Low-dose naltrexone

Someone just asked in one of the Behcet's support groups if I know anything about the use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) in the treatment of Behcet's.

There hasn't been any specific research done on its use in BD, but a handful of studies have tried it for MS, Crohn's and fibromyalgia symptoms. 

It's always good to have credible background information on treatments before making any decisions to try them. The US Department of Veterans Affairs/MS Centers of Excellence has put together a "Spotlight" page on naltrexone. You can see it here:
http://www.va.gov/MS/articles/Spotlight_on_Low_Dose_Naltrexone_LDN.asp

And here are some links to LDN studies:

1) Low-dose naltrexone for the treatment of fibromyalgia: findings of a small, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, crossover trial assessing daily pain levels.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23359310

2) Pilot trial of low-dose naltrexone and quality of life in multiple sclerosis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20695007

3) The effect of low-dose naltrexone on quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20534644

4) A pilot trial of low-dose naltrexone in primary progressive multiple sclerosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18728058

5) Low-dose naltrexone therapy improves active Crohn's disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17222320

6) Low-dose naltrexone for disease prevention and quality of life.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19041189

Also, PatientsLikeMe.com carries great self-reported patient information on the effectiveness of different medications. Low-dose naltrexone is one of the meds listed on the site. You can see the information here:
http://www.patientslikeme.com/treatments/show/4918-naltrexone-side-effects-and-efficacy#overview 

As always, be careful of websites that seem to go overboard about the off-label use of any medications, including LDN. The presence of exclamation points (!!!) is a dead giveaway that the site is biased and (probably) not credible. And please -- don't buy prescription meds over the Internet. There's no guarantee that you're getting a real version of the medication you've paid for.

If you'd like more information about trying LDN, please speak with your doctor(s).