist in balancing the immune system.

Autism

Please see the link between Autism and Reading List.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Ten patients with this disease have been treated with LDN in recent years. In all ten patients the joint pain and swelling cleared, in some, leaving residual joint distortion. Two of the patients stopped LDN for several weeks because of travel. Both had an immediate exacerbation. One patient who was responding well on LDN had a mild exacerbation during a period of severe marital stress.

Polymyositis

Hepatitis

Interview with Dr. Bihari in Honest Medicine.

Q: You’re also using it for Hepatitis C?

Dr. Bihari: Yes, I am. With Hepatitis C, it’s hard for me to identify how much it does, because I’m using it with purified extract of St. John’s Wart, the plant, in which an ingredient called hypericon has been extracted from the St. John’s Wart and added back in about twenty-two fold. So, since hypericon in the test tube is extremely effective against hepatitis C and hepatitis B, I had a company make this concentrated form up to use in treating people with those two kinds of hepatitis. And the combination of that with LDN looks very promising. It looks to me like the hypericon, the concentrated St. John’s Wart, looks to be the more important of the two ingredients. I think the naltrexone is helpful with any chronic infection, but the more dramatic element here is the hypericon. In the test tube, it really suppresses these two viruses. In people it seems to suppress hepatitis B and Hepatitis C growth and markedly improve liver function.

Asthma

Increased Risk of Colon Cancer

Increased Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

This report describes the use of alpha-lipoic acid and LDN in a man with pancreatic cancer. It seems likely that such a program would go far in preventing this condition in someone with an elevated risk. [The Long-term Survival of a Patient With Pancreatic Cancer With Metastases to the Liver After Treatment With the Intravenous alpha-Lipoic Acid/Low – Dose Naltrexone Protocol, Burton M. Berkson, Daniel M. Rubin, and Arthur J. Berkson INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 5(1); 2006] Disease progression recurred when stopping the program, and progression stopped again on resumption.

Increased Risk of Prostate Cancer

Increased Risk of Lymphoma

Increased Risk of Leukemia

Increased Risk of Rectal Cancer

Increased Risk of Lung Cancer

Although lung cancer tissue is low in opiod receptors and thus not so likely to respond to LDN, there may be benefit due to LDN’s abililty to increase natural killer cell function.

Eczema

Psoriasis

One party reported: “Although the response to low-dose naltrexone (LDN) may sometimes be slower in psoriasis than some other auto-immune conditions, it is effective in the long-term and, once the response is firmly established, it will remain stable as long as the treatment is continued.”.

Pemphigoid

Dr. Bihari has had the opportunity to treat one patient with pemphigoid. An 82-year-old woman, over a period of three months, developed blisters on her ankles, the soles of her feet, her arms and her neck, which on biopsy proved to be pemphigoid. She was referred to a dermatologist specializing in this disease who treated her with prednisone 40 mg/day, which slowed disease progression but did not clear her blisters. When LDN was added, her blisters cleared and slowly healed over a 6-week period, during which time she slowly tapered her prednisone. On her last visit, she was on both LDN each night and prednisone 5mg every other day with no exacerbation.

Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic (CLL)

CLL is one of the cancers that may respond to LDN.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Multiple Myeloma

Prostate Cancer

Dr. Bihari, MD has recently found that the treatment does not seem to work for prostate cancer patients who have received or are receiving some form of hormone manipulation treatment prior to starting the low dose naltrexone. This includes patients who have received Lupron, Casodex, Eulexin, DES, or other drugs designed to reduce testosterone. In addition, patients who have been treated with PC Spes, the herbal preparation with estrogenic effects, also do not seem to respond.

Colon Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

The use of alpha-lipoic acid and LDN stopped the progression of pancreatic cancer in one man who adhered to a rather simple program. [The Long-term Survival of a Patient With Pancreatic Cancer With Metastases to the Liver After Treatment With the Intravenous alpha-Lipoic Acid/Low – Dose Naltrexone Protocol, Burton M. Berkson, Daniel M. Rubin, and Arthur J. Berkson INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 5(1); 2006] Disease progression recurred when stopping the program, and progression stopped again on resumption.

Rectal Cancer

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Carcinoid Cancer

Small Intestine Cancer

Brain Cancer

The presence of opioid receptors on tumor cells is considered necessary for low dose naltrexone to be beneficial. Glioblastomas and astrocytomas were thought to be low in these receptors, but this assumption has turned out to be inaccurate. These tumor types contain sizable numbers of opioid receptors on their cell membranes.

Ovarian Cancer

Dr. Bihari reports some success using LDN on ovarian cancers.

Breast Cancer

A few women with breast cancer have responded favorably to LDN alone. LDN needs to be studied further, but until that time, it appears to be safe, inexpensive, and possibly very helpful.