LDN study results

I have just found the results of the LDN study done by Dr. Cree at UCSF.  It was mostly funded by people who have MS and are taking LDN.  It was the first study to actually document findings on people who have MS and take LDN.

Updated: Nov 10, 2008
> LDN for MS—University of California, San Francisco, CA
A study of LDN in the treatment of MS at the University of California, San Francisco, was implemented in early 2007 by neurological researcher Bruce Cree, MD, and colleagues. Some 80 patients with MS were involved in this double-blind, “Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover-Design Study of the Effects of Low Dose Naltrexone on Quality of Life as Measured by the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory.” Each subject received either LDN or a placebo for 8 weeks, followed by one week without either, and then a further 8 weeks on the the alternate capsule. A substantial contribution toward the study has been made by the the LDN for MS Research Fund.
Dr. Cree reported the conclusions as follows in a poster presentation to the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, held in September 2008 in Montreal, Canada. His report still awaited publication at that date:

Conclusions
• 8 weeks of treatment with LDN significantly improved quality of life indices for mental health, pain, and self-reported cognitive function of MS patients as measured by the MSQLI [MS Quality of Life Inventory]
• An impact on physical quality of life indices including fatigue, bowel and bladder control, sexual satisfaction, and visual function was not observed
• The benefits of LDN were not affected by disease course, age, treatment order, or treatment with either interferon beta or Copaxone
• The only treatment related adverse event reported was vivid dreaming during the first week of the study drug in some patients
• Potential effects of LDN beyond 8 weeks of treatment were not addressed in this study
• Multicenter randomized clinical trials of LDN in MS are warranted


Thanks Todd for bringing up this trial on another post.  I looked for the results and found them.

Elaine

[doni54]

Thank you so much, Elaine for taking the time to do this for us.  

I've thought about LDN a lot and if I don't get a dx soon I think I am going to try it.

doni

[shoshin]

You've probably seen this, but maybe somebody else is interested. They did a study with LDN in PPMS in Italy. Basically, they seem to be focused on the fact that it was safe, but they did note a few positive things like a reduction in spasticity for some people (although it's not clear that this is meaningful in the context of such a short study with only a few people with PPMS).

A pilot trial of low-dose naltrexone in primary progressive multiple sclerosis by M Gironi et al.

Abstract: A sixth month phase II multicenter-pilot trial with a low dose of the opiate antagonist Naltrexone (LDN) has been carried out in 40 patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The primary end points were safety and tolerability. Secondary outcomes were efficacy on spasticity, pain, fatigue, depression, and quality of life. Clinical and biochemical evaluations were serially performed. Protein concentration of beta-endorphins (BE) and mRNA levels and allelic variants of the mu-opiod receptor gene (OPRM1) were analyzed. Five dropouts and two major adverse events occurred. The remaining adverse events did not interfere with daily living. Neurological disability progressed in only one patient. A significant reduction of spasticity was measured at the end of the trial. BE concentration increased during the trial, but no association was found between OPRM1 variants and improvement of spasticity. Our data clearly indicate that LDN is safe and well tolerated in patients with PPMS.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18728058

They also explain a little bit why it might be helpful:

"However, recent evidence indicates that such a peptide has a broader activity because when released by lymphocytes it also exerts peripheral anti-nociceptive action [3] and possesses an antiinflammatory activity |4-6]. All together, these results have led to the widespread off-label use of LDN for the treatment of symptoms such as numbness, spasticity, fatigue, and bladder dysfunction as well as diseases with a dysimmune origin such as HIV, Crohn's disease, lupus arthritis, fibromialgia (fibromyalgia),
and multiple sclerosis (MS) (http://www.LDNers.org)." (p. 1076)

[Quixotic1]

The finding that I notice that stands out is that they found no problems with taking LDN with an interferon - which is contrary to all the statements found by the LDN promoters.  This study was terribly short and I hope that it sparks some longer studies.

Quix

[monotreme]

Thanks for taking the time to post the Italy LDN study.  Craig continues to be on LDN for his PPMS and I think it has definitely given him a better quality of life, but not necessarily halted the disease.

Elaine