Low Dose Naltrexone – Customized Therapy for Pain and Autoimmune Diseases
New studies continue to support the benefits of using low dose naltrexone (LDN) to treat chronic pain and dermatologic conditions, and manage autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and systemic sclerosis. Low dose naltrexone causes different pharmacological effects than higher doses of naltrexone which are used to treat addiction. Recently, LDN has been used as an off-label therapy for several chronic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis.
LDN could be a viable treatment option for chronic pain because other drugs used to treat chronic pain, such as nonsteroidal agents (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, have adverse effects of gastrointestinal bleeding, renal injury, and increase a patient’s risk of myocardial infarction or stroke. Conversely, LDN has minimal adverse effects, no drug-drug interactions, and is relatively inexpensive compared with other options for chronic pain.
Studies report that LDN has been used successfully to treat chronic inflammatory skin conditions and itching associated with eczema, cholestasis, burns, etc. Serious side effects have not been reported.
LOW DOSE NALTREXONE (LDN) IS NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BUT CAN BE COMPOUNDED BY OUR PHARMACY.
Reference: J Pain Manage Ther. 2019; 3(1):1-5.
