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LDN is not compatible with any opiate-type drugs such as Immodium (loperamide) or Lomotil (lomanate,
lonox)
LDN is not addictive. However, when stopping to take LDN it is possible that symptoms of the disease
for which it was taken may recur.
If LDN is effective for the condition being treated, then generally it is taken long term. Since it
does not cure the disease, but rather regulated immune system function, it is possible that some
patients may experience a relapse when stopping it, whilst others do not.
Naltrexone passes through the blood brain barrier. It affects opioid receptors throughout the body.
For LDN to work, the full LDN dose must be delivered to the body in one go. Transdermal delivery
methods by nature result in slow continuous delivery of a drug. This will result in continuous
opiate receptor blockade - quite the opposite of the purpose of LDN which is to deliver a very short
term blockade in order to create the beneficial rebound effect.
Since LDN is a non-commercialized treatment, doctors will not learn about it from the drug company
sales representatives, as they learn about other treatments. Many doctors are afraid of prescribing
off-label, or doing something that their colleagues don't do.
The best chance of getting a doctor's cooperation is by showing him/her the scientific basis for
your request. Referring them to LDNscience and the pages showing all the studies that have been
conducted to date, will usually convince most doctors that there is sufficient basis to experiment
with LDN.
If that does not work then it may be best to work with a doctor already familiar with LDN therapy. A
directory of such doctors is available on our site. If you are aware of any doctors who prescribe
LDN and are not yet listed, please ask them or their office staff to list themselves, or contact us
with their information.
LDN is rapidly metabolized and excreted from the body, within a few hours at most. Its beneficial
effect in autoimmune disease is as result of it tricking the body into producing large amounts of
OGF - which act as an immune suppressant/modulator.
However, if the dose of LDN being used is too high, this making it naltrexone treatment rather than
low dose naltrexone, it could definitely exacerbate the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. This is
because the continuous presence of naltrexone will block production of OGF on a continuous basis.
OGF is needed to keep the immune system in order.
The benefit from LDN in MS has been reported to be cumulative, and the time it takes to achive
maximal benefit varies amongst individuals.
Many medications are used to manage chronic diseases and they don't always need to be taken
continuously. When the disease enters a state of remission, it will often stay that way for a while
even without the use of medication.
LDN is no different than other medications in this regard.
A filler is a substance that is mixed with an active ingredient in order to enable tabletting or
encapsulation of consistent quantities of active ingredient. If you are dissolving pure naltrexone,
there would be no filler involved. However if you are dissolving naltrexone tablets or capsules,
those may well contain fillers or binders. You should check the manufacturer's product insert.
LDN's effect of regulating cell division has been shown to prevent the appearance and/or slow down
the growth of cancer in animal studies.
No trials have yet been carried out in humans to prove whether LDN will be effective for this
purpose. It would require an expensive large long-term trial in order to prove or disprove. We are
unaware of anyone planning to finance and arrange such a trial.
LDN is a regulated pharmaceutical which in most countries may be supplied only with a physician's
prescription. It is essential to always have a knowledgeable physician oversee your medical care.
At the moment there is no published list of supplements that could interfere with LDN absorption.
Since there have been reports by patients of trouble with calcium carbonate when used in the same
capsule as a filler (because it tends to cake), it may make sense not to use calcium carbonate in
close proximity to LDN.
This question must be discussed with the anesthetist who will be aware of how much time before the
surgery LDN should be stopped. You should ensure you make the anesthetist aware that you are using a
low dose, and the exact dose being used.
This issue has not yet been addressed in studies. There have been reports of use of LDN during
pregnancy with satisfactory outcome, however this issue should be discussed with a physician well
experienced with LDN therapy.
In theory the answer is yes, and therefore it may make sense if LDN is losing its effectiveness to
take a break from using it every so often. This question has not yet been addressed in clinical
trials.
It will take a few hours (with individual variation) for the LDN to be metabolized, and therefore
enable the opiate to relieve pain. There is no harm in taking the painkiller sooner, except that it
may not work.
Yes, for two reasons. Certain fillers may interfere with rapid absorption of LDN. Additionally, some
patients are intolerant of certain fillers.
It has been reported that microcrystalline cellulose and dextrose are both compatible with LDN.
However individual tolerance to these may vary in very sensitive individuals.
As mentioned elsewhere on this site, according to Dr. Zagon's studies the optimal daily dose of LDN
is between 2.5 and 10mg.
It is conceivable that some individuals, depending on their metabolism, would benefit from taking
two doses daily of 3mg or 4.5mg, 12 hours apart, and in fact this has been reported by some people.
The dose of LDN needed differs between people due to individual metabolic rates. Whilst 4.5mg works
for most adults, the dose should definitely be adjusted according to body weight. For an adult, the
optimal dose ranges between 2.5mg and 10mg daily, and for a child it would need to be adjusted
accordingly.
Most users typically experience benefit within days. If no benefit has been seen by the end of one
month, it may be necessary to modify the dose being taken. If the dose adjustment does not help, it
is unlikely that benefit will be seen from LDN in such cases.
LDN can and has been used in animals. However as animals have a different metabolic rate to humans,
a veterinarian should be consulted for the appropriate dose needed.
Food is not known to affect the absorption of naltrexone. It can therefore be taken with or without
food.
There have been studies showing that ULDN - Ultra Low Dose Naltrexone enhances the effect of
opioids. It does this by sensitizing the receptors, much in the way that LDN works. However the dose
used is typically less than 10% of an LDN dose. Naltrexone at a dose of around 1 -2 mg will block
the effect of opioids in most people, for a short time. If you want to avoid the loss of effect of
the opioids drugs, even for a short time, you should avoid combining LDN with opioids.
LDN is best classified as an immuno-regulator. It causes an increase in OGF levels - and OGF
regulates proliferation of all cells, including immune cells (T-cells and B-cells). When immune
cells are being produced in excess (leading to autoimmune conditions), OGF acts to slow down their
proliferation. Whilst this can be construed as immune-suppression, it is most accurately described
as immune-regulation.
This question has not yet been addressed in clinical trials. Trials have consistently used 4.5mg
dosages. Since people metabolize naltrexone at different speeds, it is often necessary to make
adjustments in dosages for each individual. This is best done by a physician experienced with
prescribing LDN.
Obtaining FDA approval is a costly process, often running into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Where a drug's patent has expired, no incentive exists for a drug company to invest the funds needed
to gain FDA approval. It is unlikely that LDN will ever gain FDA approval for multiple sclerosis
unless charitable sponsorship is found to finance the process.
Research at present does not support taking the two together. Since LDN neutralizes the effect of
OGF, it would not make sense to combine the two. However there are physicians who prescribe the two
together, whilst advising a long distance (like 10 - 12 hours) between the two. Whether the results
are better than taking OGF on its own remains to be clarified in a trial.
There is no known problem with combining LDN with chemotherapy, and in theory (based on work done in
animals), LDN could enable the chemo to work more effectively. This is because LDN raises OGF levels
that act to slow down cell division, this enabling the chemo to achieve more of its effect than if
taken alone. However, if any opiate pain killers are being taken with the chemotherapy, LDN would
neutralize the effect of the painkillers for several hours.
LDN is metabolized within a few hours. As long as they are kept apart by a few hours, LDN should not
interfere with the pain-relieving effects of opiates.
In fact, you may find that the pain medication works better after several hours have passed since
taking LDN as the naltrexone increases sensitivity of the cell\'s receptors to the opiates.
On the LDN information pages "What is LDN Used For?", we show a list of conditions for which LDN has
been clinically studied. Furthermore we show a list of conditions for which it has been reported to
be effective. This list is based on the reports we receive in the User's Stories section.
Please check back regularly to see if there any updates that include your condition.
LDN does not interact with alcohol in any negative way. Whilst high dose naltrexone is used to treat
alcohol craving, there is no problem taking LDN after alcohol.
Most patients do well with a single daily dose of 4.5mg, however some patients require less, and
others require more, sometimes even 2 pills a day. The dose range for beneficial effect is usually
between 2.5mg and 10mg per day, and needs to be determined by your prescribing physician.
There is no reason to take LDN at night if it interferes with sleep, it is just as effective if
taken during the day.
Studies have demonstrated LDN’s effectiveness in treating cancer in animals. However, no trials
using LDN in human cancers has yet been conducted. Although there have been anecdotal reports of LDN
being beneficial for cancer patients, only clinical trials will be able to provide the true answer
to this question. LDN’s beneficial effects are achieved through the “rebound effect” it causes
(for details please see the explanatory section "How Does Low Dose Naltrexone Work?",) and the
levels of OGF produced during the rebound effect are not necessarily sufficient to slow down or
control growth of large tumors. For this reason, OGF is being investigated in clinical trials as a
treatment for cancer. For details about OGF, please visit our OGF section.
LDN should not be taken at the same time with opiate-type drugs as it will stop them from working
for a number of hours.
With regards to other medications/drugs/vitamins in the clinical trials conducted to date, no
problems have been seen when LDN was combined with other medications being taken by the studies’
participants.
Therefore at this moment, there is no known reason to avoid taking LDN with any
medication/drug/vitamin/supplement other than opiate-type drugs usually used for treating pain.
Since LDN works through a "rebound effect" (for details please see the explanatory section "How Does
Low Dose Naltrexone Work?", its beneficial effects only begin taking place once the LDN has been
metabolized and removed from the cells. Since metabolism varies between individuals, there is no
single dose that will work for every person. Some people find that a daily dose as low as 2mg is
effective, and others have found that they achieve greatest benefit using two doses of 4.5mg each
day (12 hours apart). The clinical trials so far have used a single daily dose of 4.5mg and for most
users this dose seems to be effective.
The clinical trials conducted so far have not shown any difference in effect if LDN is taken at
night or in the morning. Most users prefer to take it in the evening, however this does sometimes
disturb sleep in some individuals, and for these people taking it in the morning is preferred.
LDN should never be combined with opiate or opiate-like painkillers, as it could neutralize their
pain-killing effect for several hours. There is no known reason why LDN cannot be combined with
other types of painkillers such as NSAIDs or Tylenol and similar drugs.
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Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) 
