How long does it take Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) to work for Ulcerative Colitis?

I have been treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease with low dose Naltrexone (LDN) since 2005. I find that it takes one to two months to kick in and it’s actually not too dissimilar to oral medications that are used for inflammatory bowel diseases, such as the five ASA’s or the newer medications such as Azathioprine or Purinethol or methotrexate. So it’s not too surprising that it can take this long of a time and it takes time to not only shut down the excessive T-Cell activation with the cytokine production but to then to see what it takes in terms of generalised healing and regeneration of healthy tissue on the lining. So it’s not only treating the underlying pathophysiology but allowing time to let the lining heal.

So, wait for two months before you give up and wait until your dose of Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)  is accelerated up to 4.5 mg or whatever you can tolerate. The treatment, I find, often works just as well given in the morning or in the evening but if it is effective in the morning and it reaches a sort of plateau that you’re not happy with then you can switch it to night-time use and see if you can capture the natural production of endorphins that occur at four in the morning.

However, other patients just find that insomnia from the endorphin rush is too much for them. So, everybody is different, see what works for you and I hope this helps. 

Answered by Dr Leonard Weinstock