This July 4th will be my fourth year on 4.5mg of low dose naltrexone, LDN. Along with 600mg of Q10 and my mix of Sinemet and Mirapex which has not increased in dosage over that time period (dosage is still fairly low), I don't think my PD symptoms have worsened. Is it LDN that has "slowed?" my progression? I don't know but ten years from now, if I'm still well, maybe I can say yes.
Naltrexone at a low dose like 4.5mg should be very safe. My previous post here on naltrexone safety is for dosages around 300mg. The common use for naltrexone is addiction treatment starting at 50mg a day.
Also there appear to be many compounds like naloxone (naltrexone) that could be used to slow PD progression.
Ashley

http://www.aapsj.org/view.asp?art=aapsj080369
Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating movement disorder resulting from a progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway and depletion of neurotransmitter dopamine in the striatum. Molecular cloning studies have identified nearly a dozen genes or loci that are associated with small clusters of mostly early onset and genetic forms of PD. The etiology of the vast majority of PD cases remains unknown, and the precise molecular and biochemical processes governing the selective and progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway are poorly understood. Current drug therapies for PD are symptomatic and appear to bear little effect on the progressive neurodegenerative process. Studies of postmortem PD brains and various cellular and animal models of PD in the last 2 decades strongly suggest that the generation of pro-inflammatory and neurotoxic factors by the resident brain immune cells, microglia, plays a prominent role in mediating the progressive neurodegenerative process. This review discusses literature supporting the possibility of modulating the activity of microglia as a neuroprotective strategy for the treatment of PD.

If interested in trying low-dose dextromethorphan, be sure to use cough preparations with dextromethorphan HBr as the ONLY active ingredient. Especially problematic is the additive polystyril; it will cause the DM to be slowly released rather than producing a "spike" in brain concentration that is crucial to its effectiveness (personal communication from Dr. J-S Hong). Also, keep the dose in the 3-5mg range. For easiest measuring, a cough syrup with 7.5 mg per 5ml (1 tsp) is best. That way, about 1/2 tsp is the correct dose. In this case more is NOT better, and take it EVERY night just before retiring.

so how do we know if these SX are being caused by the drugs or the illness?

I have never heard of anyone having any of those symptoms, or any adverse effects, as a result of taking either low-dose naltrexone (LDN) or low-dose dextromethorphan. A possible exception might be one member of this forum who thought that a rise in his blood pressure the day after taking low-dose dextromethorphan might have been connected to the drug. His hypertension resolved quickly, and I think he has not tried DM since then.

Hi,
Below is a post from a Yahoo lowdosenaltrexone member on her father who has PD. Like me, she is still unsure if LDN is too good to be true but so far, so good.
Also the previous post on this thread about naltrexone side effects. I believe these side effects are for the standard naltrexone dose of 50 mg or more which is used for treating addiction. Note that LDN (4.5 mg) for MS and other diseases is prescribed at 1/12th the 50 mg dose. Side effects at 4.5 mg dosage would be minimal.
If curious about LDN, please read some of the research papers from Dr. J. Hong at the NIH posted on this thread to try and understand how LDN could work.
Ashley

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/lowdosenaltrexone/
Dear Friends,

My dad has been using LDN for PD since October 2004. He continues to have success using it as an incredibly important part of his treatment program. We were able to lower his medication by over 60% and he has not needed any medication increases since. After starting LDN his rigidity disappeared, balance, movement, speech and general health improved. He continues to get the same benefit from using this drug.

It is true that LDN does not work for everyone due to receptor issues, they think. This is the case in MS as well. There definitely will be a percentage of people that any drug will not work for, or work as well.

I believe that this is an individual experience and each person needs to see how well it will work for them.

An excellent contact to ask about PD and LDN is Dr. Skip Lenz who has many new patients using it for PD.

Since the numbers of people using LDN for PD are just beginning to grow I think it is too early to make any assumptions.

My best wishes to all,

Destiny

It is probably just me and my sensitivities to drug therapies, but I tried LDN for 4.5 months (3 mg after 9 pm - was never able to get up to the optimal 4.5 mg per day) but LDN caused anxiety, panic attacks and sleep interference. I had really hoped that LDN would work for me but I had to stop using it - and once I stopped it the bad side affects also stopped. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying it but it didn't seem to work for me.

Pam

it may have to do with who made your LDN. the method of diluting one 50mg tablet in 50ml of water seems a bit sketchy to me but i know for a lot of people thats the only way they can come by ldn. make sure your phamacist knows what theyre doing in putting your LDN together, you need a quick release formulation, the right fillers and bulk naltrexone.grinding up pills doesnt help much since the pills have fillers too, put that in a capsule and youve just upped your fillers and lowered your naltrexone. i get mine from a medicine shoppe pharmacy with an inhouse QC guarentee of +/-2%. meaning whats in the bottle is within 2%of what the lable says.i know a lot of people get theirs from skips pharmacy in boca ratan, fla. via mail ordersupposedly skips has filled over 70,000 doses worth of LDN and skip lenz is one of the leading (and most supportive) pharmacists dealing with LDN.
the side effects are supposed to go away with time and include sleep disruption. i didnt have to deal with any panic attacts myself. i only had one vivid dream and that was the extent of my side effects. other stuff can include things like your SX seeming to be worse or more prominant. but these are supposed to be transitory.
being a novice LDN user myself(less than 3 months) i can only recomend you try a different pharmacy. one with a fair grasp on the concept of LDN.and keep in mind that the LDN can, for some people, take 6 months or more to show any real results. and to not be in too much of a hurry for it to work out.