LDN Video Interviews and Presentations

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

Linda Elsegood: I'd like to introduce Trish from Australia. She has primary progressive MS. Welcome, Trish. 

Trish: Hi there. 

Linda Elsegood: And I understand that you're originally from South Africa. 

Trish: That's correct.

Linda Elsegood: So you're a foreigner? 

Trish: Yes. We find everyone in Australia is pretty foreign. Just about everyone. Yeah, that's true. 

Linda Elsegood: So when did you first start to notice MS symptoms? 

Trish: Well, my very first, I didn't know then of course, but looking back, which we all did when I was ten years old, I was very fit. I was a gymnast. I was a netball player. Um, and I did something else, um, and was never fatigued.

And then I went on a hike with some friends up a mountain, and I just couldn't keep up. Um, and that was my first experience at 10 and then at 15 I had a really bad, um, what that call today attack in, and I only recognized it as such because many years later, maybe 20 or 30 years later, I had exactly the same experience.

Good grief. This is, they never diagnosed it then they didn't know what it was. And then I had, it became really bad at about 45. 

Linda Elsegood: Okay. When you say became really bad, what were your symptoms? 

Trish: Um, well, actually It always seems to be, and I was walking around being on a long walk, and I was walking back and my legs, I was struggling, and my legs started leaning to the side, and I only knew what it was because I was actually working with people with MS at that time.

So I diagnosed myself. And then I remember when I got to the house of walking up a hill, no, my leg was trembling and I felt really weak and I had trouble. And then I spent the next year going round trying to get people to give me a diagnosis cause walking was getting difficult and nobody could diagnose it until I finally went back to the GP and I said, look. I think this is MS. Then she sent me to a neurologist who said. It's not. Anyway, all I wanted to be an MRI. Finally, he gave me an MRI, which of course many said, yes, you've got MS and I can't do anything but buy. And as I walked up the door, he said, Oh, and you want to have your next attack in a month. 

So I engaged him, and I did. That took me a year before I stopped getting worse. Every month. It makes like their point, the bone that you are sourced from, isn't it? 

Linda Elsegood: So by this time, had you got any other symptoms other than the leg? 

Trish: Actually remember. But the worst thing was always, Oh yes. The other thing that I've always had; it's sort of one of my primary symptoms has been a pain.

So I started to ache. And the way I could best describe it is, um, like, um, rheumatism that's sort of ache, aches in the arms and legs and the shoulders. 

Linda Elsegood: Okay. So moving on, how did you hear about LDN? 

Trish: Ah. That's, I wish I'd heard about it more recently, but I've found that thread, and I think it was on probably, this was their MS, which I think is a, an English website.

And they have a thread on LDN. And that was early, about four years ago. And by that stage, I was tremendously allergic, which has been one of my problems. And so I don't easily take anything without having allergy or allergic reactions. But when I saw that it was a very low dose, I thought, you know, I think I can try that. And so it took me a year before I thought, I'm going to, I'm going to go for that. So now wished I'd known about it ten years earlier. 

Linda Elsegood: Was it easy to get a prescription in Australia? 

Trish: Well, I was actually very lucky. I just walked into the medical centre, which is, you know, you could just go and see a whole number of doctors. They usually have four or five on duty, and I only very seldom go to the doctor, but I walked in there, and I just happened to get a very nice young Asian doctor. And the tertiary was horrified because when she looked it up, you know, they only had that big dose of 50 milligrams for drug addiction and alcohol, and I said, all I want is three milligrams. I mean, she said, well, really? What harm can it do? 

Linda Elsegood: That's wonderful. 

Trish: When I suggested for other people, they've had enormous problems. 

Linda Elsegood: You were very, very lucky. So when you started, did you notice any side effects? 

Trish: Yes, but then as I say that, I'm hugely allergic to everything. Yes, I did have side effects. I had insomnia for about eight months and I had a hot tan, and I got that very, very bad spasticity because spasticity is one of my bad symptoms. In fact, I have a Baclofen pump, which helps with the specificity of Baclofen with the pain. It's hugely. Um, so those were all things that I was determined that this was good.

And I'd started to see, I was lucky in that after two weeks, I started to see benefits. More benefit, even though I had all these, these side effects. Hold on. I said I can see benefits and I know it'll stop the progression and this is just, I've got to do this. 

Linda Elsegood: Yes. What benefits did you notice? 

Trish: Benefits. They were acute. Well, the first thing I noticed, which was just. That was after two weeks in the middle of the night. My, I've got one leg that was very stiff, and in fact, I couldn't bend it at all, but in the middle of the night, that leg got bent and I could actually bend it. It's got supple, like a good, sort of turn on my side and curl up a bit. That was the first thing, and then I saw gradually a huge number of things I think I've had about fifteen benefits, but I can remember the really big ones. Um, I always had really bad sinus, which would always lead to, and the worst thing of MS, but generally a new symptom. Um, but that stopped completely. I feel really, really good.

I'm never sick. I'm always well, and I'm always happy, which is lovely. I had been losing my voice for the full for two years and after I'd taken LDN probably for a year, I noticed my voice was coming back and it's now virtually a hundred per cent, and the other thing was I'd lost nearly all my sense of taste and smell. And that came back gradually. Haven't reached a hundred per cent, but at least I can have. My taste is about 80% at most. The smell is about 70%. 

Linda Elsegood: Um, what else? 

Trish: Let me see right now, I can walk, walk a bit further. I'll walk with a cane. 

Trish: Hmm. But my walking is a bit better. My balance is better because I can actually stand in front of the wardrobe when I want to decide what to wear without falling in, which is actually a big thing. Um, what else can I do? I'm looking, reading my notes. 

Trish: Oh, my bladder even improved a bit, which is always a big thing. All of it. Yeah. Um. And just doing things. I tell you the other thing that's actually made a big difference for me is my dexterity in my left hand is much better. I can actually type again, which I couldn't do for years.And there's a little bit, well. Something happening, um, among the machine. And, um, if somebody, these messages Weitzman it, she doesn't like it, I can unplug it now I can find that company. 

Linda Elsegood: Um, okay. I forgot what I was asking now. 

Trish: Just listing some of the benefits. 

Linda Elsegood: Can you remember where you got it too? You said about the dexterity in your left hand. 

Trish: Yeah, those, those are the main ones. The biggest ones that I can remember.

I mean, lots of little things like uncontrollable straights. For the dog, which I hadn't been able to do, or just little things like that. Lots of little things like that. And I just find that every night, every few months I noticed something new that's got better. Oh yes. And of course, no progression whatsoever.

No more. Not a single new symptom. 

Linda Elsegood: Well, somebody who's primary progressive, that's a big deal, isn't it? 

Trish: Yeah, well, because I just gradually kept getting worse. That's all. You know, every couple of months would be something new and you think, Oh no, what's this? Yeah. 

Linda Elsegood: If you were to write your life for full LT analyst, the scale of one to 10 10 being the best, what would it have been?

Trish: Ah, before LDN um, I had a pump. Which I got about the year before. And of course, if I'd had LDN maybe I wouldn't have needed that, but I can't say, and that really made a huge difference because I had such terrible panic. I just didn't even want to live. Um, so I mean, I was really happy to be in a plane, for least have no pain and have my leg full flexible. Hmm. So I was definitely at about a five or six by then, but then I got out here, and then I reckon I'm right up. It's eight, maybe. 

Linda Elsegood: What's good and how old are you now, Trish? 

Trish: I am 63. I think the biggest thing about the LDN is, instead of living in fear of the future, feeling really, really scared. Just thinking, how bad am I going to get? What's going to come next? I can just start there and think, well, if anything, I'm getting better, and I can live my life more positively. And that's, I think it is a huge thing.

Linda Elsegood: It is. What would you say to other people who are contemplating a trial? 

Trish: I’d say for goodness sake. Definitely try it, but most important of all, don't give up because I've recommended it to people. They're really excited. They go to the doctor, and the doctor is so negative, I won't give it to them, and they just give up or that if they managed to persevere and actually get it, then one is it doesn't work fantastically for them straight away.

Linda Elsegood: And they give up 

Trish: And I say, you must give it a fair chance. I mean, I, fortunately, I did have some positive results, but I just persisted through all the negatives. And I did use, which you know about in England, but I know many Americans don't. I found a kinesiologist has been invaluable for me because she has been able to help me with all the allergies including my reactions to LDN, I would say, well, this is a problem, and I might have to stop for a while. Um, at one stage I was only taking three milligrams once a week. I now take what you, what seems to work for me best of all is three milligrams every second night. Okay. And that works 

Linda Elsegood: Well. That's good. 

Trish: Well. Yeah, I really do think people have to manage their own illness and they just, and especially I'm afraid the neurologist can't, or ones keep up with everything.

Oh, on table two and you've got to do your own research and then go and get it. 

Linda Elsegood: Well, thank you very much for sharing your story with us today Trisha 

Trish: Do appreciate it, help someone, especially those newly diagnosed. I think if only they take LDN, 

Linda Elsegood: 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.

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

Tricia from England was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001 at the age of 42.  She suffered from mobility and bladder problems until last year when her friend told her about Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). Tricia is now more mobile and says she wouldn’t be without LDN, although she realises that it’s not a cure, it has helped her immensely.

Tracey - US: Multiple Conditions (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Tracey started to feel unwell around 1989 when she was only 26 years old. She had joint pains and swelling and was then diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She struggled on with various prescription medications until she was 40 and then she couldn’t work anymore. Other health issues had started to appear; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Hashimoto’s, Depression, Essential Tremors and Anxiety and she was tested for Multiple Sclerosis which came back negative. Tremors started in her hands and the medications were harsh with side effects and she finally had to finish work as she was now disabled.  

In 2015 Tracey heard about Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) from her support groups and eventually talked her rheumatologist into prescribing it. Tracey first noticed good things happening a week after starting Low Dose Naltrexone, she felt she had more energy, she didn’t need to sleep all the time.  By week three the brain fog started lifting and she felt he could have a decent conversation again without forgetting what she was saying. She started to clean and organise the house, she no longer needed pain medication every day. 

Low dose naltrexone gave Tracey her life back after years of suffering.  

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

Tracey from the United States shares her Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) story on the LDN Radio Show with Linda Elsegood.

Tracey was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2012 but had been experiencing symptoms following surgery she had many years before. She was experiencing muscle spasms at night, meaning she would struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

Fortunately Tracey came across Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and the first day of taking it she didn’t experience a muscle spasm during the night. She is now much happier and is no longer depressed. She recommends LDN to anyone who’s interested, praising it for the success it has had on improving her health.

This is a summary of Tracey’s interview. Please listen to the rest of Tracey's story by clicking on the video above.

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

Toni from the United States shares their Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) story on the LDN Radio Show with Linda Elsegood.

Toni was 52 in the summer of 2003 when he began to notice his Multiple Sclerosis (MS) symptoms while hiking, as his left foot began to drag. His symptoms developed from there until his entire left hand was numb.

After becoming frustrated with the lack of progress copaxone had on his health, Toni decided to research for alternative treatments which was when he came across Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN).

After finding his optimal dose, LDN did wonders for Toni and his health, helping him to regain feeling in his hand and legs and resume hiking once again.

This is a summary of Toni’s interview. Please listen to the rest of Toni’s story by clicking on the video above. 

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

Tom from the United States takes Low Dose Naltrexone medication (LDN) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). He was diagnosed in 1984 at the age of 41. 

Before his diagnosis he was very active and owned a restaurant, at first, Tom felt so lost as he knew nothing about MS. His symptoms included feeling like he was “Walking on marbles.” After surgery in 1970 for a pinched nerve, all symptoms returned, and did not go back to the doctors until 1984.

Tom found out about LDN through the internet near 2002, and by July 2004 started taking the new medication.

He states that the LDN medication hasn't cured all of his symptoms, he still has spasms in his lower back and legs, which have remained constant but have not become worse, but also have not improved. Tom’s initial side effects included vivid dreams and sleep disturbance.
Tom says he wouldn't be without the LDN medication, and advises people to try it. Even if they didn't know much about it, he would advise them to also look at our website, and that there is nothing to lose.

Please watch the video to view the full interview. Thank you
 

Any questions or comments you may have, please contact us

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

Tom from Germany was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969. Tom found Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) by doing internet research and finally managed to have LDN prescribed in 2004.  He says he felt better within days and the progression of his MS has slowed.  Tom says he would recommend that people try low dose naltrexone, it helped him enormously.

TJ and Tom - US: Birdshot Retinochoroidopathy (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

TJ from the United States uses Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for a very rare autoimmune disease, Birdshot retinochoroidopathy.

Birdshot retinochoroidopathy is where there is limited pigmentation in the retina, looking like a shotgun, where there is a scattering of cream coloured dots, no pigmentation in the retina.

In 1998, TJ required surgery on the back of her eye, where he would need early cataract surgery. Her vision with yellow and greens were off, she was also noticing odd shapes in his eye. In 2014, she noticed a bubbling in his weaker eye. After speaking to her Neuro- Ophthalmologist, her vessels were inflamed and leaking, where he then explained that TJ has Retinal Vasculitis.

After some time, her Acupuncturist spoke to TJ about Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) ,and in January of 2016 she was prescribed LDN. The next morning TJ noticed great placebo because the bubbling was gone.

Tom - TJ’s husband -  is a clinician who has done much research, and observing differences and changes in people. Tom has noticed that TJ is happier, friendlier and not as cautious after taking LDN. Tom also says that TJ has improved and she had no initial side effects

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

Tina - US: Jacob and Skylar, Autism (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood: I'd like to introduce Tina Velazquez from the United States, whose children, Jacob and Skylar take LDN. Thank you for meeting here, Tina. 

Tina: Thank you for having me. 

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us Jacob and Skyler's experience with LDN, please? 

Tina: Yes. Jacob was the first one. He was diagnosed with PDD(NOS), which is high functioning autism, at the age of four. And at that time he was very aggressive. He couldn't tolerate noises such as babies crying, hairdryers, toilets flushing, anything like that. And he had lots of sensory issues. We couldn't take him in public. He would just run away from us. He would open the door to the house and just run for the street. But then, the worst part was right after our daughter was born and she was just an infant, and whenever she would cry, to try to make her stop, he would kick her or throw things at her or scream, and he would sometimes cry himself. And he would slam doors. We had holes in our walls. He was just very unhappy. He wouldn't let me touch him. I couldn't hug him or kiss him. If I told him I loved him, he would say, I don't love you. We started seeing a biomedical doctor who treats children with autism in a more natural way. And after a few months of trying different things, and a lot of things weren’t really helping him,  the biggest thing was Jacob's aggressive behaviour. And so, Dr. Dell asked me what was the worst thing? What did I really want? And I said his aggression, especially towards his little sister.

So he said, well, why don't we try something called low dose naltrexone, LDN. And as soon as I heard that, I just thought that sounds like a drug. And remember my eyes started to water, and I thought, how could he even suggest this? He's supposed to be biomedical, more natural. And I didn't want my son on stimulants or any of those things that I had heard about. And so he said, okay, just calm down, let me explain to you what LDN does.

He described that you rub just that a little bit of cream on his wrist at night right before bed, and then it would block his endorphins for the first four hours, and then when his body realized that the endorphins were being blocked, that they would upregulate for the next 18 hours. And that some families were finding that their children with autism who had negative behaviours, that they were doing better on LDN.

And so I thought, okay, it's worth a try. I mean, a cream, how well is this really gonna work? You know, that doctor had really helped us with other things in the past, so we got the prescription, and we rubbed it on his wrist that night. And the next day - typically he would wake up, and we would know he was awake because he would slam the door as hard as he could and get us all awake - I actually went into his room, and he hadn't woken up early like he normally does. I went in to wake him up, and he said, good morning, mommy. And I just couldn't... I thought, okay, this has to be a coincidence, this can't be real, this can't be happening. And from that day, it's so hard to believe though as I'm saying it, that this is the way it happened, but it truly is. I mean, he changed. From that day on, he was calm, and he was happy, and it was just such a natural way. It wasn't as if he was being medicated or anything. He was just the way that I always hoped he would be. And he stopped throwing things or trying to hurt his sister. You know, she would cry, he would just cover his ears or tell or ask me to help Skyler, “What's wrong with her?” But he wasn't aggressive towards her anymore. He wasn't aggressive towards us anymore. Like I had mentioned it to Dr. Dell, when I would start to tell him he would actually even start telling me he loved me. And I remember saying, will you always love me this much? And he would say yes, and I even recorded him. I said I love you. And he said I love you too. And I recorded him because I just was afraid that this wasn't going to last. I didn't see how it could be possible. Eventually, he got a little bit of a rash from the cream, so we switched to the oral liquid, and that seemed to work even better.

He's still on it to this day, since he was four years old. He's seven now. And he's doing great. And his aggressive behaviours haven't come back, and his negative behaviours haven't come back. Still tells me, he loves me. He's very protective of his sister now. 

And now our daughter Skylar, she's three now, and I think it was about a year and a half ago we started her on LDN as well, because she had a little bit of a low immune system and it has helped her immune system, but more than that, um, it's helped her. She was just a very fussy child. She would just follow me around the house, and kind of cry and whine, and she wanted to be held all day. And I didn't really know what was wrong with her because she's speech-delayed as well. And it's a total 360 turnaround for her. She's always happy and very rarely does she whine or cry. She's just one of the happiest children you'd ever meet. So it's really just been life-changing for our family.

Linda Elsegood: Definitely! But then you have another remarkable story to add here, about Jacob being a piano prodigy. Would you like to tell us about that? 

Tina: We recognized Jacob's gift first when he was just turning four. He used to sit with my husband who plays. My husband was in a nineties band when he was younger. And so we have a grand piano in the house. My husband loves to play. And so one day my husband was playing, and Jacob was sitting, watching. And the next morning I heard the song playing that my husband was playing the night before, but my husband was at work. And it was just Jacob and me in the house, so I was confused, and I thought my husband had come home. And so I went into the room, and it was Jacob, and he was three, just turning four. And I thought, oh my goodness! And I called my husband right away, and I said, I can't believe Jacob's playing the song you played last night. So there it was. We were just so surprised and so shocked. So my husband started working with him a little bit. And then we've started trying to find a piano teacher because my husband doesn't really read music. He just plays more by ear. And so we really wanted to get Jacob reading music.

We had such a hard time because, for a little boy who's not yet four years old, everyone said he's too little. His hands are too small. He won't sit, that he would need to be seven. Most people, most places wanted him to be seven, some said five. It took probably about two months or so before we finally found a teacher that was a little bit of a drive, and we just started taking him there once a week. And he was just going through learning two or three songs a week. And then he was just finishing the books and she started him on more and more difficult pieces, and he just was picking them up. We would go to recitals and people were approaching us saying they can't believe how old our son is; I can't believe he's four years old and playing that. 

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us what songs he's playing? We're not talking twinkle, Twinkle Little Star here, are we?

Tina: That's how it started, but actually he's recording an album right now, and there are ten songs on there. He has Mozart, a sonata by Beethoven, sonatina by Clemente, he's playing a Yanni song, which is a contemporary artist. He has Moonlight Sonata, he has Rondo Alla Turca. And right now he's learning a new artist that he hasn't played, Chopin, the waltzes. They're pretty difficult pieces, so it's pretty fun to watch his little hands going up and down. I'm just wondering how he does. 

Linda Elsegood: I mean, there are pieces of music that I would have thought adults would find difficult, you know, and such a small child can do it. Getting back to autism - both of your children - what would you say to mothers that have got an autistic child who are really scared and frightened and not open to LDN. 

Tina: I don't know if it will work for everyone, but it's definitely worth a try. It's not expensive. We have ours mailed to us; we don't even have to go to the pharmacy. And it feels, to me, it's the most natural thing. It's such a very low dose and I don't even consider it a drug. It just seems so natural and it just, it kind of works with the body where it depletes the endorphins, but then it causes the body to upregulate. It's not like it's an unnatural thing. And I think it's worth a try. As I said, I can't guarantee that it would work for everybody, but it definitely did for both of my kids. I saw the stories, I told you about them. That to me is life-changing, is the only way I can describe how LDN has been for us. 

And we tell everyone we meet about it. We've talked to parents who were considering Ritalin or other things that their doctors had, or Zoloft, or different pharmaceutical drugs that their doctors had recommended for their children if their behaviours were aggressive or they were hyperactive, or things like that. We say, well, why don’t you just give it a try? Those drugs are dangerous, but LDN I think it can only help. And it's worth a try, it's definitely worth a try. It definitely worked for my children. 

Linda Elsegood: And thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. 

Tina: Oh, absolutely. We are more than happy. My husband and I tell everyone we meet because we want to spread the word. People don't know about this. People only know what their neurologist or their psychiatrist is telling them. And unfortunately, LDN isn't what they're telling them. We're just so fortunate that we found a doctor that had really done his research, and talked to me into trying this. I will be forever indebted to Dr. Dell for what he's done for my children.

Linda Elsegood: Thank you.

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.

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

Tina from England has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and will share her story about Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN).

I started having symptoms 23 years ago. I was 29. my right side went numb.

My husband phoned the emergency doctor, and I was taken to the hospital.

I had to wait for about three months to be referred to the hospital. They took me in for a lumbar puncture, and I was still being told that I had not MS. They told me: " We think it's a slight stroke you've had."

Months later, I was diagnosed with MS.

I heard about LDN on the Daily Express, and then you got back in touch with me, and we all started from there. And that was over two years ago,

I'm getting LDN with my GP. When I first started taking Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)., I didn't have any side effects at all.

Within weeks, I was less fatigued, and I still work full time.

Tina's interview about LDN. Please watch the video for the full story