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Those that experience a reduction in symptoms from Benzodiazepines, does Low Dose Naltrexone also help?

Replenished

Senior Member
Messages
247
As per the title, I ask as the one thing that appears to reduce my M.E. symptoms is the Benzo Clonazepam. Many here have expressed that may well be due to the temporary reduction of Glutamate in the the brain (I think). I don't know the exact mechanism or if i've got that hypothosis completely correct but i'm considering tryng Low Dose Naltrexone seeing as it's said to reduce brain inflamation and often helps people with M.E.;when looking into LDN, I also read this statment:

"Low dose naltrexone appears to enhance glutamate reuptake, thus removing glutamate from the extracellular spaces where it can prove toxic"

It can be found here https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2...mmation-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-fibromyalgi/

I don't know if this has been confirmed as true but if so it would give some credence to the idea that if benzodiazepines help for the reasons mentioned re Glutamate, then LDN may help too?
 
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hapl808

Senior Member
Messages
2,120
No idea. I rarely take benzos but I found them particularly helpful when I was mild or moderate. I tried LDN and didn't notice much other than more vivid dreams, but I might revisit it as I definitely seem to have some glutamate issues.
 

Rufous McKinney

Senior Member
Messages
13,395
I' ve done both LDN and Xanax, but not Clonozapam.

Love Xanax. Currently trying to never take it, but I took a WHOLE the other day and had the first none traumatic doctor visit in years....its likely I consistently dont take enough to GET CALM ENOUGH.

I don't want to run out of my LDN...

I never had the vivid dream issue- because I am I think far past the state of having a functional hippocampus. Its boiling over in there (eyes, nasopharynx, adjacent inner brain, ears)

I have glutamate issues now, that maybe I missed in the past....

I had alot of swelling that may have been Mast Cell related, or immune related, and that has improved on the LDN when I first started- a number of years ago. Its alot less intense....now.

I should try to look at my notebooks at the time I started the lDN...when it was most dramatic. I'd get vascular blisters under my tongue, those subsided dramatically. Spleen meridian, maybe, or salivary glands boiling over.
 

Mimicry

Senior Member
Messages
179
I've been on LDN for ten months and haven't really noticed any benefits (yet. Still keeping up hope that it will work at some point). I use oxazepam (along with pregabalin) for nausea and migraines as well as anxiety and it works like a miracle. However, when my ME was flaring badly after I moved in July it made me super dizzy and also made my air hunger worse. Now that I'm a bit better I can use oxazepam again.

In my experience, you never know what med will work until you try it so I doubt you can draw any conclusions from other people's stories. I recommend you try LDN since it usually doesn't have bad side effects. For me the side effects from LDN have been very severe but AFAIK that is very rare.