Hello EddieF

My neuro basically said the same thing, but having read through this thread and also checking out the links to LDN before hand, his response to my request for it as well as the instructions on the bottle (4.5mg take once/day), had me thinking that if the neuro is prescribing the starting dose and how to take LDN incorrectly, then the expected results can't really be expected, can they?
I chose to go with the suggestions made on this thread by those who had on the ground experience with LDN.

With all due respect, the way in which you are/were planning to take it might not be the best, as it does not take advantage of when the endorphin release occurs, and so the dose may miss influencing the biofeedback loops for increasing over all production and also for increasing the number of receptor sites to endorphin on the cells.
If I understand the LDN info correctly, this happens during sleep and usually somewhere in the middle of the sleep period.

Further, I do know that the endorphin release that occurs as a result of exercise or other stress requires extremes of stimulus (metabolic imbalance due to muscle fatigue, pain, severe emotions like fear, love, rage etc), for the endorphin to be released in appreciable amounts. For sure some is released during 'regular workouts' but it is at the point when muscle fatigue moves into failure that most of the endorphin is released; and thus functions to allow the tissue to keep on working. In addition, at those times, the endorphin is generally short lived as it requires the stimulus to continue for its levels to remain high.
At the same time, adrenalin is also present during extreme stimulus and so physiology in general is quite different than when the body is asleep; as in 'fight & flight' (sympathetic nervous system dominance) as opposed to 'rest & restorative' (parasympathetic nervous system dominance).

I'm not sure on this but I suspect that when the body is under the influence of adrenalin and is thus in the "fight or flight" state, it may not have the same capacity to alter its basic functions at that time with respect to endorphic adaptations.
This follows along the same lines as the reasoning behind ensuring adequate rest periods are taken between workouts. It is known that the rest period is required for exercise to be beneficial; for if that were not the case, one who chose to exercise continuously would just get stronger and more efficient as they went along...and that is not the case in practice.
The way it works is this: the stress of exercise creates an imbalance (muscle fatigue and possibly inflammation), and that is compensated for by increasing the size and efficiency of muscle tissue; but that adaptation happens during the resting phase, and also occurs mostly during sleep when growth hormone levels and prostaglandins 1 & 3 (body's own alkalizing anti-inflammatory agents), are highest.

I wanted to share these thoughts on LDN because I'd hate for anyone to miss out on the potential benefits of it, simply because the suggested protocol wasn't followed.
With respect to the sleep thing, yeah...I don't know. Mine was/is so messed up that I don't think that it could have gotten much worse by taking LDN or anything else for that matter. I've always had good and lucid dreams; so haven't noticed a difference there.

With love, Erika