Yes, doctors in the U.S. can prescribe low-dose naltrexone (LDN) for rheumatoid arthritis, but it's considered an "off-label" use. This means it's being prescribed for a purpose beyond what the FDA has officially approved it for — which is a common and legal practice in medicine. There's an important catch though: LDN isn't Show Full Answer
Yes, doctors in the U.S. can prescribe low-dose naltrexone (LDN) for rheumatoid arthritis, but it's considered an "off-label" use. This means it's being prescribed for a purpose beyond what the FDA has officially approved it for — which is a common and legal practice in medicine. There's an important catch though: LDN isn't available as a standard prescription you can fill at any pharmacy. Since naltrexone only comes commercially in 50mg tablets, a much higher dose than what's used for RA, it needs to be specially prepared at a compounding pharmacy.
Here are a few key things to know:
- The typical LDN dose studied for RA is around 4.5mg daily
- It must be obtained through a compounding pharmacy
- The average cost is around $35 per month, making it much more affordable than many other RA treatments
It's worth having a conversation with a rheumatologist to find out if LDN might be a suitable option, especially since there is still limited research on how it interacts with common RA medications like DMARDs or corticosteroids.
July 21
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