LDN : headaches anyone?

[carries]

I have been on LDN 1.5mg for 1.5 weeks….I feel as if I am hungover…headache….is this common???

[hopefulmama]

I'll be starting LDN soon… will let you know if I have the same experience.  Sorry you are feeling badly! 🙁

[APbeliever]

After almost 6 months of LDN use, I had to quit LDN completely due to dizziness, severe insomnia and headaches. The dizziness and headaches went away completely after two weeks of stopping LDN but joint pains returned and I am now using Mino again. It was very strange that I took 4.5 mgs of LDN for almost 4 months with no insomnia problems whatsoever. Go figure :crying:

[PhilC]

APbeliever,

You may have been taking too much LDN. You might want to try taking it again, but start at 1.5 mg and increase the dose slowly– 0.5 mg per month.

I read that some people (especially men) cannot tolerate a dose of LDN higher than 3.0 mg. Also, you may not be able to take 4.5 mg because of your liver.

Although the optimal dosage of LDN for the average adult (presumed to weigh 150 pounds) is considered to be 4.5 mg, some patients do better (i.e., have fewer side effects and a better over all response) on a lower dose, particularly if they weigh significantly less than 150 lbs. To compute one's theoretical “ideal” dose in mg based on Clark's pharmaceutical dosage rule, multiply your weight in pounds by a factor of .03 (the same formula also works in computing the dosage for children and pets). If liver functionality has been compromised, however, a dose lower than the computed dose may be necessary, and it can only be determined by trial and error.

Source:
http://www.webspawner.com/users/sideeffectsofldn/index.html

Phil

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

[APbeliever]

Thanks Phil for the link. My liver tests(LFT) are all normal. I started out at 1.5 mgs of LDN and went upto 4.5 mgs slowly. I took LDN for 4 months without any problems at all (no insomnia, headaches or dizziness). Will try again at 1.5 mgs in a few weeks. As for now, I am doing quite well on Minocycline and all my energy levels are back. I don't even have dizziness anymore which I always use to get with Minocyline(I am using 100 mgs twice a day of Mino)

[hopefulmama]

Hi CarrieS,

I started LDN 1.5mg last night and wow, it really ruined me.  Which is not to say I will never try it again.  But clearly 1.5mg is way too much for my fragile system.  These were my side effects:

• Massive headache around the back of my skull[/*:376k7mbc]
• Woke myself up coughing – am still coughing now :-([/*:376k7mbc]
• Incredible joint aches and pains, more than I have ever had – especially in my hands[/*:376k7mbc]
• Extremely dry mouth – like, Sjogren's dry[/*:376k7mbc]
• Exhausted… almost deliriously tired, like I was hit by a truck[/*:376k7mbc]
• Insomnia[/*:376k7mbc]

Luckily, most of the worst effects went away by mid-day.  (I took the LDN around 11:30pm)

I happened to see Dr.Y LLMD in my town today for a scheduled appt and asked her about it and she said that it jump started my immune system too fast, that it was too hard for my system.  She recommended trying again in one week, at a lower dose.  If I get the same bad response, she said to wait for a month and then try again.  My body just isn't ready yet.

So, maybe your headaches are a sign that you should go down in your dose.  I've read of many people starting with teeny doses like .5mg instead of 1 or 1.5. 

I really want LDN to be a wonderdrug for me but right now, it feels more like a disaster.  I hope by tomorrow I will be back to normal.  And I know what you mean about feeling a hangover headache… this is probably the worst headache I have ever experienced.

Take care and hope you are feeling better!
A

[carries]

Hi hopefulmama! The headaches have subsided ….thank god! I take LDN sunday through thurs. I take friday and sat off…hope that is okay. I like to drink wine on the weekends since by bf makes it. I am sleeping good again….not sure if I notice any difference though at all. I just got shots of cortisone in my hand and shoulder so that could be why I am feeling better. I will give it a couple mths and see what happens from there.

[PhilC]

Hi hopefulmama,

It looks like you aren't taking any antibiotics yet. Is that correct?

Phil

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

[hopefulmama]

That is correct, Phil.  I don't know if or when I will take them.  I am taking several antimicrobials prescribed my my LLMD and my LLMD/ND (Drs. Y and McF) in my town.  So, the bugs are getting killed (right now we are targeting babesia)… just in a different way.  Artemesinin and grapefruit seed extract are two of the babesia treatments most highly recommended by all LLMDs – often as an adjunct to zithromax and Mepron.

The nice thing is that both of my docs prescribe abx as well, and often do… so if they ever feel that I need to take that route, it is open and available to me on a moment's notice 🙂

p.s.  Dr. Y studied under the father of Lyme treatment – Dr. B… and Dr. McF has written the definitive book about diet for Lyme healing.  I got lucky!

[PhilC]

Hi hopefulmama,

It may be that you won't be able to take LDN until you get your “bugs” under control and reduce their populations to lower levels. LDN makes some people worse instead of better, and I suspect that one reason may be that their pathogen loads are still high.

Phil

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

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