NON-OPIOID MEDICATION OPTIONS FOR PAIN
If you are looking for alternative pain medicine for pain, call Center for Pain Management today to discuss with our doctors about orthobiologic procedures & non-opioid medication options.
“LDN” or “Low-Dose Naltrexone” for chronic pain.
Younger and Parkitny at Stanford University published an article in January 2014, suggesting that LDN (1.5-4.5 mg taken orally once daily; either at bedtime or in the morning) may be helpful for patients with chronic pain. There is evidence that low-dose naltrexone may serve as a sort of “central nervous system anti-inflammatory agent” without the risks associated with traditional NSAIDs. Since the use of low-dose naltrexone for pain is considered “off label”, it is typically not covered by insurance however the cost at most compounding pharmacies is reasonable.
Before starting on low-dose naltrexone, patients need to be off opioid therapy altogether, since even at low dosages, the simultaneous use of low-dose naltrexone and opioids could result in a withdrawal syndrome.
It is recommended that before starting LDN, patients discontinue opioids for 1-2 weeks.
Like any drug, LDN will not work for everybody. However, the risks in trying this form of pain management are very low (insomnia and mild GI distress are the most common side effects). The main risk is the risk of spending money on one or two prescriptions to figure out whether the medication works for you.
Finally, it is important that patients understand that “HDN” or “High-Dose Naltrexone” is typically used for treatment of opioid addiction or alcoholism. LDN is completely different, since it is specifically used at low-dose to treat pain. The dose used for treatment of addiction is typically 50-200 mg per day. Less than 1/10th – 1/100th of this dose is used to achieve pain relief when prescribing low-dose naltrexone.
*Please call our office at a href=”tel:(910) 218-9742″>(910) 218-9742 for information on other alternative emerging non-opioid medication for chronic pain.
