NIGHTSHADE? LOW DOSE NALTREXONE?

Low dose Naltrexone. 


Would it work?

It's thought that the central nervous system is compromised in people with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. Naltrexone is an anti-addiction drug in normal circumstances but in low doses it acts differently.

Stanford is preparing for a study of Low Dose Naltrexone as a treatment for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. This is the first study of it's kind but this drug has been prescribed off label for the past few years.

It isn't a cure-all and not without side effects. 

Some of them are:

dizziness

headache

fainting

anxiety

nervousness

insomnia 

fatigue

nausea & vomiting

diarreha

joint pain

excessive muscle contraction

sore throat

Now, look at that list. I'm a little confused. If those are the side effects how would they know if it's working? A lot of those are the same symptoms that we feel with Fibromyalgia.  I know, in the Stanford study, that the side effects are rare and short-lived but there are people that will be on either side of the "average." Given my tolerance of medication I'll just bet I'd be one of those people.

Are the side effects worth it?

I have a hard time with drugs. Not to say that I don't use them to stay out of pain but the opiods are solid. The relief is there and the side effects are minimal. It's the drugs that make you weigh them on the balance bar to see if the side effects outweigh the benefits.

It's like Lyrica. Given the litany of side effects that there are who in the hell would put that in their mouths? I know everyones different. I guess that is a different view of the balance scale. For me, no fricking way. I think it's the weight gain that did it for me. I have enough self esteem issues without more weight gain. I've put on 20 pounds and I'm one of those all or nothing women. If I'm not a 10 I must be a zero and I don't need Lyrica to help that issue along.

A more natural road.

Then theres the whole nightshade issue. When I first heard about it I thought it was a new kind of curtain. I didn't have a clue that there were foods classified as nightshades.

Nightshades are a family of foods that include tomato, potato, eggplant, tomatillos and peppers as well as spices like paprika, cayenne pepper and tabasco sauce.

Nightshades contain a toxin that in normal conditions bodies process very well but given the compromised system in Fibromyalgia it is thought that by removing these from your diet it will help with your pain. These vegetables contain high levels of alkaloids that remove calcium from the bones.

Now I haven't seen ANY studies on this so I'm not sure if it's just a reach but I do know that certain foods affect people in different ways.  I can't be sure that it's not a food allergy. 

Part of me wants a dietary fix and the other part doesn't think that a nutritional avenue is the only way to go.

What to do? 

I'd love comments to hear what people feel about these two treatments.