Low Dose Naltrexone for Multiple Sclerosis Bruce McCree MD

[Garnet]

Low Dose Naltrexone for Multiple Sclerosis

Bruce Cree, MD,

University of California, San Francisco, CA

A study of LDN in the treatment of MS at the University of California, San Francisco, was implemented in early 2007 by neurological researcher Bruce Cree, MD, and colleagues. Some 80 patients with MS were involved in this double-blind, “Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover-Design Study of the Effects of Low Dose Naltrexone on Quality of Life as Measured by the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory.” Each subject received either LDN or a placebo for 8 weeks, followed by one week without either, and then a further 8 weeks on the the alternate capsule. A substantial contribution toward the study has been made by the the LDN for MS Research Fund.

Dr. Cree reported the conclusions as follows in a poster presentation to the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, held in September 2008 in Montreal, Canada. His report still awaited publication at that date:

Conclusions
8 weeks of treatment with LDN significantly improved quality of life indices for mental health, pain, and self-reported cognitive function of MS patients as measured by the MSQLI [MS Quality of Life Inventory]

An impact on physical quality of life indices including fatigue, bowel and bladder control, sexual satisfaction, and visual function was not observed

The benefits of LDN were not affected by disease course, age, treatment order, or treatment with either interferon beta or Copaxone

The only treatment related adverse event reported was vivid dreaming during the first week of the study drug in some patients

Potential effects of LDN beyond 8 weeks of treatment were not addressed in this study
Multicenter randomized clinical trials of LDN in MS are warranted.

Dr. Cree also included the following in his Acknowledgment:
We are grateful to the MS patients for participating in this study and wish to specially acknowledge the efforts of SammyJo Wilkinson of ldners.org and the other fundraisers who made this trial possible. To our knowledge, this is the first patient-funded clinical trial in MS.