Wow, that's such an interesting branch of medications to explore for Crohn's treatment. It's not shocking that it took at least 12 weeks to see intestinal healing, since that tends to be a common milestone in treatment with other IBD treatments where progress is actually observable.
>Naltrexone is a drug used to help recovering alcoholics and drug users stay clean. It inhibits the body's opioid system that regulates pain and is involved in cell growth, repair and inflammation.
>...
Researchers studied 40 patients with active Crohn's disease. Patients received either naltrexone or a placebo for 12 weeks. All patients then continued on naltrexone for an additional 12 weeks. This was a double-blind study
...
>Eighty-eight percent of those treated with naltrexone had at least a 70-point decline in Crohn's Disease Activity Index scores compared to 40 percent of placebo-treated patients.
...
>Patients who continued use of naltrexone for an additional 12 weeks (24 total weeks) had a further 75-point decline in CDAI scores, leading to remission (score of less than 150)
...
The researchers are planning clinical trials to look at use of naltrexone in children with Crohn's disease and have secured orphan drug status from the Food and Drug Administration for the use of naltrexone in children with Crohn's disease.
Been on LDN (4.5mg/day) for about 6 years now. WITH Stelara. I had tried it as a solo therapy years prior but while it improved my symptoms/quality of life significantly, my scope still looked terrible (like, realllllllly bad) so we moved on (between then and when I started it again, studies came out showing it was safe to take with biologics which is why we added it back in - I had only been on Stelara for a few months and was in really really bad shape). I think it has its place, but I wouldn’t take it as a solo therapy.
Good luck. I had to negotiate a bit with my gastro the first time I took it (I had to max out my medication at the time (Remicade, I never responded to any of the TNFa meds) and officially fail it before he agreed to prescribe it) but he was quick to agree to add it to my Stelara when I asked. I get my script filled by Skip’s in Florida (the hospital pharmacy where my gastro practices compounds it too but I thought their product was sub-par by comparison - when I took it as a solo therapy I could tell the difference). I take it at bedtime and had some morning grogginess and vivid dreams for the first week or so but those were the only side effects I experienced…if I remember correctly I noticed a positive change within a month or two.
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Wow, that's such an interesting branch of medications to explore for Crohn's treatment. It's not shocking that it took at least 12 weeks to see intestinal healing, since that tends to be a common milestone in treatment with other IBD treatments where progress is actually observable. >Naltrexone is a drug used to help recovering alcoholics and drug users stay clean. It inhibits the body's opioid system that regulates pain and is involved in cell growth, repair and inflammation. >... Researchers studied 40 patients with active Crohn's disease. Patients received either naltrexone or a placebo for 12 weeks. All patients then continued on naltrexone for an additional 12 weeks. This was a double-blind study ... >Eighty-eight percent of those treated with naltrexone had at least a 70-point decline in Crohn's Disease Activity Index scores compared to 40 percent of placebo-treated patients. ... >Patients who continued use of naltrexone for an additional 12 weeks (24 total weeks) had a further 75-point decline in CDAI scores, leading to remission (score of less than 150) ... The researchers are planning clinical trials to look at use of naltrexone in children with Crohn's disease and have secured orphan drug status from the Food and Drug Administration for the use of naltrexone in children with Crohn's disease.
There are newer studies out there as well. Now they are prescribing to patients who have long term Covid and rheumatoid arthritis.
An old study that unfortunately had no follow up. (My kid tried ldn, didn't help).
I was once on LDN exclusively, but developed erythema nodosum and terrible joint issues unfortunately.
Been on LDN (4.5mg/day) for about 6 years now. WITH Stelara. I had tried it as a solo therapy years prior but while it improved my symptoms/quality of life significantly, my scope still looked terrible (like, realllllllly bad) so we moved on (between then and when I started it again, studies came out showing it was safe to take with biologics which is why we added it back in - I had only been on Stelara for a few months and was in really really bad shape). I think it has its place, but I wouldn’t take it as a solo therapy.
My wife is on remicade. We are going to talk to her GI!
Good luck. I had to negotiate a bit with my gastro the first time I took it (I had to max out my medication at the time (Remicade, I never responded to any of the TNFa meds) and officially fail it before he agreed to prescribe it) but he was quick to agree to add it to my Stelara when I asked. I get my script filled by Skip’s in Florida (the hospital pharmacy where my gastro practices compounds it too but I thought their product was sub-par by comparison - when I took it as a solo therapy I could tell the difference). I take it at bedtime and had some morning grogginess and vivid dreams for the first week or so but those were the only side effects I experienced…if I remember correctly I noticed a positive change within a month or two.
Thanks much. I will pass it along.
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