Popularity of Low Dose Naltrexone For Pain Relief Explained

Chronic pain isn’t just, well, painful. It can be life-altering, emotionally taxing, and downright disheartening to treat. As a result, doctors and patients alike are continuously on the hunt for new methods of pain relief – especially for long-term conditions and diseases.

In America alone, more than 51 million people deal with chronic pain. That’s a good 20% of the population, making chronic pain more common than diabetes, depression, andhigh blood pressure.

Most commonly, chronic pain is managed through a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medicines, including opioids. However, it’s no secret that we’re in an opioid crisis in the United States, with millions suffering from side effects related to addiction.

As a result, researchers have been challenged to find alternatives for medicated pain relief. In more recent years, this has led to the use of an old drug in new ways. Naltrexone has been FDA-approved since the 1980s, but now, it’s growing in popularity in the 2020s.

Ironically, Naltrexone was previously prescribed to treat opioid and alcohol addiction. Now, the medication is also becoming increasingly popular in low doses for chronic pain treatment.

Let’s talk about why.

What Is Low-Dose Naltrexone?

According to the UK-based Low-Dose Naltrexone Trust Charity, Naltrexone is a safe, non-toxic, and inexpensive medication that can assist with the treatment of a range of conditions, ranging from pain and dysfunctional immune systems to cancer and general inflammation.

Naltrexone works by temporarily binding and blocking a mechanism called the MU receptor. This receptor is linked to how our bodies and minds experience pain. By blocking it, Naltrexone essentially tells the body that it isn’t producing enough endorphins (natural pain relievers), then encourages the body to release them.

Through this process, low doses of Naltrexone can potentially help modulate patients’ immune systems, reduce inflammation, produce more endorphins, and generally decrease pain.

When scientists and doctors specifically refer to Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN), they are referring to a dose that is up to one-tenth of the dose that’s usually administered for opioid addiction. Although using these low doses to treat anything other than opioid addiction is considered an “off-label” use, LDN is quickly becoming a popular pain relief alternative.

Let’s talk about when doctors are increasingly prescribing LDN for pain relief.

When Can LDN Be Used?

Over the last couple of decades, LDN has increasingly been used to treat a wide range of disorders and conditions. A handful of the most notable pain relief uses include the treatment of…

Fibromyalgia

Because Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist, there is strong evidence indicating that using low doses of the drug may offer a safe, inexpensive treatment for fibromyalgia. More specifically, LDN may be able to reduce fibromyalgia-specific pain and therefore generally improve patients’ quality of life.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Although researchers are not entirely sure how LDN works when it comes to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), the drug may be able to tamp down activity in the microglial cells in the brain. In response, the brain may then reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are responsible for producing the symptoms associated with CFS (including pain).

Crohn’s Disease

Early placebo-controlled trials indicate that LDN improved inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa, and as a result, improved clinical activity scores in patients with mild to moderate Crohn’s disease (CD). Over the course of four to six weeks, it’s possible that CD patients could experience significantly less inflammation, and therefore, reduced pain.

Parkinson’s Disease

Dystonia, pain caused by involuntary muscle contractions, can be severe in some patients with Parkinson’s. As an endorphin-boosting drug, LDN may be able to relieve some of this pain in Parkinson's patients and enhance their overall sense of well-being.

Multiple Sclerosis

Although LDN is not considered a disease-modifying drug, it’s possible that it can reduce the severity and frequency of some multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. As the drug encourages the brain to release endorphins over an extended period of time, bodily inflammation may decrease, tackling the primary cause of MS-related pain.

Neuropathy

Patients with nerve pain may benefit from LDN, which modulates the immune system and reduces inflammation. Additionally, its “ endorphin rebound” phenomenon can help those with neuropathy deal with less crippling degrees of discomfort. 

Today’s LDN Popularity Surge

With such a wide range of conditions that LDN can potentially help treat, it’s no wonder that the drug is increasing in popularity. LDN is also inexpensive and well-tolerated in most patients, making it a preferred alternative to many other prescription painkillers.

Additionally, some patients who have experienced “long COVID” due to the COVID-19 pandemic have found that low doses of Naltrexone can improve thinking clarity and decrease ongoing pain and fatigue. Today, at least four clinical trials are testing Naltrexone in hundreds of patients with long-term COVID-19 to determine its true efficacy.

Of course, such information is at the top of many health-related news sources, which has further propelled Low-Dose Naltrexone into the spotlight. As more patients and doctors become aware of the drug’s benefits outside of alcohol and opioid addiction treatment, we expect to see LDN at the forefront of many new studies and treatment plans.

How Patients Can Access LDN for Pain Relief

Because LDN is not typically available as a commercial, FDA-approved medication, it is often prescribed and obtained through compounding pharmacies. Patients will need to consult with a healthcare provider to determine if LDN is a suitable treatment option, then obtain their prescription from a specialized facility.

LDN is not a mainstream treatment, so its availability may vary from one region to another. Not all healthcare providers are familiar with LDN, and not all pharmacies are equipped with the proper labware supplies to compound it. Therefore, patients may need to do some research to find a compounding pharmacy that can prepare their prescriptions.

One significant barrier to the use of LDN for chronic pain is that it is not currently covered by most insurance companies. However, it is possible that this will change as Naltrexone is increasingly prescribed in low doses for pain relief.

We Support Compounding Pharmacies

At Total Pharmacy Supply, we provide equipment and tools to a wide range of pharmacies – including compounding facilities. Whether your pharmacy needs appropriate gowns and scrubs or secure prescription cabinets, we’ll ensure all of your needs are met.

For questions on compounding supplies or on more general pharmaceutical trends, feel free to reach out. You can contact our team online or give us a call at 800-878-2822.