Naltrexone for Fibromyalgia User Reviews (Page 3)
Brand names: Vivitrol
Reviews for Naltrexone
- Ste...
- September 1, 2017
"I was diagnosed with MS in Dec 16. Had the most severe fatigue and leg numbness, didn't sleep for more than a few hours for years. Had extreme heat intolerance too. After just 5-10 min of doing exercise or work, felt like I was going to pass out. All of this combined made me so miserable, I couldn't grasp why I would need to go on. Copaxone seemed to help a little but the injection sites were all like a swarm of bees stung me. Researched Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and couldn't believe the reviews. Emailed doc and he wrote a script without a second guess. Take about 3mg every night around 9 pm. Life-changing decision. No bull. Feel better than I have in 10 years. Heat tolerance is about 90% corrected except for a few off days. Energy is much better, and tingling is mostly gone."
- San...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- May 19, 2017
"I have fibromyalgia, Sjögren's syndrome, and central pain sensitization. I started taking low-dose naltrexone, slowly building up to 4 mg, but felt it was too much as it made me feel agitated. Reduced to 3.5 mg, which is good for me. Initially, straight away, I felt more energy and my mood lifted. Helped Sjögren's considerably - mouth not so dry. Somewhat reduced pain. Sleep better. I've been on it for 8 months, and I get the feeling it's not working as well now. Maybe my body has gotten used to it, and it's not as effective. And I have noticed a hoarse voice, memory problems, cramping, waking more often at night, and irritability, which I read can be side effects. Thinking I may either reduce or go off altogether to see what happens. NZ dollars $59 a month."
Frequently asked questions
- What is low dose naltrexone (LDN)?
- What happens if you drink alcohol while taking naltrexone?
- What to avoid when taking naltrexone?
- Should I take naltrexone in the morning or at night?
- Dr...
- May 5, 2017
"I have a patient with fibromyalgia in Kent, UK, who was given low-dose naltrexone by another physician. Her energy improved, and her pain reduced so much that she was able to return to working 20 hours a week. I am currently trying it on a second patient."
- Aru...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- November 26, 2016
"I developed a condition that had symptoms like fibromyalgia, MS, lupus after a surgery. I was at my worst when I discovered this drug. Low dose naltrexone helps me a lot. I'm on 1.5 mg. I skip doses once in 3-4 days when I start feeling wired and over-stimulated. Works great. Made me feel better, helped with skin conditions no doctor able to cure. Only bad part is that it kind of overstimulates you once in a while. Makes you feel all wired. Have to stop the dose for a day or two and it gets normal."
Are you taking this medicine?
Your review helps others make informed decisions.- Lee...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- November 8, 2016
"Have had fibromyalgia for 22 years. Tried all sorts of the recommended meds. Two months ago started 4.5 mg low dose naltrexone. Fall asleep easily but horrible and disturbing dreams and subsequent pain from disturbed sleep. Sometimes I'd sleep 10 to 12 hrs and just slightly refreshed. Have a hard time getting going after waking for up to two hours. Just stopped taking it because of the side effects. Having a headache while coming off of it."
- Eld...
- October 16, 2016
"I have been slowly increasing my LDN for fibromyalgia for the last several weeks. It has provided better relief than the Fentanyl 100 mcg that I had been on for years! Very hopeful that I will find my optimal dose and feel even better. I have had pain relief and an increase in energy. It caused insomnia, though, so I changed the dose to the a.m. with no drowsiness noted."
More FAQ
- Does naltrexone cause weight gain?
- Acamprosate vs naltrexone: How do they compare?
- How long does naltrexone take to work?
- How does naltrexone make you feel?
- ljc...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- August 16, 2016
"Highly successful, got me off 90% of pain meds, couldn't live without it."
- Bar...
- July 11, 2016
"I've been put on Naltrexone for 4 weeks, going on five. I started taking one 5mg tablet nightly. After two weeks, I take 2 tablets for two weeks. I stopped increasing the dose by one for five days, and my pain returned. I upped the dose to three, and the pain has started to diminish greatly within 24 hours. I suffer from an autoimmune disease. To add insult to my pain, I was put on Ciprofloxacin for a bacterial infection the first day of February and suffered from tendon and muscle damage resulting in not being able to walk, severe pain in my feet like knife stabbing. Naltrexone took all my pain away, every bit of it. When my pain started to come back five days ago, I started increasing my dose by a third 5mg tablet. I see my doctor in two days."
- Gre...
- March 17, 2016
"I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Regional Sympathetic Dystrophy. I started LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone, 4.5mg) during a Stanford double-blind trial in January 2016 and received a month's supply. During the first week, I felt some of the muscle cramping associated with Naltrexone, but that and my nerve pain subsided after about a week. The next three weeks sailed by, and my activity level increased as I was essentially free of CRPS/RSD nerve pain. The chronic pain in my lower back was significantly decreasing too. When my supply ran out, I experienced some of the CRPS/RSD pain, but not at the level I'd had before. That wasn't the case with my chronic lower back pain, and that came rearing back. It was a month before my doctor could get me the compounded LDN. Again, my pain has dissipated. Weaning off Gabapentin soon!"
- Zax...
- February 22, 2016
"I have never been this functional before. Eight months ago, my functional capacity was at 50%. All I was doing was work, recover, and burn through an excessive amount of sick, vacation, and banked time. At home, I was almost zombie-like. I would spend all of my time curled up on the sofa in pain, fog, or fatigue. Thanks to LDN: Today, I was able to pool run for 30 minutes! I did laundry and sorted all of the socks. Yesterday we had friends over to hang out for the first time in ages. I was able to go to a movie. I was tired after it all, but it wasn't an all-encompassing thing. I flirted with my fiancé."
- lau...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- February 10, 2016
"I have been on naltrexone for 5 months, and it's not done a good job of helping with my pain."
- But...
- October 19, 2015
"I started naltrexone in December of 2014. I started noticing improvement after about 4 weeks. I no longer had hot flashes. Then my pain started to lessen and I had shorter periods of flare-ups. Over time, I experienced longer periods of feeling much better and even days of feeling good and not constantly fatigued. This lasted until about 6 weeks ago. I started having hot flashes again and a really bad flare-up that has persisted for a month. I'm so disappointed and am now easing off naltrexone so that I can once again take something for the pain."
- Aqu...
- September 30, 2015
"I've been taking 4.5 mg naltrexone for about 45 days. It has helped my pain better than anything in the 20 years I have been suffering with fibro. I still have some bad days but for now I'm seeing more good days and even a great day or two and far less bad days. Until now, I was having pain every day of my life. I had to see many doctors and had not even heard of this medicine for fibro. I'm getting my life back on track at last."
- gre...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 25, 2015
"Chills, diarrhea, vomiting."
- Emi...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- September 12, 2015
"NO MORE WIDESPREAD MUSCLE PAIN!! Wonder drug!! I feel so GRATEFUL that my doctor has such knowledge about my condition and put me on this!! So happy to be able to get back to doing the normal things in life!! :)"
- Awo...
- January 30, 2015
"Started Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), which is known to modulate the immune system. It calms, sit down if necessary or kicks it in gear. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2010 with a rheumatoid factor (RF) of 361. Started antibiotic therapy (described at Rheumatic.org/faq) in September 2010. Summer of 2012, my RF was down to 25. Started LDN that fall. RF is now down to 14.9 (0-14.5 is normal). I have NO symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Even my doctor is impressed. The LDN helped boost my health overall. It even prevented my seasonal hayfever. I have found, however, that not all generics are created equal."
- Mel...
- April 2, 2014
"I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia for 12 years (took 5 mg of hydrocodone daily). I was able to work, function as a normal person, and pain was manageable. In June, I had several pulled muscles and a rotator cuff injury - pain was off the charts. The doctors in Tucson will not write pain meds under any circumstances, cut me off cold turkey, and I pulled a neck muscle. For 6 months, my pain level was a 15 (scale of 1-10), suicidal pain with no relief in sight. I was referred to a country doctor in Wilcox, AZ - he said he would write me pain meds, but was I willing to try an alternate prescription that would possibly get rid of my pain. I started out with 4.5mg daily at night and within 4 weeks my pain went down to around 2-3."
- Non...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- August 20, 2013
"Since I began taking 5 mg naltrexone at night, I fall asleep quickly. I sleep very well for 8 to 9 hours. I wake up refreshed and without pain. I no longer take antidepressants, sleeping pills, anxiety, or pain medication. My mental functioning is much better but not back to pre-CFIDS standard. I don't have normal energy or drive, but my life is so much closer to normal than it was a year ago. I have no complaints. The only other medication I take is for high blood pressure. The only side effect I have is a slight headache when I wake in the morning, but it always goes away soon after I get up. I would take this medication if the only thing I got from it was good quality sleep."
- gig...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- May 21, 2012
"This medication reduced my fibromyalgia pain and some other symptoms significantly more than any of the other medications or combination of treatments usually prescribed for fibromyalgia. Initial side effects easily managed by starting at a very low dose."
- Anonymous
- November 28, 2009
"This did nothing to help my fibromyalgia."
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"This drug is a miracle drug for me. I'm currently 24. I've been living with fibromyalgia symptoms since I was 20. The very first time I took a single 4.5 mg dose of Naltrexone, I awoke 4 hours later with no pain. It did, and still does, feel like I have a whole new body now. If you have a condition that causes chronic pain, I highly suggest you give low dose Naltrexone a try. Talk to your doctor about it. I can't promise it will help everybody, but for me it has made an incredible difference."