I wish I had time today to do a much longer post on this, but it is the day before Thanksgiving and this is the year I permanently take over the Thanksgiving dinner from my mother. So, my husband and I are hosting tomorrow and it will be our first holiday celebration with some members from both sides of our family here for dinner. Lots of work to do. I am fortunate that my husband is a great cook so he does the turkey, peels the potatoes, and I do the other sides…
I noticed though that my low dose naltrexone (LDN) blog entries are getting a LOT of traffic over the past month or so and it appears that people are looking for information on it, especially in regards to Sjögren’s syndrome, so here is my update:
I was on 1mg of LDN for a month. I will be honest, I have been feeling like crap…no better word to describe it. I don’t think it was related to the LDN, but related to the fact that I am no longer on prednisone or any other autoimmune meds except Plaquenil. I feel that the Plaquenil does nothing for me. I did find out that my TSH levels are the highest they have been in years, which probably also accounts for the overwhelming fatigue. I was also having more joint pain, plantar fasciitis pain, and muscle pain. However we cannot increase my thyroid medicine while I am titrating up on the LDN because as the LDN dose is increased, I will likely require less and less thyroid hormone. My endocrinologist does not want me to swing rapidly the other way.
I increased my LDN dosage about ten days ago to 2 mg and the past few days, I have felt much better. Except for the days I work at my school nurse job, I am getting through many of my days again without a nap or lying down and my energy is better. My joint, muscle, and plantar fasciitis pain has lessened and overall, I feel like I am one again headed in the right direction.
I am struggling some with my sleep, more so than on the 1mg. However it is not as severe as in the past. I wake up several times during the night, but then fall right back asleep. Overall, I feel rested. I am working on experimenting with different dosages of my sleep supplements and I am hoping to find the right combination so that I can continue to increase the LDN.
I will continue to post updates as things change. Wishing you all a most wonderful Thanksgiving!
P.S. LOVE your new photo banner. Powerful. Explains perfectly a sign I saw recently: "o, Lord, your sea is so great and my boat is so small."
As always, sweet cyber friend, your determination, grace, and willingness to share amazes me, encourages me, and leaves me determined not to guard my complaints about my medical/health challenges. I pray that your Thanksgiving continues with blessings.
Thank you! My husband took that photo when we went away right after our wedding last year and it is one of my favorites!
Thanks, Liz! It was a wonderful day. I hope yours was as well….