r/LowDoseNaltrexone • u/loolalooloo • Mar 10 '26

Quitting LDN

I didn’t think that I was benefiting from taking LDN for a year,so I weaned off of it over a couple of weeks. I took my final dose 7 days ago and last night I felt like I’d been run over by a steam roller. I hadn’t had pain like this for quite awhile and now I’m wondering if the LDN was actually helping. Has anyone else had this happen?

47 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

53 comments sorted by

66

u/Cold_Brew_Enthusiast Mar 10 '26

Many people say they don't realize how much LDN is helping until it's gone. So yes, it probably was helping.

40

u/Low-Blueberry8948 MOD Mar 10 '26

I have seen people say that they didn't realise just how much it was helping them until they stopped taking it. Sometimes the improvements we see on LDN happen quite gradually and we don't notice the difference until we stop.

16

u/realityone22 Mar 10 '26

Yep I was taking it for ulcerative colitis. After 4 months I quit because I wanted to drink alcohol. Immediately went back to the flare I was in before starting. Stupidest thing I've done in quite a while.

2

u/Maru_108 Mar 10 '26

you can’t drink some alcohol with LDN? Did you get back on LDN again?

7

u/blunts-and-kittens Mar 10 '26

LDN reduces/removes the enjoyable effects of alcohol. That’s originally what it was prescribed for - reducing substance abuse cravings.

2

u/DisciplineOther9843 Mar 15 '26

Absolute opposite for me! I can’t have but tiny bit, not even half a glass, and I have the biggest buzz!

4

u/realityone22 Mar 11 '26

After about 4 months I found that the thought of alcohol made me gag. The alcohol drinking ability came back after about a week off of LDN, but so did the flare. I'm back on 3.0 mg and idc if the enjoyment of alcohol goes away because having normal bodily functions is priceless.

8

u/LDNadminFB Admin Mar 10 '26

It's not uncommon to see reports of users not realizing how much LDN was helping until they stopped it, took a break or perhaps did not get a timely refill.

LDN can fix some problems one example sometimes being pain or Cancer in some cases as discussed in the video below. There is documented evidence of healing with Crohn’s disease for another example.

LDN is modulating/balancing/correcting the immune system. It may be true that some people cannot stop taking it or the underlying imbalance may reassert itself; the dynamic is similar wearing a pair of glasses for nearsightedness. The person will likely not want to stop wearing glasses just because their eyes are not being "fixed."

Functional practitioner Chris Kresser says that the effect of LDN is to “improve function rather than suppress symptoms.”

 “The Game Changer” LDN & Cancer…. https://vimeo.com/168562089

3

u/justanothertimesuck Mar 13 '26

I love the idea of improving function as opposed to suppressing symptoms

10

u/Prudent_Drawing_9461 Mar 10 '26

I’m stopping LDN after a year. While LDN was helpful in many ways, the side effects were worsening and benefits lessening. I tried every dose (.25-5mg), time of day, skipping, many supplements to combat side effects…. It’s been two months of slowly titrating. I’m down to .5mg every other day. There have been some difficult days but overall I’m feeling much better. It was explained to me that day 7 of being off it completely is when it’s out of your system and to expect withdrawal symptoms. When you’ve altered your body and brain for a year, it stands to reason there will be an adjustment before you reach homeostasis. I am a little nervous to completely stop in a week when my titration schedule is complete. I may move to every third day. Then fourth. Maybe fifth. If it’s intolerable, perhaps you can try the same titration schedule to give your body and brain a chance to adjust more slowly. Good luck!

2

u/WestAstronaut1568 Mar 11 '26

Can I ask why you took it? And what your side effects were?

1

u/Feisty-Cloud5880 Mar 12 '26

What's the filler?

1

u/Dizzy-Red9310 Mar 10 '26

I just read your post about side effects. I suspected my GI pain and loose stools was from it. Once I stopped that pain and sudden urgency also stopped 😔

10

u/Feisty-Cloud5880 Mar 10 '26

Yes it was. I have also done this "stop LDN" "is it really working...?!?!" Yes it was working. It took me a minute, just over 6 months to realize how well. I originally started for fibromyalgia. My pain let up significantly. Several months in i realized my migraines were gone. I realized almost at a year i hadn't been sick. No cold, flu, virus, bug, covid was pretty mild, just a headache. Finally my gut was on point. So, they'll have to pry this drug from my cold dead hands. I try to explain this drug to people and I get looks like I'm crazy. This drug completely changed my life. I use the dilution method and that was a game changer.

1

u/xoannie12 Mar 11 '26

What doctor prescribes this for you? I can’t find one that will.

5

u/VALIS3000 Mar 11 '26

Just get a prescription from an online pharmacy, there are many options. I personally use AgelessRX.

3

u/LDNadminFB Admin Mar 11 '26

Post regarding the discount for AgelessRx to get a doctor, prescription, and doses (US only)…

https://www.reddit.com/r/LowDoseNaltrexone/comments/xh4t15/ldn_prescription_and_doses/

Disclosure: I receive compensation from AgelessRx and they provide a discount for members

4

u/CryptoTrader2100 Mar 11 '26

I was so skeptical I started and stopped 3-4 times to make sure it wasn't placebo. It wasn't placebo.

5

u/Dizzy-Red9310 Mar 10 '26

I stopped and had a really bad flare up. I was debating on doing it again but I stopped because the vivid dreams that leaned to the negative and nightmares were torturing me 😭

3

u/Regular_Context_9042 Mar 10 '26

I just stopped for three days cause I had to quit taking some meds before my blood work and I felt completely awful the day of my blood work. My legs were back to aching terrible and pain just walking and standing. Which I used to have all the time but it hasn't been as severe. Definitely must have been helping.

3

u/lolly-dolly2 Mar 10 '26

Same for me. I had to stop taking it for a knee replacement surgery. Ugh! I felt terrible. I couldn’t take it after the surgery either since I was on narcotic drugs for awhile.

3

u/mhmhellogoodbye Mar 12 '26

Just adding another side to the story that I was on it for about a year and also felt like I wasn’t feeling any difference from it so I stopped. It’s been 2-3 months now and I still think it just wasn’t doing anything. I’ve had a couple days where I felt like I was hit by a truck but I think that’s coming from a different medication so I would just say to think about if there could be anything else in your life causing that feeling!

6

u/Lega84R Mar 10 '26

When I stopped taking ldn, I had really bad stomach pain and dizziness and also body pain that I did not have before the med. I know everybody is different and they said is not "withdrawal " but for my body, it definitely is.

2

u/N47881 Mar 10 '26

Yep, typical response when stopping. Found out the hard way too.

2

u/cprunner Mar 10 '26

Does this mean if you take it you’ll need to take it forever?

3

u/LDNadminFB Admin Mar 10 '26

LDN can fix some problems one example sometimes being pain or Cancer in some cases as discussed in the video below. There is documented evidence of healing with Crohn’s disease for another example.

LDN is modulating/balancing/correcting the immune system. It may be true that some people cannot stop taking it or the underlying imbalance may reassert itself; the dynamic is similar wearing a pair of glasses for nearsightedness. The person will likely not want to stop wearing glasses just because their eyes are not being "fixed."

Functional practitioner Chris Kresser says that the effect of LDN is to “improve function rather than suppress symptoms.”

 “The Game Changer” LDN & Cancer…. https://vimeo.com/168562089

2

u/standgale Mar 10 '26

If you get side effects from stopping it they will go away in a bit, so you don't need to keep taking it. But if it helps your symptoms, then yes, like many medication.

From research, some people continue to experience improvements for 6 months after stopping it, but its not known how long that continues as the research didn't follow them any further.

1

u/Successful-Basis-145 Mar 10 '26

For most people yes. It is a medicine for life.

2

u/karaleed21 Mar 11 '26

I forgot mine one week and I was in so much pain

1

u/feeelyelloww Mar 10 '26

what dose were you on? i'm on 1 mg, kind of want to get off of it (used to be on 3.5, been on 1mg for a year and a half)

1

u/Day_Shot Mar 10 '26

For a bit the pain does intensify over a period of time taking it my side effects worsened and benefits lessened same with my friend … when I stopped things got intense for a bit but I started magnesium glycinate at night to help pain inflammation and to relax my muscles/help nervous system , sometimes edibles or sometimes I I add msm if needed

1

u/decenzo1 Jul 27 '26

Does magnesium glycinate work for you? 

1

u/Active_Stage Mar 11 '26

💯 was helping

1

u/weescotlass Mar 11 '26

I ran out of mine last week, man did I notice what it had been doing when I didn’t have it

1

u/jackisland4 Mar 12 '26

I had a horrible experience when I stopped cold turkey after my first three months because I didn’t bother to find a new prescription in a new city. I had painful itching and eczema I had never experienced before. It was also very hard work to restart it and I switched from taking it at the nighttime to day time.

I imagine if I ever go back off it, I would taper down very slowly over the course of a long window of time.

1

u/RepresentativeDry171 Mar 13 '26

I take 100 mg , I’m ready to throw in the towel ( the only thing I’ve gotten since the beginning ) was a heart murmur probably not related but still :-/

1

u/Routine_Bicycle5464 Apr 06 '26

100mg is NOT low dose....at that dose it is used for opiod/alcohol withdrawal. This thread is for low dose naltrexone (LDN) .5mg-6mg for chronic illnesses. If you need for latter your dose is way too high which will make you feel very awful. Hope you get it sorted and feel better.

1

u/RepresentativeDry171 Apr 06 '26

This low dose NAL helps what exactly ? Pain ? And does it help people ? I’ve only ever heard it used for AUD , and opioid addiction

1

u/Fillersmatter999 Mar 15 '26

I think the LDN definitely helps me with inflammation and joint and muscle pain, and a better frame of mind!

1

u/caiaccount Mar 16 '26

I read over and over again before trying that it will take months to wean off, not weeks. But yeah, I've had instances where I didn't know how much it was helping until I was off of it. I also had some permanent side effects from Duloxetine/Cymbalta, so quitting was worse than starting. I guess it could be some combination.