Low dose naltrexone may prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection.
From Dr. Sam Adams, NY Medical College MD, 2001, Board Certified Internal Medicine Lenox Hill Hospital 2004, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida
Dear Colleagues,
Over the last few weeks, significant evidence has come to my attention that daily low dose naltrexone may prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection.
This possibility was first raised to me by a relative who noticed that he has not had a cold in five years of taking LDN, after having had a cold once or twice a year in most years prior to that. It was this relative who first suggested that LDN could prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection. And indeed, since 15% of common colds are due to coronaviruses, I see no flaw in this reasoning.
This suggestion lead me on a search, and I was able to gather further anecdotal - but uniformly consistent - evidence from practitioners who have experience with LDN:
-Dr. David Gluck, an internist in New York City, reports of himself and friends and relatives taking LDN, "without exception, we have all noted a marked decline in our incidence of common colds – which appear to have dropped a good 85%" In an email reply to me, Dr. Gluck states, "I have seen this effect in dozens of family members and friends, all of whom take LDN daily."
-Another doctor who regularly prescribes LDN stated, on March 26th, 2020, "Most of our patients report that on LDN they never get sick. I have yet to see a patient taking LDN who is affected by Corona, but am definitely vigilant. I don't have hard statistics, I can just share my experience that I hear this all the time, 'I used to get sick 2-3 times a year, or more, and now since I started taking LDN I never get sick."
Dr. Gluck referred me to another physician with similar experiences, Dr. Burton Berkson, a family practice doctor in New Mexico, and Dr. Gluck's website also references a PhD scientist at Penn State, Dr. Ian Zagon. I have reached out to both but not been able yet to speak with them.
While LDN has been considered in the past as a possible treatment to improve conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis to Crohn's, and clear evidence of its benefit in these cases has not been found, what has been found is that patients taking it notice a large reduction, often to zero, in the number of colds that they get while taking the medication.
It should also be noted that there is some negative connotation to the word "naltrexone" as it has previously been used in treating addiction, such as with an opiate in a combined pill. But please bear in mind that naltrexone is not an opiate, it is an opiate blocker, similar to the widely known "Narcan" (naloxone).
Dr. Gluck has proposed a plausible mechanism for the action of LDN to prevent colds, where the low dose of naltrexone blocks opioid receptors for a few hours, and then leads to an increase in endorphins throughout the rest of the day, up regulating the immune system.
The evidence for the role of endorphins in modulating white cells and the immune system is extensive, such as this article from 2008 from the journal Immunology:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2433316/
The next step seems to be two different studies, one to see if daily LDN prevents SARS-Cov-2 in a population at high risk, and another to see if taking daily LDN once infected shortens the duration or severity of the resulting COVID-19 illness. I broached the possibility of both of these studies with the research fellow at the university where I am affiliated, but it would apparently be slow going, and the best that could be hoped for is a few months to get IRB approval.
And hence, I am reaching out to you, and to the world. I see no flaw in the reasoning that daily LDN may reduce or prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection, and I suggest that studies urgently be done to further investigate this possibility. Finally, please note this is not medical advice, or advice to take or obtain this medication - this is a call for assistance and for attention to a possible prevention or treatment that is backed by strong anecdotal evidence.
Sam Adams, MD
#naltrexone
https://www.facebook.com/sam.adams.7393/posts/10158364493842578?hc_location=ufi
From Dr. Sam Adams, NY Medical College MD, 2001, Board Certified Internal Medicine Lenox Hill Hospital 2004, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida
Dear Colleagues,
Over the last few weeks, significant evidence has come to my attention that daily low dose naltrexone may prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection.
This possibility was first raised to me by a relative who noticed that he has not had a cold in five years of taking LDN, after having had a cold once or twice a year in most years prior to that. It was this relative who first suggested that LDN could prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection. And indeed, since 15% of common colds are due to coronaviruses, I see no flaw in this reasoning.
This suggestion lead me on a search, and I was able to gather further anecdotal - but uniformly consistent - evidence from practitioners who have experience with LDN:
-Dr. David Gluck, an internist in New York City, reports of himself and friends and relatives taking LDN, "without exception, we have all noted a marked decline in our incidence of common colds – which appear to have dropped a good 85%" In an email reply to me, Dr. Gluck states, "I have seen this effect in dozens of family members and friends, all of whom take LDN daily."
-Another doctor who regularly prescribes LDN stated, on March 26th, 2020, "Most of our patients report that on LDN they never get sick. I have yet to see a patient taking LDN who is affected by Corona, but am definitely vigilant. I don't have hard statistics, I can just share my experience that I hear this all the time, 'I used to get sick 2-3 times a year, or more, and now since I started taking LDN I never get sick."
Dr. Gluck referred me to another physician with similar experiences, Dr. Burton Berkson, a family practice doctor in New Mexico, and Dr. Gluck's website also references a PhD scientist at Penn State, Dr. Ian Zagon. I have reached out to both but not been able yet to speak with them.
While LDN has been considered in the past as a possible treatment to improve conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis to Crohn's, and clear evidence of its benefit in these cases has not been found, what has been found is that patients taking it notice a large reduction, often to zero, in the number of colds that they get while taking the medication.
It should also be noted that there is some negative connotation to the word "naltrexone" as it has previously been used in treating addiction, such as with an opiate in a combined pill. But please bear in mind that naltrexone is not an opiate, it is an opiate blocker, similar to the widely known "Narcan" (naloxone).
Dr. Gluck has proposed a plausible mechanism for the action of LDN to prevent colds, where the low dose of naltrexone blocks opioid receptors for a few hours, and then leads to an increase in endorphins throughout the rest of the day, up regulating the immune system.
The evidence for the role of endorphins in modulating white cells and the immune system is extensive, such as this article from 2008 from the journal Immunology:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2433316/
The next step seems to be two different studies, one to see if daily LDN prevents SARS-Cov-2 in a population at high risk, and another to see if taking daily LDN once infected shortens the duration or severity of the resulting COVID-19 illness. I broached the possibility of both of these studies with the research fellow at the university where I am affiliated, but it would apparently be slow going, and the best that could be hoped for is a few months to get IRB approval.
And hence, I am reaching out to you, and to the world. I see no flaw in the reasoning that daily LDN may reduce or prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection, and I suggest that studies urgently be done to further investigate this possibility. Finally, please note this is not medical advice, or advice to take or obtain this medication - this is a call for assistance and for attention to a possible prevention or treatment that is backed by strong anecdotal evidence.
Sam Adams, MD
#naltrexone
https://www.facebook.com/sam.adams.7393/posts/10158364493842578?hc_location=ufi