Low-Dose Naltrexone therapy

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, May, 2004 by Jule Klotter

Naltrexone, a drug used to treat heroin and opium addicts, can boost the immune system when taken at low doses, according to the Low Dose Naltrexone Homepage (www.lowdosenaltrexone.org). The drug, FDA-approved in 1984, blocks opioid receptors. At high doses, it blocks the effect of heroin or opium. At low doses naltrexone inhibits the action of endogenous opioid hormones (eg, beta-endorphin and metenkephalin). Research in the last 20 years has shown that most immune cells have receptors for these opioid hormones that are believed to help "orchestrate" the immune system. A review article on opioid-induced immune modulation in the New England Journal of Medicine (November 13, 2003) said: "Preclinical evidence indicates overwhelmingly that opioids alter the development, differentiation, and function of immune cells, and that both innate and adaptive systems are affected. Bone marrow progenitor cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, immature thymocytes and T cells, and B cells are all involved."

New York physician Bernard Bihari, MD, found that low-dose naltrexone (LDN) taken once a day at bedtime enhanced the immune system of his HIV patients. Apparently, the body responds to a nightly blockage of opioid receptors by producing more endorphin and enkephalin. In his clinical practice, Dr. Bihari has found that LDN helps patients with autoimmune disease and cancer as well as those with HIV/AIDS. The progression of autoimmune disease--including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, CFIDS, and lupus--ceased in all of the patients taking LDN. Many experienced a remission. Among the 350 AIDS patients (as of September 2003) that Dr. Bihari treats, over 85% showed no detectable levels of HIV during the past 7 years. Some of these patients are on LDN only and others are using LDN along with accepted AIDS therapies. Low-dose naltrexone is now being studied at Penn State's College of Medicine. Dr. Jill Smith leads the 4-month study to test LDN's effectiveness in relieving the symptoms of Crohn's disease.

The Low Dose Naltrexone Homepage, sponsored by Advocates for Therapeutic Immunology, emphasizes that the low-dose naltrexone must be taken in an unaltered form--not time-release. The therapeutic dose is around 3 to 4.5 mg. Since naltrexone usually comes in 50 mg doses, doctors may need the services of a reputable compounding pharmacy.

The Low Dose Naltrexone Homepage www.lowdosenaltrexone.org

Penn State Colon & Rectal Surgery Research: www.hme.psu.edu/colorectal/research/naltrexone.htm