Charlotte Stephens, Research Correspondent, ME Association.
A recent publication by researchers from Griffith University in Australia examined the possible therapeutic mechanisms of a drug called ‘Naltrexone’ in ME/CFS patients.
In this summary review, we explain what Naltrexone is, how it works, what it’s used for and why it might be useful as a treatment for ME/CFS, as well as discussing the findings from this latest study.
Key Points
- Naltrexone is an opioid receptor blocker, traditionally used in the treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholism and opioid addiction.
- In much lower doses than its traditional use (known as low-dose Naltrexone or LDN), it is used ‘off-label’ (unofficially) in the treatment of a variety of chronic illnesses, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Fibromyalgia, Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and Sjogren’s syndrome.
- Several studies demonstrate its effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory, pain modulating drug that is useful in many auto-immune type conditions.
- The latest study indicates that Naltrexone is able to restore functioning in Natural Killer cells (a type of immune cell that many studies have found to be dysfunctional in ME/CFS) taken from ME/CFS patients.
- Larger studies are needed in order to validate these results.
- Dr. Jarred Younger’s team in America are currently carrying out a clinical trial for the use of LDN in ME/CFS, which is due to complete in summer 2020.
Comment from Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, ME Association
“This is a small but interesting laboratory-based research study. However, it would be premature to extrapolate these findings into concluding that naltrexone is likely to be a safe and effective form of drug treatment for ME/CFS.
“We have received very mixed feedback from people here in the UK who have been using naltrexone – even though it is not licensed for treating M.E. Whilst some people report benefits others do not – possibility because naltrexone can produce a number of side effects that overlap with ME/CFS symptoms.
“We have been exploring the possibility of funding a small clinical trial of naltrexone with a researcher in the UK, but no grant application has been received.
“In the absence of any sound evidence of both efficacy and safety, this is not therefore a drug that could be recommended for use in ME/CFS outside a research unit in our current state of knowledge.”
| CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND READ THE REVIEW IN FULL Please visit the Research section for a complete listing of all the summaries we have available. |
News Media Reporting
- Medical Xpress – Researchers discover potential therapeutic approach to treat chronic fatigue syndrome – by Griffith University – 11th November 2019.
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from ME Association
https://www.meassociation.org.uk/2019/11/mea-summary-review-low-dose-naltrexone-ldn-in-me-cfs-14-november-2019/
from https://www.meassociation.org.uk
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