LDN Video Interviews and Presentations

Eoghan - Ireland: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood: I'd like to introduce Eoghan from Ireland, who takes LDN for multiple sclerosis. Thank you for joining me, Eoghan. 

Eoghan: Good to be here. 

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell me when you first started to notice your MS symptoms? 

Eoghan: the first symptom was fatigue. I got really bad fatigue the year after I was diagnosed. The first symptom was optic neuritis, fatigue was probably the worst thing I had to deal with because it meant that I had to take a nap in the afternoon. Never needed that before. Having to take a nap was really inconvenient because I'm 26 at this stage trying to get everything else done. And fatigue is no longer a problem. 

Linda Elsegood: Okay. Let's just establish, before you found LDN, apart from the fatigue, what was your life like? 

Eoghan: Oh, uh, pretty, pretty bad I just couldn’t actually wake up in the morning. I used to sleep 16 hours a day. And you know you need rests after everything and now they have six hours to do stuff, which is not much time, especially when you're in college. 

Linda Elsegood: Okay. So what was your condition like just before you started out at the end? 

Eoghan: Well, it was fine. I was pretty good. Actually. My first MRI shows two lesions on the optic nerve on my right side, I think the MRI flipped over, so they weren't too sure which was left. I can't tell anyway. And yeah, I think I couldn't function. It was weird. Like how do you explain fatigue? People, you don't have it. 

Linda Elsegood: That's difficult when isn't it? Yeah. People say, Oh, well I get tired, but tired and fatigue 

Eoghan:  Not the same thing 

Linda Elsegood: So how did you hear about LDN?

Eoghan: research? I'm it guy, so Google is my friend. I eventually figured it out. Okay. So they want to put me on Avonex, which I did for about three months, and I basically developed psychotic symptoms from stabbing myself in the leg with the giant needle every week. It's a stress-related condition and after the Avonex made me go there and nutty and I said I needed something easier to take. Thinking there's gotta be a tablet for this at the time, and they didn't have LDN back then. Oh, eventually, Google helped me find out at the end. Thank God. Did. 

Linda Elsegood: Did your own GP prescribed it for you or did you have to obtain a private prescription 

Eoghan: first? That wasn't too bad. I went into Talla hospital, which is about two, three miles down the road from here, and saw the senior neurologist, and there were others name, I think it was Dr Smith. She and nice lady prescribed me at the end.

I got LDN prescriptions from a neurologist, but I had to talk them into it? So I have to do a lot of research beforehand. Prove efficacy and safety, and tolerability are the big three I had to for them. And bingo, I got my prescription that very day. 

Linda Elsegood: And when you first started, did you notice any introductory side effects?

Eoghan: the wacky dreams are pretty good. Um. Other than that, it's really. It's kind of hard to fall asleep so I take rescue remedy. And that's supposed to be knocked me out at night. 

Linda Elsegood: Okay. So what are your symptoms now? How many hours a day are you sleeping? 

Eoghan: Um, Oh, nine ten, I'm still in college. 

Linda Elsegood: Right. What about your optic neuritis? 

Eoghan: I could see just as well without glasses as I can with glasses apart I need glasses to see more than four feet in front of me. 

I went to see an optometrist nice man, by the name Tony McLaren, he said, well, you'll need prisms in these glasses.

So I went down to vision express, got myself the student discount, the health board discount, the special Easter discount as well as the time. Uh, basically got the most expensive in the shop with the most expensive lenses for half price! It's just really about the same as a regular pair of glasses, 

Linda Elsegood: What would you say to other people who are contemplating trying LDN? 

Eoghan: it's risk-free This medication will not hurt you. It cannot hurt you. The doctor's say First, do no harm. It's just great because all the other ms medications will leave you feeling totally crap and with LDN you feeling a little crap, but only if the first six months. 

Linda Elsegood: Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Any questions or comments you may have, please Contact Us.  I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciated your company. Until next time, stay safe and keep well.

Ellen - US: Sarcoidosis, Ehlers-Danlos, 2016 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

I am Ellen from Rhode Island in the US. I am a patient of dr. Pradeep Chopra. I take LDN for Sarcoidosis.

I also have enlarged lymph nodes and granulomas in my lungs and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

It's a connective tissue disorder, which means the collagen in my body has been defective since birth.  I spend my life with subluxations. Ligaments and tendons are overstretched elastic dance. So joints get very loose. So at this time I am now recuperating from my 21st surgery.

Before I got diagnosed, I was an athlete and being able to be a master swimmer and a swim coach.

I started taking LDN in 2012.

I'm terribly drug reactive to the point that I actually had a DNA drug, sensitivity testing done.

And I'm really not able to metabolize things as simple things, aspirin, Tylenol, antiinflammatories Benadryl, all the opiates, etc

I started very slow because I'm so reactive  at 1mg up to 4 mg.

Within a couple of weeks, I noticed a huge change.

The way I understand it, it's similar to the feeling you have when you have had a really good exercise, and the endorphins are released in your system. It's kind of that sensation where you just feel happier.

I would encourage anybody to try it and see if it can give you a better quality of life. It's really worth a shot.

A lot of years went by that I didn't get the proper help. Now I actually have written a book for Ehlers-Danlos so if anybody over in my area is still looking for help It's called "Living Life to the Fullest with Ehlers Danlos", with an actual physical therapy protocol that is safe to use with a manual therapist as a guide.

 I've been on LDN, which has been over three years and what shocks me is how I'm basically okay. During the day I don't need to take medication.

I am learning to better live with it. I'm learning to probably be a happier person than I was before with this. I honestly think  LDN has helped me. It just there's something about it that just helps to calm the body.

Please listen to the video for the full story.

Ellen - US: Sarcoidosis, Ehlers-Danlos, 2013 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

I am Ellen from Rhode Island in the US. I am a patient of dr. Pradeep Chopra. I take LDN for Sarcoidosis, with enlarged lymph nodes and granulomas in my lungs, and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It's a connective tissue disorder, which means the collagen in my body has been defective since birth.  I spend my life with subluxations. Ligaments and tendons are overstretched elastic dance. So joints get very loose. So at this time I am now recuperating from my 21st surgery.

Before I got diagnosed, I was an athlete and being able to be a master swimmer and a swim coach.

I started taking LDN in 2012.

I'm terribly drug reactive to the point that I actually had a DNA drug, sensitivity testing done.

And I'm really not able to metabolize things as simple things, aspirin, Tylenol, antiinflammatories Benadryl, all the opiates, etc

I started very slow because I'm so reactive  at 1mg up to 4 mg.

Within a couple of weeks, I noticed a huge change.

The way I understand it, it's similar to the feeling you have when you have had a really good exercise, and the endorphins are released in your system. It's kind of that sensation where you just feel happier.

I would encourage anybody to try it and see if it can give you a better quality of life. It's really worth a shot.

A lot of years went by that I didn't get the proper help. Now I actually have written a book for Ehlers-Danlos so if anybody over in my area is still looking for help It's called "Living Life to the Fullest with Ehlers Danlos", with an actual physical therapy protocol that is safe to use with a manual therapist as a guide.

I've been on LDN, which has been over three years and what shocks me is how I'm basically okay. During the day I don't need to take medication.

I am learning to better live with it. I'm learning to probably be a happier person than I was before with this. I honestly think  LDN has helped me. It just there's something about it that just helps to calm the body.

Watch the video for the full story.

Elizabeth - US: CFS/ME, Lyme (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Elizabeth uses low dose naltrexone (LDN) for chronic Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), food sensitivities, and poisoning by Cipro.

When Elizabeth was very young she had anxiety and nausea, feeling on the verge of vomiting, and doctors found no diagnosis. At 12 she was taking Accutane, which interfered with her immune system and her symptoms increased through her teen years. 

She carried diagnoses of chronic fatigue syndrome, hypothyroidism, insomnia, food sensitivities, depression, anxiety, OCD, gastroparesis – all kinds of autoimmune disorders and symptoms - and was disabled. She got some improvement with a holistic treatment called NAET, but in her late 20s took ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and became bed-bound for over ten years. Unfortunately, later she took Cipro again and all her symptoms got exponentially worse.

She was diagnosed with POTS, or dysautonomia, and could not tolerate medications to heal.  She couldn’t tolerate food, heat, the sun, and couldn’t sleep. When she started LDN it made her feel like she had a bad flu, migraines, and a racing heart. Her doctor adjusted her thyroid medication to help with her heart rate and insomnia, but later was able to increase it back up. She learned that taking LDN in the morning, and a lowered dose, reduced those symptoms. Now her symptoms are 85% improved.

In addition, after 10 months, LDN has improved her endometriosis pain and cognitive functioning. She has been able to come off multiple other pharmaceutical medications, including those for her high blood pressure, antidepressants, and medication for CFS. By her research, she hopes to continue improving for up to 2 years.

Keywords:  Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS, POTS, dysautonomia, hypothyroidism, insomnia, depression, anxiety, OCD, gastroparesis, food sensitivity, poisoning by Cipro, ciprofloxacin, endometriosis, high blood pressure, NAET, LDN, low dose naltrexone

Summary of Elizabeth's interview, please listen to the video for the full story.

Any questions or comments you may have, please Contact Us.  I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today.

Elizabeth - Scotland: Fibromyalgia (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Elizabeth from Scotland uses LDN for Fibromyalgia.

After travelling to Greece she started feeling very tired, constantly with flu like symptoms, no energy and a lot of aches and pains.

After taking LDN, Elizabeth states that her pain levels decreased and her mood got brighter. She has a much better quality of life now.

Play the video to listen to the whole story.

Elizabeth (2) - England: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood: I'd like to introduce Elizabeth from England, who has multiple sclerosis; welcome Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: Hello

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us when you first started to notice MS. Symptoms?

Elizabeth: Well, I didn't that they were there, but I didn't really take any enough to support them. I think, um, they started after I had glandular fever in my when I was a teenager, but so I'm not particularly aware, so

I didn't think it was strange that I would fall over and, um, I had very bad headaches.

So I never thought it was strange. So it was my husband that took me to the doctors. He thought there was something wrong with me, and the doctor thought it was oxygen deprivation at birth.

That's why I was a bit wobbly, but I never thought I had any. Well, I certainly do recognize, and there was something wrong with me. And neither did my family. And so it was a complete surprise when I was diagnosed with MS, after a brain scan

Linda Elsegood: And what age were you at the time you had?

Elizabeth: 32. I'm 44 now 32.

Linda Elsegood: So how does that affect your mind being told you have MS.

Elizabeth: Well, It just made me, well, it had this effect on me of just going into complete denial and going back to work and working very hard and just kind of pretending.

I'm just going to carry on with my career because I had a very successful career. And I was a bit upset. I was just to do a job in Singapore, and when I was diagnosed, well, they wouldn't let me fly. So we struck into the hospital. So I was upset that I couldn't do this high profile job in Singapore.

Um, um, the people that I work with, um, after the diagnosis, they, they didn't really understand what it was. My boss gave me a very high powered project, which looking back probably wasn't the best thing today. And, and, and my father was very poorly at a time as well.

I'm an only child. So my family didn't really take much notice of the diagnosis because my father was a very serious man.

Linda Elsegood: what were your symptoms at the time you found LDN?

Elizabeth: Well, pain in the night, like, um, pain in my head as well.

Linda Elsegood: Um, when did you find out the end?

Linda Elsegood: Um, did you manage to get your own doctor to prescribe LDN?

Elizabeth: No. No, because my doctor, I talked to her about when she said that she wasn't able to do that.

Linda Elsegood: So once you started, did you have any introductory side effects? and how long did it take for you to notice that LDN was doing anything for you? 

Elizabeth: let's say that's the primary thing, but I notice quite quickly, um, I'd say within. Within three, weeks of taking it.

Linda Elsegood: What about your other symptoms has LDN helped relieve any of those?

Elizabeth: So in terms of walking then still got problems in there. Like when I don't walk for a while, Um, had I seen a dramatic improvement.

So I don't have headaches. Like I used to have.

Linda Elsegood: Did you have any problems with your bladder?

Elizabeth: Yes. And yes. Optionally.

Linda Elsegood: fatigue,

Elizabeth: fatigue, um, goes in waves.

Linda Elsegood: So how would you feel, how would you say LDN has helped your quality of life?

Elizabeth: I wouldn't like to stop taking it, it's very good for me, LDN and really, I suppose the only true measure that I would be able to find this if I stopped taking it.

Linda Elsegood: Well, what would you say to other people who are contemplating trial at the end? That might be a little bit scared

Elizabeth. Well, I'd say you've got to try and to do the research and to look at all the testimonials. And then to make an informed choice. And I mean, I think politically the reason is nothing to do with the effectiveness of the drug, um, there's no money in it.

Linda Elsegood: Well, thank you very much for sharing your story with us, Elizabeth, and I hope you get all your problems sorted out soon.

Any questions or comments you may have, please contact us. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciated your company. Until next time, stay safe and keep well.

Elizabeth - England: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Elizabeth began experiencing symptoms in 1990 but wasn't diagnosed with MS until 2004.

She had a late diagnosis and wasn't actually diagnosed until 2004. She would have numbness in her legs lasting for a week or two, recurring every couple of years and gradually deteriorating until in 2004 she lost coordination and was unable to walk. After the diagnosis, she quickly advanced to the secondary progressive stage.

The diagnosis came as a relief as she thought she'd suffered a stroke.

Since taking Low Dose Naltrexone her life has improved considerably and she wishes she had commenced treatment earlier as her left leg is quite severely affected. Her quality of life has gone from 9 to 1 in terms of wellbeing and to 3 physically because of impairment. She now feels more relaxed, her walking is less jerky and, most importantly, within three days she recovered control of her bladder.

She heard about LDN from a fellow MS sufferer and decided to try it but was unable to get a prescription as it's off-license. 

She obtained it through Prescribe For Me.

She had no adverse side effects from LDN apart from disturbed sleep patterns and vivid dreams. She felt much better and more relaxed and knew the LDN was working within three days.

Her partner has even begun taking it as he is envious of her resistance to infections!

This is only a summary of the interview. To hear it in full click on the link.

Eileen - Ireland: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Eileen from Ireland, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis(MS) at the age of 27. She experienced poor vision all of a sudden during a hockey match, so saw her GP. After a lumbar puncture she was diagnosed. Eileen also experienced fatigue and loss in ability to walk. She heard about LDN through a friend who forwarded her articles, which got Barbara looking further into it. She was prescribed Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), and started taking the medication in November. Barbara says that it has lifted her fatigue and halted the progression of MS.

When asked what she would say to those contemplating taking LDN, Barbara replied with “go for it. Absolutely. No hesitation at all.” 

This is a summary to listen to the entire interview click the video link. 

Dr Wai Liu, LDN Radio Show 2016 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Dr. Wai Liu is from St. George’s Hospital in London UK. He had just published a paper on how low dose naltrexone (LDN) can affect certain cancer cell lines in the laboratory that hopefully will drive clinical trials, then get approval for LDN as a treatment for cancer.

They took cells from patients with certain forms of cancer and compared the effects on the gene expression profiles by LDN, and conventional-dose naltrexone. Genes involved in cell cycling, the way cancer cells can grow, can be controlled in the way they proliferate. They showed LDN could target certain genes responsible for the cell cycle, and if that was exploited, they might get a handle on how cancer would grow. Indeed, they showed LDN does slow the growth of certain cancer cells via its effect on these particular proteins. As well, they found that because of the effects on the cell cycle, LDN increased the proteins that controlled the ability of a cell to undergo cell death, and increase cell killing in those cancer cells.

Furthermore, after administering LDN for a few days followed by no LDN for a recovery phase, they found continued cell killing, something bizarre to them, but similar to what happens with other drugs such as cannabinoids, or a couple other agents. In certain situations they saw LDN as having no effect on cancer cells, but during the recovery phase, there was a much improved level of cell killing.

They also used different schedules of chemotherapy alongside LDN, like gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and something else like cyclophosphamide, as they are proven cytotoxic agents. They showed on a laboratory petri dish level, that when using both LDN and a number of cytotoxic agents, there was a much-increased level of proteins such as BAX, that regulate the ability of a cancer cell to undergo cell death. Understanding the profile of how drugs work lets you predict the best drugs to combine with the drug you’re testing. So for example, using a form of chemotherapy that requires BAX to be present and LDN results in cooperation between two different drugs.

Dr. Liu is not aware of doctors using this information clinically. There are many anecdotal reports of how LDN can help alleviate cancer symptoms or help with cancer treatment. More research is needed to show the benefits of LDN in cancer patients, and in combination with various chemotherapies or immunotherapies. LDN does things to cancer cells, and people are beginning to see the value in LDN. The more people hear and read about LDN, and with an increasing amount of scientific literature to support LDN as a cancer therapy, the better chance to attract funding for clinical trials.

Summary from Dr. Wai Liu, listen to the video for the show.

Keywords: LDN, low dose naltrexone, cancer, chemotherapy, immunotherapy

Any questions or comments you may have, please contact us. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Dr Tom O’Bryan, LDN Radio Show 12 July 2017 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Dr Tom O'Bryan shares his Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) experience on the LDN Radio Show with Linda Elsegood.

Wheat sensitivity can cause an immune response, not just gluten. Hydrochloric acid in the stomach breaks down the proteins and enzymes in the gut convert them to amino acids, which permeate the intestines and enter the bloodstream. Wheat causes increased intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") in everyone, but not everyone suffers from eating wheat because wheat is a minor irritant. At some point, symptoms of intestinal permeability are likely to appear due to loss of oral tolerance, and can result in various autoimmune disorders, such as Hashimoto's. Reducing dietary wheat can arrest the development of autoimmune disorders. A wheat-free diet is easier to follow when patients understand that inflammation can be reduced by following the diet. His book, The Autoimmune Fix, has recipes. For example, take 1 Tbsp chia seeds, which are high in Omega 3s, stir into coconut milk till it starts to gel, refrigerate, add crushed fruit, and you get a healthy dessert.