Interviews with Patients

As with most people with fibromyalgia, Sarah was a warrior. Each day, she was fighting constant widespread pain, severe fatigue, sleep deprivation, and IBS. It was only getting worse, and the last couple of years were a very dark time in her life. A stay-at-home mother and military spouse, Sarah was doing her best to provide a nurturing stable environment for her family that moved frequently due to military assignments. After many disappointing experiences with commonly prescribed medications for fibromyalgia, Sarah's new pain management specialist suggested LDN. She researched it, and motivated herself to give it a try. Life has never been the same. Or better.

Smokey woke up in excruciating abdominal pain. Admitted to the hospital, she received surgery for a presumed bowel obstruction. But the pain came back afterward. Subsequent testing showed intestinal lesions, which resulted in a diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Smokey was dissatisfied with her GI's lack of willingness to explore other possible causes of her symptoms or to prescribe less risky medicines, She consulted a functional medicine practitioner who immediately prescribed low dose naltrexone and suggested comprehensive stool testing. Finding overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria, she started a low-oxalate diet and probiotics, along with her LDN. The symptoms resolved, the intestinal lesions disappeared, and Smokey was able to return to a very active lifestyle.

Fran was constantly focused on how badly she felt. Suffering from dementia and a painful autoimmune illness called polymyalgia rheumatica, she was exhausted and uncomfortable, wanting just to stay in bed. LDN was a game changer. Now Fran's mood and energy are high, and her quality of life is dramatically improved. So too, for Fran's cat, Yeti, who was about to be euthanized due to pancreatic cancer. From the first dose of LDN, they noticed big changes in Yeti's appetite and energy. After a year on LDN, the latest visit to the veterinarian revealed an even bigger change...the pancreatic tumor disappeared! Truly an LDN family success story.

Sandy has been chronically ill since childhood, even having 1 1/3 lung removed due to repeated serious infections. Eventually diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) and Sjogren's syndrome, she suffered from debilitating fatigue and chronic pain. It affected her work and home life, and diminished her quality of life. Once reaching 3mg of LDN, Sandy's fatigue lifted, and she's never looked back. Her blood results returned to normal. Her hair stopped falling out. She is now a passionate advocate for LDN.

Rocky, the Koshak's son's 10 year old boxer, developed an aggressive, fast growing tumor on the side of his face that was inoperable. The veterinarian sent him home and predicted he had 6 weeks until the tumor suffocated him. After Rocky was put on LDN, the tumor reduced to half its size within 2 months, and within 4 months, it was completely gone, as were the tumors on his torso. The pictures of Rocky's recovery are a remarkable visual testimony of how LDN can work.

The Koshak's dog Maggie had arthritis that kept her from getting around easily. Also, because of a heart condition, when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), she was not a candidate for surgery. The vet told the Koshak's she would always limp and be in pain. After doing some research, they decided to try giving Maggie LDN. After being on LDN, she returned to her previous activities and no longer limped. She behaved like a puppy again, much to the Koshak's delight.

Cindy and Alan, happy newlyweds who met late in life, have a supportive team approach to all life matters, including health. Cindy's health, unfortunately, was in a dire state when they married, due to her severe Sjogren's and Burning Mouth Syndromes. She was very motivated to try LDN. Alan decided he would take LDN together with her, both to be supportive and in the hope that it might help his long standing osteoarthritis pain. Their unique joint "LDN Journey" turned out to be a very fascinating one. Able to compare experiences once starting LDN, they were thrilled to see huge and unexpected positive changes in themselves and each other. Cindy and Alan hope sharing their LDN story encourages other couples to take a proactive role in supporting each other's health and well-being, including taking LDN if appropriate.

Alan had been dealing with osteoarthritis in his knees for decades. He had learned to live with the pain, but it certainly detracted from his quality of life. His wife Cindy, who had been researching LDN for her Sjogren's syndrome, discovered that some people had success using LDN for osteoarthritis pain, so she mentioned it to him. Alan decided, as part of their team approach to their health (and everything else in their lives), that he would start LDN along with Cindy. In addition to getting relief from his osteoarthritis pain, Alan also found LDN improved his mental clarity and recovery from strenuous exercise.

Despite a joyful new marriage to Alan, Cindy's life had become increasingly unbearable. In addition to dealing with Sjogren's syndrome, Cindy had also developed Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), an extremely painful chronic mouth condition that feels like one's mouth has been scalded. Unable to find relief, Cindy's research led her to LDN. After her physician would not prescribe it, she finally found one that was willing to do so. She doesn't know where she would be now if she hadn't persisted. Grateful for the positive impact LDN has had on her life, Alan's life, and the lives of their family pets, Cindy now donates her time to educating others about LDN.

Steve's rescue poodle Dolly started having nosebleeds, which led to a diagnosis of sinus cancer. Dolly was sent home with a prognosis of 3 to 6 months to live. She began showing signs of feeling unwell, and started to withdraw. In light of Steve's own positive experience using LDN, he decided to treat Dolly with it. Steve and his family were excited to see signs that Dolly felt much better. Her nosebleeds stopped, she maintained her weight and activity, and she became perky as a puppy once again. On LDN for a year now, Dolly has well-outlived her prognosis, and shows no signs of slowing down.