Last week, I was having some trouble falling asleep a couple nights (my long covid flareups strike any time of day or night) so I got on my tablet to do some more reading on nicotine patch therapy.
(I bought them back in June, used them for a few days, didn't like their effect on me. Maybe I didn't give them enough time.) But the recent articles and videos I was seeing weren't very hopeful. More and more users and doctors were saying they did NOT help with chronic LC issues; the nicotine was only serving as a distraction, a mild stimulant. Now what?
That's when I began noticing more and more articles & videos about something called "Low Dose Naltrexone", or LDN for short.
What is LDN? It's typically prescribed in much larger amounts, 50mg pills to combat opioid and alcohol addiction. But some years back, medical professionals began noticing that much smaller doses, typically 1.5 to 4.5 millograms, were helping some people with chronic diseases like fibromylgia and MS, and others with chronic fatigue, brain fog, nerve pain, and inflammation.
But most pharmacies only carry it in 50mg form, so if you want to try micro-dosing, you need to get the pills from a compounding pharmacy. You'll also need a doctor's prescription.
I found both a doctor and special pharmacy online (at 3am!) and had to fill out a lengthy medical profile. A couple days later I got a call from Dr. Ira Shika that she was approving my prescription.
I just got the pills in the mail Monday afternoon. It was $105.00 for a 3 month supply if you take 0.5 mg a day. I'm expected to increase my dosage by 0.5 every 2 weeks until I reach 4.5 mg daily, so this could get expensive. Also, you're not expected to see results anytime soon, not for a couple months. But right now I'm willing to try anything to reduce these LC symptoms.
What have I got to lose besides a few bucks, right? Wish me luck...
Other than the side effects of your toenails falling off, nose hair growing @ 3x, and pinky fingers rotating 60 degrees, it sounds promising!
ReplyDeleteHa! Just kidding! Never heard of it, but I’m curious to see how it works from you! Wasn’t there a hypo-spray available? ;-)
Jase I wasn't in the mood to laugh but you made me anyway! And OH how I wish for a 23rd century hypospray! ☺️
DeleteWith laughter being the best medicine, I’m glad you got a chuckle! I long for a hypo-spray every time I have to open a pill that is sealed on one of those blister pack cards. Sometimes even with the scissors it’s an Olympic feat! With how far behind this country is with healthcare, I don’t think we will be seeing any of those fancy tools McCoy used during our lifetime! 😏
DeleteSadly, I agree Jase. Hope you're hanging in there my friend.
DeleteDug, I'm glad you found something that might 'possibly' help. You didn't mention any side effects... but I'm sure you checked those out. And have you mentioned this new drug to your regular doctor? You almost made me laugh when you said, "what have I got to lose but a few bucks..." as when I mentioned to my daughter that certain procedures are expensive and at my age do I want to waste the money... I could die any day." she said, "Mom, if you die, you really won't notice the waste... so, why care?" (She has a point). ; )
ReplyDeleteThank you Rian, and I like what your daughter said, she's a smart person and takes after her mom. :^) I did glance over the side effects, but didn't read them too carefully as they made me nervous. I didn't tell my PCP about this drug yet, I haven't even spoken to him in a year. But I'm planning to take such small doses, I doubt there's any risk involved. (And I did check to ensure it wouldn't collide with my BP meds.)
Delete