LOW DOSE NALTREXONE

Low-dose Naltrexone Therapy refers to daily doses of naltrexone that are approximately 1/10th of the typical FDA approved treatment for substance abuse disorder. Low-dose Naltrexone dosing generally ranges from 1.5 to 4.5 milligrams daily. At these lower doses, the biochemical impact in the body is quite unique.

What is Naltrexone?

Naltrexone is a type of medication known as an opioid antagonist.

It is a pure inhibitor, so there is absolutely no narcotic effect. The chemical structure is almost identical to the endorphins that we make naturally in our body called metenkephalin, which is also known as Opioid Growth Factor (OGF). The ability of Naltrexone to bind to opioid receptors and block them has made it a highly useful drug in the treatment of various addiction disorders and treatment of emergency opioid overdose. It is FDA approved for alcohol and opioid use disorder at a dose of 50-100 milligrams daily.

The FDA approved indications only scratch the surface of what Naltrexone, in lower doses, has the potential to offer.

WHAT DOES LOW-DOSE NALTREXONE DO IN THE BODY

Low-Dose Naltrexone exists chemically as a racemic mixture of isomers. Think of a left hand and a right hand or mirror images (enantiomers). The left hand binds to opioid receptors and the right hand binds to toll like receptors. Each enantiomer elicits a different biochemical response in the body.

Levo-naltrexone (the left hand) upregulates endorphins.

Intermittent binding of opioid receptors at low levels leads to an upregulation of endorphins (molecules released by your body that serve as natural pain relievers). LDN tricks your body into thinking that it's not producing enough endorphins and activates alternative pathways upregulating the natural production and releases endorphins.

Dextro-naltrexone (the right hand) inhibits immune cell.

Binds to receptor sites (toll-like receptors) found on specialized immune cells such as macrophages and microglia that move throughout the body surveying and determining if an immune response should be initiated. When these immune surveillance cells are chronically overactivated, they release a cascade of proinflammatory signaling molecules (known as cytokines) that can significantly upregulate inflammation and lead to an immune/inflammatory effects. Naltrexone binds to the toll-like receptors suppressing immune cell activation. It significantly reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

The combination of upregulating endorphins (natural pain relievers) paired with a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines can positively impact the immune system, cell growth and proliferation, pain responses, mood and energy.

WHAT MEDICAL CONDITIONS CAN LOW-DOSE NALTREXONE HELP WITH?

Auto-Immune Disease

Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Thyroid Disorders

Restless Leg Syndrome

Depression

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Chronic Pain

Gastrointestinal Disorders

Women's Health (Endometriosis, Ovarian Syndrome, Fertility)

Dermatologic Conditions

Parkinson's Disease

Traumatic Brain Injury

Dissociative Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Lyme Disease

Tick Born Illness

Cancer

Borne Illness

Mold Illnesses

Long Covid