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Day 2 of ldn and feel like c**p

Mary

Moderator Resource
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17,377
Location
Southern California
I'm taking 1.5 mg. at night, was tired and achey yesterday, and still quite tired today. I think I'm going to lower the dose (will have to dissolve contents of a capsule) as it is too hard to function feeling this way.

Any ideas or suggestions?

The last time I tried ldn was 5 years ago and it made me loopy and spacey. This time I mainly feel tired and yucky. At least I'm sleeping okay, to my surprise - probably because it makes me so tired! :(
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
I had to start much lower and increase one every week or two. Even so, I felt pretty rotten the day I raised the dose. Once I got to 3.0 mg I didn't feel rotten with each increase -- no side effects at all. It was a bit a trial to get there, but I've been through worse and the positive effects of ldn at 4.5 mgs are worth the effort getting there for me.
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
I think you started Too high. I started at .5. Went up .5 every few weeks. Never noticed any problems but it didn't help either.
 

ahmo

Senior Member
Messages
4,805
Location
Northcoast NSW, Australia
Yes, I started w/ the size of a match head, doubled it the next time if no sleep issues. You're not having sleep problems, but it still might change your experience if you start out taking it in AM.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
@SOC - what are the positive effects you've had with ldn?
Better cognitive function including better focus/concentration and mental stamina. I'm less tired at the end of the day but that could be more about having less cognitive fatigue than physical fatigue. My mind is clearer in some hard-to-define way. So for me, LDN effect is mostly cognitive, as far as I can tell.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Yes, I started w/ the size of a match head, doubled it the next time if no sleep issues. You're not having sleep problems, but it still might change your experience if you start out taking it in AM.
Many people can't take it in the AM because it blocks endorphins and you can get a terrible emotional crash. That's why some docs recommend trying PM dosing first -- you sleep through the endorphin crash and wake up with the endorphin rebound, which is good.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
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17,377
Location
Southern California
Thanks @SOC. I have been (and will continue to) take it at night. I've read about how it blocks endorphins and now night dosing should be easier to tolerate.

I don't have cognitive issues, but my immune system most definitely has problems and am hoping it will help with that - another lab experiment! :confused:
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Thanks @SOC. I have been (and will continue to) take it at night. I've read about how it blocks endorphins and now night dosing should be easier to tolerate.

I don't have cognitive issues, but my immune system most definitely has problems and am hoping it will help with that - another lab experiment! :confused:
Yeah, our lives are one giant experiment. Or a million little ones, I'm not sure which. :p

I don't know how I'd know if LDN was having a substantial affect on my immune system. I hope it's helping there, too, as my immune system is a wreck. Good luck and let me know if you notice an impact on your immune system.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
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17,377
Location
Southern California
Yeah, our lives are one giant experiment. Or a million little ones, I'm not sure which. :p

I don't know how I'd know if LDN was having a substantial affect on my immune system. I hope it's helping there, too, as my immune system is a wreck. Good luck and let me know if you notice an impact on your immune system.

Will do - I get sick at the drop of hat, and get sick every time I crash, so it shouldn't be too hard to tell if something is helping my immune system - if I can tolerate it, that is! Will drop down to 0.5 mg. tonight --
 

digital dog

Senior Member
Messages
646
Hello Mary.
I've just been made aware of this thread so please ignore my private message.
I too am going to try LDN. I need to get hold of it so it may well be another month until I start.
I am going to start at 0.1mg as I am SO sensitive to medications and a lifelong insomniac. I think I am going to take it in the day but if my sleep is tolerable then I will change to the evening or in the night.
I think it is a very good idea for you to go down to 0.5mg. I have listened to some radio interviews online and some people start smaller and only ever go to 0.5-1mg so more is not necessarily better perhaps.
How are you feeling today? I know that a lot of people feel massively worse to begin with and are very pleased they stuck with it but that's so hard to believe when you are in the thick of it.
Please do keep us posted.
DD
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,377
Location
Southern California
Hello Mary.
I've just been made aware of this thread so please ignore my private message.
I too am going to try LDN. I need to get hold of it so it may well be another month until I start.
I am going to start at 0.1mg as I am SO sensitive to medications and a lifelong insomniac. I think I am going to take it in the day but if my sleep is tolerable then I will change to the evening or in the night.
I think it is a very good idea for you to go down to 0.5mg. I have listened to some radio interviews online and some people start smaller and only ever go to 0.5-1mg so more is not necessarily better perhaps.
How are you feeling today? I know that a lot of people feel massively worse to begin with and are very pleased they stuck with it but that's so hard to believe when you are in the thick of it.
Please do keep us posted.
DD

Hi DD - well, I went down to 0.25 mg. last night, after taking 0.5 mg the night before because I was still dragging last night, though not nearly as bad as on the week-end. It's a little hard for me to tell what is doing what, because I got sick (again!) after 2 days at 1.5 mg., I think because it was pretty rough.

So I feel kind of crappy today, but I think it's more from being sick than from the ldn, though it's impossible to tell right now. Anyways, am going to stick with 0.25 mg. for awhile, I think I'll do okay with that.

Re sleep: I had a little trouble falling asleep last night, but after I took all my stuff around 12:15 or so (l-theanine, inositol, theanine serene by source naturals, niacin (200 mg.), melatonin and 1 mg. lorazepam), I went back to sleep and slept pretty soundly the rest of the night. so it may be interfering with sleep a little but it's manageable, at least for me. I also take 2 g. glycine and more melatonin and magnesium and 100 mg. 5-htp before bed. It's crazy, but it works --

Upon reflection, I've just decided I'm going to stop the ldn until I get over being sick as it is impossible for me to tell what is making me so tired, and I need to kick this bug. But I definitely will go back on the ldn after I recover, at 0.25 mg.

Good luck - yeah, it sounds like less is better - keep us posted -
 
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digital dog

Senior Member
Messages
646
Lots of people get sick starting LDN due to the immune reaction. Perhaps getting sick is paradoxically a positive reaction???
I wish I could take all the things you mentioned but I could only ever tolerate magnesium from your list of sleep enhancing sups. I don't care if my sleep is interrupted as long as I get six plus hours. I could be up every hour and be ok if I can get a certain amount in total. This is not always possible for me though :bang-head:
0.25 sounds a sensible starting dose. I hope it works for you.
LDN makes people tired and dizzy to begin with so perhaps you could stick it out???
Keep us all informed.
DD (digital dog not my bra size!!!)
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
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17,377
Location
Southern California
@digital dog - your bra size never entered my mind! :rofl: To be honest, I thought you were a man - the name digital dog sounds masculine to me - in any event .....

I get sick every time I crash, I was sick all last week and finally recovered enough to start the ldn, and promptly got sick again. I had such a strong reaction to the 1.5 dose, I think that made me sick. You could be right, it could be an immune reaction to the ldn, but I want to start all over with a small dose, and if that makes me sick, then I will try to stick that out. But I am sick of being sick! :eek::sluggish: so want to recover first, and then will try again ---
 

digital dog

Senior Member
Messages
646
I don't blame you!
Let me know when you are starting again.
I hope you feel better very soon.
What a never ending battle of awfulness!
 

digital dog

Senior Member
Messages
646
Wish I was a man Mary!!!! Life would be a lot easier I think.
(sorry to all the men on here...just have such terrible hormonal crap)