Also having success with Low Dose Naltrexone. Plus bioidentical hormones

[Guest guest]

The number one benefit I'm seeing from LDN is substantially less joint pain and

a reduction of the muscle weakness that goes with that. For instance, I can get

up from the floor without help, and can climb the stairs without pulling myself

up the railing. I need to brush up on my understanding of why it's helping. My

doc suggested it and I had done enough research in the past to feel it was worth

trying. But now that I'm having a positive response, I need to go back and look

at the protocol again. I've also had less fatigue since taking it.

The situation is a little muddied because shortly after starting naltrexone, I

started taking the bioidentical hormones estrogen and progesterone. I had the

saliva test done via " heranswer.com " because it's much less expensive that way.

The doc there is a real sweetheart, much more caring and helpful than some of

the other sites touting the benefits of bioidenticals. In California, we can't

have the testing done through a lab without a doctor's prescription. The doctor

who started the website did so because of his wife's hormone issures. He's very

kind and will patiently answer all questions and offer follow up help after

receiving the test results if desired. Anyway, I tested very low in estrogen,

progesterone, DHEA and adrenals. Starting the estrogen/progesterone cream seems

to have also helped relieve, joint pain, headaches, fatigue, etc. While I tested

low in estrogen, I was still " estrogen dominant " meaning more estrogen than

progesterone. A friend of mine saw a specialist after going through the above

website for testing and getting similar results to mine (estrogen dominant) and

he told her to take straight estrogen (natural, bioidentical) to begin with. It

seemed to jumpstart the endocrine system, getting it on the right track. She

felt fantastic, but after a week or so on straight estrogen she started feeling

puffy so switched to the combo estrogen/progesterone cream, and is doing

extremely well. Anyway, it's another therapy worth checking into since a

deficiency in these hormones causes the same symptoms we have with CFS.

Anyway, for now, I can say that both LDN and hormone replacement therapy have

been beneficial for me.