Success with low dose naltrexone for Autoimmune disorders

Thank you ! Going to ask my rheumatologist about it in march. I shouldn’t have to suffer so much

My doctor put me on Naltrexone as testing showed antibodies attacking my thyroid. I have Hashimoto’s and I’ve worked up to 4 mg taken at night. The only way to know if it’s working for me is to have blood work. I’ll be doing that soon to see if the antibodies have been reduced. I’ll post when I receive the results and consult with my doctor.

I have fibromyalgia x12 years & long Covid x14 mos. My son takes LDN for depression. He gave me a bottle in Dec. to try. It made a huge difference in my fatigue and energy. Going to his doctor Thursday for my own Rx. I didn’t realize how much it was helping until I didn’t have any left. No energy, sleeping a lot and feeling weak.

Hi raven42. I'm curious how your alternative treatments are going and if you were able to quickly get off prednisone? I have not yet gotten Wahl's book but have been incorporating a few changes into what was already a fairly healthy diet. Do you think the acupuncture and IV infusions are helping?

Yes, absolutely. I am not completely off of pred but now on an alternate day 5 mg/2.5 mg dosage after starting with 40 mg Sid on 30 December. A trusted MD told me he has never known anyone to taper so quickly and so successfully. Very rarely I splurge and have a glass of wine or a dessert and I feel some soreness the next day. I should research the half life of T cells to perhaps learn how long these rogue T cells will be circulating. I am reading about cellular senescence and am considering a fasting protocol to further speed the healing process.
What is your “story” if you don’t mind sharing.

My endocrinologist put me on Naltrexone because I was so sensitive to the other meds for Hashimotos (Hypothyroidism). It helped me greatly for about 3 months and also helped with my fibromyalgia pain. Then I started having peripheral neuropathy symptoms in my arms and legs and more migraines. My primary took me off of it since I am migraine prone and that was a side effect listed for Naltrexone, along with peripheral neuropathy as a side effect. I will have to also add, my B12 was low which can cause the peripheral neuropathy symptoms. I started B12 injections and quit the Naltrexone and the peripheral neuropathy symptoms went away. With that said, my symptoms may have been from low B12 & the Naltrexone both. I am 'ultra' senstive to medications. This may be a good fit for you. I would just recommend looking out for the 2 side effects I mentioned. I wish you the best. God Bless.

Has anyone used low dose naloxone for pain? arthritis/autoimmune? Can you share your experience, or suggest research links?

My rheumatologist and I are considering using naloxone for my joint and muscle pain. I've been through many Dmards, TNFi biologics, now on a IL inhibitor. The JAK inhibitors may not be a good choice because of my age and heart status.

These are the pain meds that I have taken already:
*I am allergic to NSAIDS, like aspirin, Aleve, Ibuprofen, etc. (First doctor almost killed me with these.)
*Tylenol seems to raise my liver enzymes and doesn't help much with the pain anyway.
*Steroids in normal doses raise my blood pressure, cause headaches and rage.
*For about 8 years, I have used Tramadol in very low doses only for very intense pain. Maybe once every few months. The last 2 times that I used tramadol, it seemed to slow my breathing, scarey.

Medical marijuana is illegal in my state.

Thanks for your help!! I really appreciate any insights.

Hi @annewoodmayo, I moved your question about low dose naltrexone and RA and autoimmune conditions to this existing discussion so you can easily connect with others:
- Success with low dose naltrexone for Autoimmune disorders: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anyone-familiar-with-low-dose-naltrexone/

You may also be interested in these related discussions:
- Low-Dose Naltrexone for Chronic Pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/low-dose-naltrexone-for-chronic-pain/
- Low Dose Naltrexone and Prednisone for PMR? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ldn-and-prednisone/

Hi Colleen,
Thanks for links and for moving my question to a more appropriate place!

Hello,
(New to the group)
Preclinical Hashimoto's with elevated TPO, TSH. I wanted to improve my lab test results prior to my next visit in July and have added selenium supplementation and 4.5mg LDN, with no other lifestyle or dietary changes, to see if it would make a difference.

I experience chronic headache from a concussion. When NSAID overuse began affecting my health, I found relief in two, 20-minute daily sessions of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), used successfully over the past two years.

I have only been taking LDN for a little over three weeks and have experienced some early results:

I didn't realize I was not feeling well before, until I began feeling so much better, with less brain fog.
Best of all, the headaches have subsided. With no need for tACS sessions now, I have almost an entire hour of my life back each day.

I'll update occasionally and share any testing improvement.