Anyone had a setback from LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone)?

Anybody else had a problem with this? I was on Jury Duty and used Imodium because I've had IBS for a long time. I accidentally became constipated and had to go to the ER. They injected me with this stuff to unblock the opiate action of the Imodium. A few days later and I'm back in hell after being recovered for 2-½ years. WTF!!!

 

I'm even more confused because I took a week course of Cipro last year and had no reaction to it.

HI, Siggy.

I know this is old but I'm considering trying LDN for treatment of Protracted WD and would like to know what happened to you after this incident that you described above. Please share. (And was it Naltrexone they gave you or LDN?)

thank you.

Hi Nony, sorry for the late-ish reply. It was LDN (to counteract Imodium) and Lactulose (Laxative) that  I was given that I think caused that setback. It’s possible a coincidence that something else caused that setback right at the same time. But I think it’s very unlikely. I really don’t know if it was one or the other or a combo of the two?

 

That setback lasted roughly 5 months. But good news is I’m better again for about the last 1-3/4 years.

 

How do you think Naltrexone / LDN might help you?

Thank you, Siggy. So you're not sure if it was the LDN, the Lactulose, or both?

 

I don't know, I need to try something, and my doctor suggested LDN. I wanted to hear from people who tried it. How many months/years were you off when your LDN/Lactulose setback happened?

 

Nony

 

No way to be sure which one it was. LDN I think is a GABA modulator though. So my guess is that was what caused it. Or at least started it. Maybe the Lactulose played a part. Hard to tell. Had the LDN and then the Lactulose the next day. Symptoms didn't show up for 2 days or so.

 

I was around 6 years out when that happened.

Thank you, Siggy. So you're not sure if it was the LDN, the Lactulose, or both?

 

I don't know, I need to try something, and my doctor suggested LDN. I wanted to hear from people who tried it. How many months/years were you off when your LDN/Lactulose setback happened?

 

Nony

Nony , I’ve been on compounded LDN 1 mg for 7 years for pain with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.  It doesn’t negatively affect my Xanax withdrawal.  Maybe it even helps, but I have no way of knowing. 

I know this is old but I am hoping siggy sees this. How do people deal with setback/relapse? I’m six years out and had two .5 mg of LDN and feel like I’m in hell. I tapered very slowly before so I’m not used to this level of symptoms. Any suggestions?  Do people go back on benzos when this happens? Is this, in effect, cold Turkey?

Oh wow, sorry that this happened to you also padmasana! I haven't come back on the boards for a while. I've unfortunately had 3 setbacks now. 2 from alcohol and one from the LDN. They all sucked REALLY bad. But I just pushed through each one and coped the best I could. What kind of symptoms do you have now and how long have you been in this setback? I think my last setback (the LDN one) lasted about 5 or 6 months give or take.

 

Most people here agree that reinstating is almost always a bad idea. Usually with worse outcome afterwords. Each time you come of this stuff, it gets worse. And I think tolerance can set in quicker.

 

I coped by walking a lot, working in our yard doing gardening / landscaping, and generally distracting myself some way.

Thank you for responding! Yes, this has been scary and awful and I am also dealing with an autoimmune thing (which is why my doctor prescribed LDN). On the first day I had headaches and burning scalp. On the second day, I literally wanted to run into the street with suicidal ideation. I stopped taking it but have since developed more depersonalization, tremors, panic, jerking, basically all the things I experienced when I came off of klonopin 6 years ago. I’m really angry and frustrated bc I was improving in my autoimmune recovery without the LDN and this has definitely set me back. Trying to not be too depressed about it, but the windows and waves are back. One thing I realized is that I was drinking chamomile tea everyday which I know acts on benzo receptors as well as using cbd oil intermittently and now feel like I don’t want to take anything so that I don’t irritate my system but wondering if I am making things worse by not using them. This process is maddening! Did you use any supplements while you went through your setback? I’m so so sorry this happened to you too. Does this sound like anything you went through? Again thanks for the support.

Certainly! Sorry about your autoimmune thing too. I've had several other chronic issues for years that also add to the misery. So I can understand. Each of my setbacks started off bad, got worse, and then eventually got better. It took around 5 or 6 months for that one to subside. I guess that the only plus side to it was that it was at the very start of the pandemic. So I had a good excuse to just work from home for months. I know we can stay sensitive for a while after recovering from the poison pills. It's hard to say what might cause a setback and what may even eventually contribute to other symptoms. I know that chamomile should be pretty mild, but each person is different. I drink one or two cups of fully caffeinated coffee a day now. Something I never would  have done back in the thick of it.

 

I never tried CBD, but was actually contemplating it lately to deal with the other chronic issues I mentioned. It's a hard decision to make. I never took many supplements throughout the whole recovery. I did try different magnesium concoctions, but never steadily. Mostly to try and alleviate the extreme insomnia I had. I took Hydroxyzine off and on. L-Tryptophan for a few months here and there. I also had a prescription for Vit D2. I never had any problems with that and took it for years. I know a few people here think it caused them an issue though.

 

Just keep coping with this the best you can. You made it out before, you'll make it out again. I promise you will. I've made it through three brutal setbacks, so I have faith you'll recover as well. 

Thanks Siggy. I stopped drinking the chamomile 8 days and think I am having withdrawal. I’m not clear on how the hell to withdraw from chamomile so I’m a bit astounded. I’ve also been taking magnesium nightly for years so I feel like my system might be super out of whack. I really don’t want to think about withdrawing from all these things but my head is so unclear right now. I may have to make a separate post about this.  I’m wondering if I should reinstate the chamomile (as silly as this sounds) and do a taper. I did a very slow taper of klonopin so I don’t really know how cold turkey works and am a bit freaked out I am hurting my brain more this way.

I was wanting to use it, maybe because it raises endorphins it was too stimulating. 🤔