ALSUntangled No. 8: Low dose naltrexone for ALS
Amyotroph Lateral Scler
January 2011
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/17482968.2010.544386
Additional pharmacologic studies of LDN are needed to clarify its mechanisms of action. Some of its proposed mechanisms such as immunomodulation and neuroprotection could potentially be useful in ALS. However, there are no convincing data thus far to suggest that this is the case, and some limited data even raise a theoretical potential for a harmful effect. The benefits reported by a small Patients Like Me cohort are not consistent across participants, nor are they objectively verifiable. A small pilot study of a drug with similar mechanisms found no objective benefits in patients with ALS. Although reported costs are not exorbitant, there are reported and potential side-effects including liver toxicity. ALSUntangled does not recommend LDN use by patients with ALS at this time.