Naltrexone for multiple sclerosis
Naltrexone for multiple sclerosis
“Please include this info in your newsletter.”
That request comes from an HSI member named Herma who sent us this e-mail in response to the e-Alert “Covering the Bases” (8/30/07), regarding treatment for multiple sclerosis:
“Another GREAT substance to take for MS is: low dose naltrexone. My daughter, who has MS, orders it through “The Compounder” in Aurora, IL. Within 2 weeks all her symptoms disappeared and this was a year ago.”
Naltrexone is a pharmaceutical designed to treat narcotic and alcohol addiction. Taken at full strength, naltrexone is known to prompt a variety of side effects, including anxiety, muscle and joint pain, upset stomach, drowsiness, and blurred vision. But low dose naltrexone – at about one-tenth the standard potency – is sometimes used “off label” to treat MS, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and HIV/AIDS.
In a 2006 study from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, low dose naltrexone (LDN) effectively and safely relieved the effects of Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disorder. Two-thirds of the subjects went into remission while using LDN. Further trials are now underway, amid reports that LDN may also benefit patients with irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, autism in children, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cancer.
Sources:
“Naltrexone” Medline Plus, nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo
