Could Low-Dose Naltrexone Help Lyme Disease Patients?
Low-dose naltrexone Lyme disease treatment is being explored as a potential way to reduce inflammation and improve symptoms in chronic illness.
A pilot study examining low-dose naltrexone (LDN) in fibromyalgia provides insight into how this therapy might affect inflammatory pathways relevant to Lyme disease.
In a 10-week, single-blind study, Parkitny and colleagues evaluated whether LDN reduced inflammatory cytokines in women with fibromyalgia. [2]
Low-Dose Naltrexone and Inflammation
After eight weeks of treatment, researchers observed reductions in multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines.
LDN is an opioid receptor antagonist that, at low doses, may exert anti-inflammatory effects.
The authors suggest that LDN may function as an atypical anti-inflammatory medication.
Symptom Improvement in Fibromyalgia
Participants reported measurable improvements in symptoms.
- 15% reduction in pain
- 18% reduction in overall symptoms
These findings suggest that reducing inflammation may improve symptom burden in chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia.
Dosing and Safety
Study participants self-administered 4.5 mg of LDN nightly, with dose reductions to 3.0 mg if needed.
LDN was generally well tolerated. A small number of participants reported temporary worsening of anxiety or gastrointestinal symptoms.
No participants discontinued the study due to side effects.
What This Could Mean for Lyme Disease
Low-dose naltrexone Lyme disease treatment has not been extensively studied, but these findings raise important questions.
Patients with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) often experience symptoms such as chronic pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties.
If inflammation contributes to these symptoms, therapies that modulate immune activity may offer benefit in selected patients.
Clinical Perspective
Low-dose naltrexone Lyme disease use remains off-label and should be considered within an individualized treatment approach.
While early findings are promising, further research is needed to determine its role in Lyme disease and related conditions.
Clinicians may consider LDN in patients with persistent symptoms, particularly when conventional treatments have been insufficient.
Clinical Takeaway
Low-dose naltrexone Lyme disease treatment may offer a potential approach to reducing inflammation and symptom burden.
Although evidence is limited, studies in related conditions such as fibromyalgia suggest a possible role for LDN in selected patients.
References
- Aucott JN, Soloski MJ, Rebman AW, et al. CCL19 as a Chemokine Risk Factor for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2016.
- Parkitny L, Younger J. Reduced Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines after Eight Weeks of Low-Dose Naltrexone for Fibromyalgia. Biomedicines. 2017;5(2).
Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH
Lyme disease clinician with over 30 years of experience and past president of ILADS.
Symptoms • Testing • Coinfections • Recovery • Pediatric • Prevention
I have been hearing about low dose Naltrexone for relief of pain for patients with various pain syndromes, and a very good consideration for aiding fibromyalgia patients for over 5-10 years, since Dr. Ben Bihari talked about this for years after noting it’s usefulness in low doses. Dr. Bihari found that ONLY the LOW Dose Naltrexone was beneficial for these types of patients, and NOT the 50 mg used for drug addicts in its original aide for those kind of patients.
My wife has suffered pain for many years due to back problems, and osteoporosis, or osteorheumatoid inflammation causing significant pain over all these years, and not ONE doctor around us here knows a thing nor do they care about their chronic pain patients, and the sudden dumping of their patients to whom THEY gave opioid therapies, as in millions of patients over the past many decades led to much now resultant return of pain, all because of the CDC decision to raise the Classification of hydrocodone 10mg/325 (acetaminophen) tablets to the Class II level from the Class III used for decades due to premature judgment that ALL patients on opioid therapies were possibly going to commit sucide as a result of flawed studies and premature evaluations that made doctors fearful of continuing this regimen,,mostly out of covering their perceived legal use of the Class III hydrocodone and others similar to it’s use proved to be the best medication for many years for patients who were NOT in any way likely to commit suicide due to it’s long term use successfully for many years. This has been a terrible judgement call and many thousands of patients now referred to pain management clinics that are a joke. The pain management clinics are NOT relieving the pain of many patients in the chronic pain categories and it’s been a severe injustice as the withdrawing of the very successful opioid derivatives has been a disaster. I am appalled that only NOW some have noted the benefits of Naltrexone as Dr. Bihari noted in works of his expertise over 20 years ago, and NOW somebody of note takes notice? I would like to know why our local institution so touted as a fine one has doctors who did refuse the regular Class III opiate derivatives, as they have never been proven to make “addicts” when used appropriately over all these year, but due to this regulatory change, too many doctors left their patients abruptly by refusing to write for these important
medications and now many patients have been suffering like my wife for this past 18 months? Patients have every right to be upset.
does reducing the cytokine response enable the infection?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12763679
Anti-cytokine therapeutics and infections
The article posted in the 2003 issued of Vaccine questions whether treatment for cytokines alone might be counter productive. Cytokines can be quite high during a tickborne infections. The cytokines dropped in the Aucott study in patients successfully treated with 3 weeks of doxycycline but remained elevated in patients who remained ill. It may be helpful look into additional antibiotic treatment if there is a possibility of persistent infection.
So you copied a study on Fibromyalgia and didn’t even comment as to your thoughts on why or how this may help Lyme? This is a cheap post.
Many of my readers are curious as to why Naltrexone works. I shared the author’s findings that Naltrexone works for some people through a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Here’s a thought: “fibromyalgia” is not a thing. It is a disease without even a hypothesized cause. It is a hodgepodge of symptoms that almost completely overlap with those known to be caused by actual infectious diseases like borreliosis, bartonellosis, ehrlichiosis, and others. How many “fibromyalgia” patients are referred to neurologists, who know less than nothing about Lyme disease and coinfections, and never even are directed to have a blood test for Lyme and coinfections?
I’ve said this same thing over and over again! Even after my lyme diagnosis, I had a Dr diagnose me with fibromyalgia and also chronic fatigue syndrome. I tried to explain to them that I have lyme and not these other conditions but they wouldn’t listen to me.
Actually, Fibromyalgia is a SYNDROME…never was/is a Disease.
Interesting. I am an addict (alcohol) with Lyme disease. I have received two monthly injections of vivitrol or naltrexone to help with my cravings. Yesterday I went on a long bike ride and realized I had ease of motion and energy for the first time in a very long time. AND I didn’t experience intense muscle pain afterwards. It dawned on me that it could very well be the naltrexone that has reduced my inflammation. It’s extremely welcome and hopeful to those suffering long term effects of ptld or chronic Lyme and more should know about it.