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MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS -
LDN 16-PATIENT SURVEY
August 2, 2007: Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) offers hope to people who suffer from any of the hundreds of immune system conditions. The vast majority of the information about the effectiveness of LDN is anecdotal from people who are using it. In addition, there are some controlled clinical studies underway around the world that may hopefully solidify how LDN may be helping people. Dr. Steven Ayre has been prescribing LDN for some of his patients and was pleased that many of them were reporting positive results. In March 2007 Dr. Ayre designed a survey that he asked each of his current patients to complete. The analysis of the first 16 patients in this simple study is presented below with Dr. Ayre's permission. 

An additional survey has just been mailed to a larger patient population under Dr. Ayre's care. When the results are ready I will also publish them.

Contemporary Medicine
LDN Survey -16 Patients Total
  A Summary of the Results

Diagnosis, Duration of Treatment, and Side Effects
  

Diagnosis

Relapsing/Remitting: 9
Benign: 1
Primary Progressive: 4
Secondary progressive: 1
Fibromyalgia: 1

Of the 9 patients with Relapsing/Remitting MS, all reported experiencing between 1-2 relapses confirmed by a neurologist or GP before starting LDN.

One patient reported experiencing a relapse after taking LDN. This was not confirmed by a neurologist. All other patients have thus far experienced no relapses.

Duration of LDN Use

Six months or less: 3
Seven months - one year: 5
Over one year: 6

Two patients discontinued use of LDN because no symptom relief was gained.


 Side-Effects

8 patients reported experiencing no side effects associated with LDN use.
6 patients reported experiencing the following temporary side-effects when starting LDN. These side-effects did not persist past the first month of use:

- difficulty sleeping
- strange/vivid dreams
- night sweats
- stiffness in legs at night and in morning

1 patient reported the persistent side-effect of weakness in legs. This patient continues to use LDN.
1 patient reported aching in lower legs, attributed to LDN. This patient discontinued use of LDN because no symptom improvement was gained.

Diet and Supplementation

14 patients take various dietary supplements
8 patients make dietary modifications, such as the Swank Diet and wheat and/or dairy free.

 Specific Symptom Response
 16 Patients Total

Patients were asked to respond to symptom relief of the following symptoms while on LDN. (Note, patients who never had this symptom are not included in the tally)

Specific Symptom Response

Bladder Urgency:
1 patient reported symptom gone
4 patients reported great improvement
4 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported great increase

Bladder Retention:
4 patients reported great improvement
4 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement

Sexual Dysfunction:
2 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
2 patients reported no improvement

Bowel Control:
1 patient reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Diarrhea:
3 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement

Constipation:
1 patient reported great improvement
3 patients reported slight improvement
2 patients reported no improvement
2 patients reported slight increase

Memory:
2 patients reported great improvement
6 patients reported slight improvement</ i>
1 patient reported no improvement

Concentration:
6 patients reported great improvement
2 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement

 Depression:
4 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
3 patients reported no improvement

Balance:
4 patients reported great improvement
4 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

 Dizziness/Vertigo:
1 patient reported symptom gone
3 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
2 patients reported no improvement

Fatigue:
7 patients reported great improvement
4 patients reported slight improvement</ i>
2 patients reported no improvement
1 patients reported slight increase

Restless Legs:
1 patients reported great improvement
5 patients reported slight improvement
2 patients reported no improvement

Sleep Disturbance:
2 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
3 patients reported no improvement

Hearing:
2 patients reported slight improvement</ i>
2 patients reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Speech:
2 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement

Swallowing:
1 patient reported symptom gone/great improvement
1 patient reported great improvement

Migraine-Type Headaches:
2 patients reported symptom gone
2 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported no improvement

Optic Neuritis:
1 patient reported symptom gone
2 patients reported slight improvement
3 patients reported no improvement

Blurred Vision:
2 patients reported symptom gone
3 patients reported great improvement
3 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement

Double Vision:
2 patients reported symptom gone
1 patient reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement

Mobility:
4 patients reported great improvement
3 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Muscle Spasm:
1 patient reported symptom gone
4 patients reported great improvement
2 patients reported slight improvement
3 patients reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Muscle Strength:
1 patient reported great improvement
4 patients reported slight improvement
5 patients reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Muscle Pain:
1 patient reported great improvement
3 patient reported slight improvement
4 patients reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Tremor:
2 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight to no improvement
1 patient reported no improvement

Tingling:
5 patients reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
5 patients reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Itching:
1 patient reported symptom gone
1 patient reported great improvement
1 patient reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Numbness:
3 patients reported great improvement
5 patients reported slight improvement
5 patients reported no improvement
1 patient reported slight increase

Neuralgia:
1 patient reported great improvement
2 patients reported slight improvement
1 patient reported no improvement
1 patient reported great increase
 

Overall, with virtually no side-effects and an opportunity to stabilize if not improve or eradicate symptoms associated with Multiple Sclerosis and other similar auto-immune disorders, LDN is a great boon to many people.

We will be adding to these results to strengthen statistical relevance every six months. Since last March, we have another 25 or so patients to survey.