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LDN & infections

Hi LDNers:

You may recall that I posted a few weeks ago about having a horrible sore throat for 3 weeks--strep and mono tests were negative. I was finally prescribed penicillin and it knocked it right out.

Well, I am sick again--this time with sinus stuff and a fever.

I have also been bleeding a little daily the past month or so with urgency and gas.

Not sure what is going on here. Any insight would be appreciated. Could it be that the LDN is starting to NOT work for me? I really hope that isn't the case, and that immune system is simply dealing with the myriad pathogens in my body.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Perhaps increased illnesses once starting LDN?

Thanks!
Chris
 

Kev

Senior Member
Chris

Not sure how long you've been on LDN, but I've been on it over 2 years now, AND the bad news is that LDN isn't a miracle cure all... it simply allows your immune system to fight off Crohns... So, if you caught colds, flus or mono, etc., before you got Crohns, you will still get them after... even tho taking the LDN. I have gone thru this a couple of times... The beauty is, once the cold, flu, etc., is past... the LDN keeps doing its thing... keeps the Crohns away.... At least, that is how it has worked for me.

Other thought... how 'old' is your current 'supply' of LDN. If it is past its 'best' before date, then it loses it potency (and fast).. That could result in symptoms flaring up... those would be 'my' best guesses as to what you're experiencing.
Flu, cold, etc., has over taxed your immune system... once it is past you should be back to fine form... OR your LDN is too old and has lost all its potency.
 
That's a good idea Kev. My LDN is almost 6 mos old--I purchased a 6 mos supply. I will call the pharmacist--who specializes in the compounding of LDN--and see what they say.

Thanks for the advice!

Chris
 
I gave my pharmacist instructions for compounding my LDN from Skip at Skip's Pharmacy. Capsules should be vegetable based and filler is called avicell. The naltrexone should not be time released.

You can even email Skip with any questions....he's quite helpful and knowledgable!

RobK
 
There are many possibilities, and most of them have already been mentioned here, but here is another one.

The last time I had the Flu, about two year ago, I was incredibly sick. I actually thought I might die from it. I have never had any reaction even close to that with the Flu in my life time. I was taking LDN for the first time, and I think that was the reason for my bad symptoms. With my old weak immune system, my body barely responded to the Flu. Others would be missing work and I would be a little uncomfortable, but able to function.

Boosting the immune system means we are now going to feel like a normal person does when they get an infection, and I know I was not ready for that.

As a precaution, I will stop taking LDN if I get the Flu, as the bodies over reaction to the Flu can cause death in rare cases. I think I was a little closer to that scenario than I wanted to be. This is not a reason to stop it for other common infections, but this is a known problem with the Flu in particular.

LDN is not perfect, and I have had a little blood in my stool on two occasions since I started taking it. But, it is still far less than what I experienced previously.

As another precaution I skip two days of LDN out of eight. This is to prevent any build up of the drug in the liver. If this were to happen, it would prevent it from working properly. I am not saying this is a common problem, but I am paranoid about getting my symptoms back and I take every precaution to try prevent that from happening.

I hate being sick more than anything else.

Dan
 
Dan,

Good point! I heard Dr. Zagon on a talk radio show say its actually good to skip a day or two and not take LDN. This actually has a better effect on the body so that the drug doesn't build up too much.

I personally have not had an infection or cold (other than a slight runny nose) since I've started LDN. In years past I would always come down with some kind of virus especially when the seasons changed.

RobK
 
Hi All:

Thanks for the advice. About 1-2 months back, I started skipping my LDN for 1 or 2 days a week. It seemed that my symptoms were intensifying so I went back to taking it every day. I am now 1 week past my "infection" last week and my bleeding continues to increase, as does my urgency and either mucus or plaque--I have read about plaque and not sure what it looks like so perhaps that it what it is.

So not sure what to do. One thing I will do it cut back on many of my supplements until I see Dr. Berkson in May. I have a feeling I am overdoing it, and I want my body to work on absorbing my meds rather than trying to break down a multivitamin. I will also try not taking my LDN one night per week again and see what happens. I think I likely need to make dietary changes as well--no wheat or dairy and low fat/low fibre. I have done all of these at different times, but never all of them together.

I hope this is maybe just a bump in the road and things will turn around again. Otherwise, I hope alpha lipoic acid IV's and Dr Berkson can help. But I am worried I may be one of those that the LDN just stops working. Very frustrating! But I will not give up.

Thanks for the advice everyone!
Chris
 
Chris, that's right...don't give up! I would suggest you simplify your diet as much as possible and eliminate as many carbs (bread, pasta, rice) as you can. On the SCD diet a great substitute for regular bread is almond bread.

Stick to it until things settle down. I've been on SCD for over a year and since I've been feeling great I have now started to slowly reintroduce certain carbs back into my diet.

When I first started LDN I was still on prednisone and having flares. Once things settled down I started slowly tapering off prednisone and the LDN took over from there. Haven't had anything even close to a flare since!

PS Make sure you let us know how your appt with Dr. Berkson goes!

RobK
 
Hi Everyone:

I think I may have solved my problem--maybe. There is an LDN forum that is very interesting called the Low Dose Naltrexone Discussion Forum. Anyhow, there is a doctor that works alot with LDN, Dr. McCandless (Joyce I think). She says that alot of Crohnie's have candida issues, some major. And candida can actually render the naltrexone ineffective. I never thought I had a candida problem. But I did a "spit test" and low and behold, I have candida. I will post the spit test instructions below--of course it isn't 100% like a blood test. But I will attest that it did work for me. I was amazed.

So I am on day 2 of candida treatment and have to say I am feeling better and better already. My symptoms are dissapating. I appear to be getting back to where I was prior to my infections and antiobiotic treatment, and if my last poop is any indication, perhaps even better than before the antibiotic treatment. Makes me wonder if I had a candida issue before and that is why naltrexone seemed to only partially work for me. Of course, my theory remains to be proven in the long-term. But so far so good. I also wonder if that is why some Crohnie's fail to respond to other meds. Do they perhaps have a candida issue as well that is virtually rendering the effects of their meds ineffective? I don't know....

I will definitely give you guys the low down on my treatment with Dr. Berkson. I hope that the info he gives me can help others on this forum.

Here is a link to candida information on the forum I discussed above, in case anyone is interested. There is alot of great information on LDN and other health issues there: http://ldn.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=forum&action=display&thread=303

And here are the directions for the spit test, in case anyone wants to try it:

Try this simple test to see if you have candida. First thing in the morning, before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, get a clear glass. Fill with water and work up a bit of saliva, then spit it into the glass of water. Check the water every 15 minutes or so for up to one hour. If you have a candida yeast infection, you will see strings (like legs) traveling down into the water from the saliva floating on the top, or "cloudy" saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass, or cloudy specks will seem to be suspended in the water.

If there are no strings and the saliva is still floating after at least one hour, you are probably candida yeast free.

If you have a bunch of threads or cloudiness, and especially if it develops quickly, you can be pretty darn sure you have a serious case of candida infecting you. A few threads or light cloudiness indicate not as serious an infestation.
 

Kev

Senior Member
Yes, and the lowdosenaltrexone forum also mentions candida... but when I tried to discuss it with my doctors, they were closed minded on the subject. But, since the LDN DID work for me, I never pursued it, and it slipped my mind till you brought it up again.
 
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