My major experiment post- baby is Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), you can read about the beginning of my experiment here.
Varying information will agree on anything between 8 weeks and one year to experience the full effects of LDN. And a dose of between 3 and 4.5mg depending on the illness.
At 15 weeks into the experiment, after six months of sleep deprivation from the baby on a grand scale (read: wake ups of between 2-10 times a night), I had a flare up. My neck was so sore I was extremely nauseas and had a severe headache for days. The doctor I saw told me it was my C3 and C4 vertebra that were causing me trouble. The pain was actually spasms. He suggested a muscle relaxant and slow release Brufen.
Feeling like I was taking a lot of pills, I skipped a dose of LDN for a night. A lot of people note needing to skip a night occasionally to clear the receptors as a way to increase effectiveness. There were no changes noted.
Two nights later I went on my first date with my husband since the baby. We had a glass of wine. I decided I’d better not take the LDN (full dose Naltrexone is for alcohol and drug withdrawal, it can cause vomiting when mixed).
The next day I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. The fatigue sky rocketed. I was at 6-7/10 levels, hardly functioning, needed two rests and craved sugar like mad.
Taking my 3mg dose as usual that night I went to sleep hoping to feel better when I woke.
I did feel a bit better! The fatigue was about 3/10 and the filmy fog on my brain had descended a level or two. My neck came down a point, that could be related or not.
This is proof to me that it’s making a difference. At 3-3.5mg LDN is helping my fatigue.
I patiently continue for my maximum benefit. One woman in an LDN group told me of feeling progressively better over a year to approximately 90% function at one year! It gives me such hope. So I shall continue on for my one year experiment.