I read recently that there has been some success in treating several different autoimmune diseases with naltrexone. It has actually been used as part of the treatment therapy for drug addicts.
I believe the lady that wrote the article had PMR and had good success with it. Apparently it doesn't have all the nasty side affects that pred does. Always looking for an alternative to this drug that we all seem to have a love/hate relationship with.
This comes up on a regular basis and believe me the supporting articles are 100% "wonderdrug". It has been discussed on the forumup PMR forum a couple of times.
It is used for alcoholics and drug addicts at low dose, there is no problem with safety records and so on so why it hasn't been properly tested in PMR I don't know but there are no mainstream medics in the UK who will even consider it. Note, I say mainstream.
A Swedish lady on the forumup forum has it prescribed by her doctor - she initially found an improvement but I don't know how it has progressed. And that is about all I know.
Some with MS use it, they had to get it privately from DR's who were happy to prescribe from afar, I think it may have been cardiff (not that far I know). I looked into it because I have MS, as I was on Avomex I could not take it. If you google Naltrexone & MS you should find lots of info. Personally, if there is ANY chance of GCA and subsequent loss of sight, I'd stick with the tried and tested pred.
Sunmds exciting. Do let us know what you find out!
Thanks Eileen, I thought if any one would have heard of this drug it would be you. It make sense to me that if it works for a number of autoimmune diseases it is worth further investigation for PMR.
Would like to hear how the Swedish lady made out and from anyone else that has tried.
Will post if I find anyone info.
Low Dose Natrexolone.
If you google it there is a wealth of information on it. The reason it has not been tested etc is because there is no money in it for big pharma. LDN ia low costing drug.
I know three people with PMR who were able to get it from a Chemist in Glasgow, but without a GPs say so, they will not supply it.
Thanks Lodger,
Yes, I have read a few articles but always like to here from "real life" people about these so called wonderdrugs.
Do you know these peoples histories and if/how the LDN has helped them?
As far as I know, and this is not first hand it was on another forum, now extinct, one lady said it worked for her. I know nothing about the others.
Naltrexone is a derivitive of "naloxone" or more commonly known as "Narcan". It is used to reverse the bad side effects of narcotics. It has gained popualrity by some that are concerned about the addictive properties of narcotic pain management. You take a combo of narcotic with some narcan and you get pain releif w/o the bad side effects of the narcotic alone.
If you give someone straight Narcan, IV or IM, you have to remember that
1. you must give it slowly or there is a chance the pt will go into pulmonary edema.
2. there is always a chance they will "renarcotize" an hour or 2 later. It is for this reasone that pts who are given narcan are closely observed for up to 2 hrs.
3. that narcotrexine is a time released drug.
Christine
Some people use it alone at a low dose (hence the name LDN) for some problems - not in conjunction with a narcotic pain reliever. It is yet another of the "wonder drug with no side effects" clams. Maybe it works, maybe it s safe, but as yet there is only anecdotal evidence.
Yes. My brother was perscribed it, by his doctor, after he overdosed on Heroin and had spent a couple of days in hospital. It was aprox. 3 month course and he took it as perscribed and found it did what it said it would, on the box. BUT, there was no aftercare and about 2 weeks after finishing his perscription, he used...overdosed....and died. He was 37 years old.