ReviewClinical rheumatology2014
The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic pain.
Review in Clinical rheumatology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 125 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Low Dose Naltrexone for Treatment of Pain in Patients With Fibromyalgia - Effect Via a Central Mechanism? A Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled, Crossover Study.
The Immune Effects of Low-dose Naltrexone in People With Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
IC PaIN Trial: Interstitial Cystitis Pain Improvement With Naltrexone, the Effect of Low Dose Naltrexone on Symptoms and Pain of Patients With Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome a Randomized Placebo-controlled Prospective Trial
Low-dose Naltrexone for Bladder Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Prospective Pilot Trial
Association of Low Doses of Naltrexone and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Fibromyalgia: Randomized Clinical Trial, Blind, Controlled With Placebo
Who cites it
125 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 261 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Low Dose Naltrexone In The Management Of Chronic Pain Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Pooled it
- The use of naltrexone in the treatment of chronic pain: a systematic review.Pain management · 2024Pooled it
- Low-Dose Naltrexone for Chronic Pain: Update and Systemic Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2020Pooled it
- Low-dose naltrexone as an adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder: findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled hybrid parallel-arm study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Trial
- Trial
- A positive affect intervention alters leukocyte DNA methylation in sexual minority men with HIV who use methamphetamine.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2024Trial
- Pilot RCT comparing low-dose naltrexone, gabapentin and placebo to reduce pain among people with HIV with alcohol problems.PloS one · 2024Trial
- Trial
- μ Opioid Antagonist Naltrexone Partially Abolishes the Antidepressant Placebo Effect and Reduces Orbitofrontal Cortex Encoding of Reinforcement.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2021Trial
- Extended-release Naltrexone Improves Viral Suppression Among Incarcerated Persons Living with HIV and Alcohol use Disorders Transitioning to the Community: Results From a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2018Trial
- Pain as a predictor of heavy drinking and any drinking lapses in the COMBINE study and the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2015Trial
- Association of low-dose naltrexone and transcranial direct current stimulation in fibromyalgia: a randomized, double-blinded, parallel clinical trial.Brazilian journal of anesthesiology (Elsevier)Trial
- Low-Dose Naltrexone in Crohn's Disease: A Prematurely Terminated Randomized Trial Showing Reduced Fatigue Without Clinical or Endoscopic Benefit.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Article
- Fatigue in Sjögren's Disease - Integrating Biomedical and Psychosocial Aspects: A Narrative Review.Rheumatology and therapy · 2026Review
- Innovative strategies for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: From clinical management to emerging bioengineering solutions.Bioactive materials · 2026Review
- Low-Dose Naltrexone in the Perioperative Setting: An Emerging Clinical Challenge.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Inflammation, mental health, and alcohol behaviors: Testing links leveraging a familial community sample.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Neurovascular and synaptic milieu of brain-resident cells in cognitive dysfunction of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Article
65 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has been demonstrated to reduce symptom severity in conditions such as fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and complex regional pain syndrome. We review the evidence that LDN may operate as a novel anti-inflammatory agent in the central nervous system, via action on microglial cells. These effects may be unique to low dosages of naltrexone and appear to be entirely independent from naltrexone's better-known activity on opioid receptors. As a daily oral therapy, LDN is inexpensive and well-tolerated. Despite initial promise of efficacy, the use of LDN for chronic disorders is still highly experimental. Published trials have low sample sizes, and few replications have been performed. We cover the typical usage of LDN in clinical trials, caveats to using the medication, and recommendations for future research and clinical work. LDN may represent one of the first glial cell modulators to be used for the management of chronic pain disorders.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.