Fibromyalgia
The opening research assessing Low Dose Naltrexone as an adjunct therapy in fibromyalgia was a single-blind, placebo-crossover study and included ten women undergoing the condition. After the initial couple weeks of placebo, LDN was given for eight weeks in a 4.5 mg dose with a subsequent two-week washout phase. After the trial was completed, six sufferers responded well and achieved a more than 30% reduction in the severity of the disease. The overall observed symptom reduction was 2.3% and 32.5% on placebo and LDN, respectively, in comparison to baseline. Secondary significant advantages were decreases in everyday pain, the peak of pain, tiredness, and stress.
The most recent research conducted on the same group of women assessed alterations in cytokine profile after treating them with LDN. It was a ten weeks long, single-blind investigation that included eight female patients in the final analysis of the data. The initial two weeks of the investigation were retained for baseline studies. In the remaining period of 8 weeks, LDN was given without a control group or placebo, even though the subjects were informed they could take the former medicine (placebo) at any time. Results have revealed a notable reduction in inflammatory cytokine levels.
On the basis of current information, further research-based data on LDN in treating fibromyalgia is needed.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
The term ” complex regional pain syndrome ” ( CRPS ) reflects characteristics of this Female health condition, and an effective approach to treat it is still a clinical challenge.
In combination with standard pain management treatments, LDN has notably improved the symptoms of disease in three patients. Among three, the first two cases involved patients suffering from intractable CRPS for more than three years, with damaged multiple extremities seriously influencing body movements such as walking. Within a couple of months following the administration of LDN, both CRPS patients significantly decreased using ketamine for pain management, and their condition improved clinically. In addition to aiming for the reduction of CRPS symptoms, one patient quit using walking support. At the same time, the second one had an operation of the CRPS-affected dystonic foot, eventually achieving total remission. The latter case study is of particular concern because both trauma and surgical procedure are common factors involved in the etiology and growth of CRPS.
Another case report displayed a patient with multiple comorbidities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, sleep apnea, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and CRPS. Following the eight years of unsuccessful combination therapies for pain management for CRPS, the patient was introduced to LDN. Along with concurrent medications treating other conditions, the patient gained remission on LDN.
