What exactly does low dose naltroxene (LDN) do for fibromyalgia?

I know to wean myself off of it. I will open the capsule and pour half of it out. That's what I had to do when I first started taking it, so that's what I'll do to stop taking it. Thanks for your input. I hope the LDN works for you.

@jeannesf1 There is a Facebook support group for Cymbalta users, called Cymbalta Hurts Worse Support Group. Maybe some of those members could offer some advice. I read that drug is only somewhat effective for only about 30% of people with fibromyalgia, so I decided the side effects weren't worth any possible benefits, but it was the first drug my rheumatologist suggested. Luckily I found LDN which helps tremendously. Good luck to you.

I was finally diagnosed with fibro last October, after suffering with it for years. It takes a long time to get into a specialist in my area (rheumatologist), but my primary care doctor is wonderful. I asked her for a prescription for LDN to try to help with the pain. Sadly, it did nothing for my pain.

When I finally saw the rheumatologist, she prescribed Cymbalta. It worked well at first (might've been my wishful thinking), but then the gastric problems began and they became intolerable - the the pain went back to high levels.

I am currently using Palmitoylethanolamide (recommended in this forum) and it seems to work the best for me. I'm on my third bottle. I am also adding liposomal glutathione (just started yesterday) to see if that improves the "legs feeling like lead" I experience every few days. Will report more after a month of taking it.

I appreciate this forum more than you can possibly know. Sending all my fellow suffers hugs and healing!

The LDN Research Trust (.org) has some wonderful LDN guides under the LDN Resources tab of the website that explains what LDN is, how it works, and typical dosing.

As for constipation, LDN acts as a prokinetic, meaning it can help with that.

My Rhumetologist suggested it, but the idea kind of concerned me.
I do not understand how it works, but I'm curious.

LDN is what I'm curious about. Should I agree to it? I've been taking pregabalin but it does not ease my pain and I'm up to 4 a day.

@lena1 Please try it. It helped me very much by reducing pain and curing my insomnia. I have no bad side effects. The only problem is that you have to slowly work up to a maintenance dose so you won't experience benefits for a few months. Once you get to the maintenance dose of 4.5mg/day it can take 1-2 months to notice benefits. Also, it doesn't work for everyone, but you won't know unless you try it.

The other downside is that it's not covered by insurance and you must get it from a compounding pharmacy, where they make it in the proper doses, because it's not generally available to pharmacy's at the lower doses.

I posted this article before, there are lots of others out there can find by searching. https://chronicillness.co/low-dose-naltrexone-for-fibromyalgia/

@mc4314
YES, I love those guides; Physician's Prescribing Guide, Patient's Guide and Mental Health Guide; they are incredibly helpful.

@daisy17
I experienced benefits immediately. I think the idea is that the
"maintenance" does is probably quite individual per individual. I am incredibly sensitive to medications and I started at 1.5 mg which I take at bedtime and upon waking, I feel amazing, and throughout just the first week; noticed positive changes; a shortness of breath went away, pains and aches went away, sinus' felt more clear, hands and fingers..more pliable, etc.

I am at 3.0 mg and am not sure I need to leave this place, but have definitely read and found that the fillers the compounding pharmacist uses can affect the effectiveness of the medication. I started with the lactose filler and it was amazing, but I have found I might be lactose intolerant after all of these years.
I switched to another filler, avicel, I think it was and another at a different pharmacy and felt nothing; neither of those fillers worked like the lactose did immediately. That may be why people think it doesn't work right away, but it, but it did with me.
I started using Lactaid products, milk, sour cream, even ice cream, so the little amount that they compound in the prescription no longer bothers me.

I am newly diagnosed for Fibro, suffered for the last 10 years the most (guessing I had it since I was 20yrs old).. making me change my whole life, leaving the job I loved of boarding and training horses for over 20 years, sold my farm and closed my business. I moved and saw drs in two states and was told I was getting "older" (turning 50) peri-meno (am not in), depression (not depressed, I'm mad at my body!) and all that. When I was diagnosed at Mayo in MN... I knew I did not want antidepressants. I researched LND and Tonmya.
I am on my 3rd week of LDN. I moved up to 3mg yesterday. I will say the 1.5 worked great for the first two weeks..it stopped all the buzzing in my body and I immediately felt better! I had to stop myself from overdoing it! When the pain is gone, the energy is back. But then I was finding it "wearing" off by 2-3pm... I would take flexeril then on bad overdoing it days.. or just motrin.
I feel alittle cloudy today on the 3mg, I'm sure its my body getting us to it.
I read people on here are starting it slowly, but my script has me to 4.5 in 3 weeks? 1 week 1.5mg, then 1 week, 3mg, and then 4.5. I hope that's not too fast? Also I hope my body doesn't get use to it too.. I guess we'll see how the 3mg works this week... cause if it works, I won't bump up yet.
I get it compounded at Avera in Sioux Falls, SD. They quoted me at 48 bucks for 30 day, 4.5mg.