Low dose naltrexone in multiple sclerosis: Effects on medication use. A quasi-experimental study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Low dose naltrexone (LDN) is an emerging off-label therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Existing small studies suggest potential benefits of LDN in MS and other autoimmune conditions.
• LDN could offer a cost-effective and safe alternative to current expensive MS treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if a surge in LDN prescriptions in Norway correlated with changes in the use of other MS medications.
• To analyze the impact of LDN initiation on the dispensing of disease-modifying therapies and symptom-management drugs for MS.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, before-and-after study design was employed.
• Population data from the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD) was utilized.
• Patients initiating LDN in 2013 with prior MS medication use were tracked for two years before and after.

Main Results:

• No significant changes were observed in the cumulative dispensed doses or the number of prevalent users of MS-specific medications following LDN initiation.
• The study did not find a reduction in the use of medications for managing MS symptoms after patients started taking LDN.
• Observed changes in medication dispensing aligned with general trends in MS therapy in Norway, independent of LDN.

Conclusions:

• Initiation of low dose naltrexone (LDN) did not lead to a decrease in the use of other disease-modifying or symptom-management medications for multiple sclerosis (MS) in Norway.
• The findings suggest that LDN, despite its popularity, did not alter the overall medication landscape for MS patients in this population-based study.
• Further research is needed to clarify the role and efficacy of LDN in managing multiple sclerosis.