Should I stop taking the LDN?

[Airen]

I read a thread about it not helping and making the herxing worse with the abx. I have been on it since March and abx since July. I have never really noticed anything. I have been awful the last month and looking for relief. Wondering if I should stop the LDN and detox some. The abx are the most important treatment for me right now. I need to make sure it’s going to work. Anyone here on abx and LDN?

Diagnosed with RA in October 2014, pain started in February 2014
Started AP in June 2015
Taking daily: 32.5 mg WP thyroid 6 am, 100 mg mino 9 am, 16.25 mg WP thyroid 2 pm, B Complex for MTHFR mutation 3 pm, Multivitamin 3pm, 100 bil powdered probiotics 6 pm, 5-8,000 iu Vit D 6 pm, 100 mg mino 9 pm

[vinny]

I used LDN for some period of time in the past and did not think it was helpful in treating my condition. In theory it is meant to enhance your immune system, which is the wrong way to go for an autoimmune disease. I used it after having been on 100mg twice daily Minocycline for over a year thinking I could than force my immune to fight my disorder, but that is not what happened. The most obvious bad effect was the growth of a cyst or abcess on my leg. It got huge(quarter size) and oozed. I stopped LDN and went back up on Minocycline and it dried up very quickly.

Psoriatic Arthritis: 100mg Minoz Minocycline TABLET daily; twice daily 400mg Pentoxifylline;125mcg Levotyroxine: Have been using some level of Minocycline since 2008

[richie]

Hi I honestly feel that many folks make this very common error —We all have immune systems that have either gone awry or are terribly over reactive –I would think the last thing in the world to take is an immune booster –our immune systems arent underactive quite the contrary–
richie

[Airen]

thanks for your replies guys!! in the 6 months i have been on it I can def say i don’t feel better at all. in fact i feel worse…flu like symptoms, crazy fatigue, headaches etc. i will discontinue for a while and focus on the important one…AP!!! 🙂

Diagnosed with RA in October 2014, pain started in February 2014
Started AP in June 2015
Taking daily: 32.5 mg WP thyroid 6 am, 100 mg mino 9 am, 16.25 mg WP thyroid 2 pm, B Complex for MTHFR mutation 3 pm, Multivitamin 3pm, 100 bil powdered probiotics 6 pm, 5-8,000 iu Vit D 6 pm, 100 mg mino 9 pm

[cbnelson]

I too took LDN for over a year and it did help me in the beginning. I developed bronchitis and ended up in the hospital since I couldn’t get over it. I believe the LDN was the reason. Richie is correct about the immune system. Best to you.
Carol

[PhilC]

@vinny wrote:

I used LDN for some period of time in the past and did not think it was helpful in treating my condition. In theory it is meant to enhance your immune system, which is the wrong way to go for an autoimmune disease.

That’s one of the myths about LDN that comes from the time when no one was sure how it works. At a low enough dose, naltrexone slows down cell proliferation, which is why it slows the growth of cancer cells. The reduction of cell proliferation also affects cells of the immune system, which means LDN acts more like an immunosuppressant than an immune system stimulator. I’ve seen LDN referred to as an immunosuppressant, and I’ve seen it referred to as an immunomodulator. Although the latter term is probably the more accurate one, I suspect that we still don’t fully understand how LDN works.

Also, an important consideration is that if the dose of LDN is too high, the effect of LDN is reversed — the result is an increase in cell proliferation. That shouldn’t be a problem for most people if they are taking the recommended dose. However, some people are very sensitive to naltrexone, so the normal dose that works for most people is an overdose for them. Perhaps that is why LDN makes some people worse — their dose is too high, so the naltrexone becomes pro-inflammatory instead of anti-inflammatory.

See: How LDN works

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

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