Has anyone suffering severe Dysmenorrhea tried LDN? I
I really want to try it but this worries me as I wouldnt be able to take my usual pain releif.
Hi Googsta,
What do you normally take for pain?
It's just opiate pain killers that can be ineffective with naltrexone, since while it is in your blood stream the naltrexone blocks the effect (by competing for receptors). NSAIDs on the other hand work just fine with LDN - no competition.
The good thing is that much of the point of LDN is to take such a very small dose of naltrexone that your body is able to clear it within a few hours -- this temporary block and then rebound endorphin production is theoretically what gives the positive effect. This also means that if you are on a dose that works for you, it should be out of your blood and so not competing for those receptors pretty quickly.
[prepare for lots of ifs : ) - oh and this is all just what I've gathered from reading about and taking LDN (though not opiates), I am very much not a medical professional!]
So
if your pain killer is an opiate,
if your cycle is relatively predictable, and
if you want to try LDN, one option would be:
To stop taking the LDN a few days before your cycle (or pain) might begin. With the right dose (for your body) you should be able to clear the LDN in considerably less time -- I think about 4 hours but am not sure really. But this can vary by person and depending on finding the right dose (which can take some time to figure out), so personally I'd give a much bigger buffer, especially at the beginning just to be on the sure side. Once the LDN is out of your system the opiates should work fine.
My understanding is that LDN does not have to be taken continuously to benefit and there isn't withdraw or other issues, so an intermittent dosing pattern shouldn't be a problem. I think some people intentionally take a break periodically or will only take intermittent doses normally, usually I believe because their bodies have trouble clearing it. I'm not saying this is optimal, but it's not like antibiotics or some other meds where there's significant issues with taking breaks or skipping doses. Personally if I miss a dose or a couple of doses I feel a bit worse, similar to if I miss taking my regular NSAIDs, but it's mild and very temporary.
If you do decide to try this I would give my normal advice - start very low and go very slow. I think this is good advice for anyone because some people have a very low effective dose (mine is only .5mg), but it seems especially relevant if you're depending on your body to clear the LDN in a predictable amount of time.
I hope some of this is helpful, even if all the if's aren't true!
Penny
