It's six months since I started LDN and 4 months since I started taking 3 mg every other morning.

It's controlling my eczema, which seems to flare when I skip a few days.

It hasn't stopped me from having 6 months of itchy rash all over my torso, which flares every time I eat one of the many foods I'm allregic to (this followed a similar reaction to an antibiotic). After months of antihistamines I added Singulair and butterbur (both leukotriene inhibitors), which have helped a bit; acupuncture, ditto; and digestive enzymes, which seem to be helping tremendously.

After a flare in my cardio crp to 10 following a sinus infection in April, that's back to less than 1.

And it hasn't raised my thyroid levels, which instead have gone down, perhaps because it's summer (no change in HRT for menopause)?:
2/08, no replacement, T4 6.6 (5.3-12.3), FT3 2.6 (2.0-3.5), TSH 1.2
8/08, 38 mcg T4, 5 mcg T3 x 2): T4 6.4, FT3 2.8, TSH .11

The low TSH may be because I lowered my T4 6 weeks prior because I felt hyper--burning in my hands when I gripped the steering wheel and weight gain (yeah, I now gain weight when hyper, as I discovered over the previous labs).

Current plan is to stay on the LDN and increase the T4 back to 50 mcg. Oh, and to try to enjoy the few weeks remaining of Maine summer.

Hi y'all!
Nicole

Hi Lolly,

Yes you must be getting to 6 months. I actually started in December but stopped during Jan. when Jann and I both went hyper. Rather mysterious how LDN affects us, though I want to believe it's decreasing our autoimmunity.

It's interesting that we're getting different reactions from our eczema. Mine was on the palms of my hands and was just awful for ten months before I started LDN. I had not had eczema since childhood, but it started up after I moved to Maine. I did notice that when I stop LDN even for a few days it threatens to return.

I just started the digestive enzymes a few days ago and already I'm doing better. The burning itch under my skin after eating has diminished, and the remaining rash is a little less sensitive. The woman on the LDN list who recommended them also recommends l-glutamate to heal the gut and a candida cleanse, which makes sense since the trigger for all this was an antibiotic. And boy did I thank her profusely (off-list), as this approach makes good sense but hadn't occurred to me or my GP.

I'm baffled about my thyroid levels decreasing since I was sure I was heading hyper on 50 mcg T4. My TPO was high in December so it may be I have some destruction of the gland. (I was delighted to get a thyroid ultrasound that showed no nodules.)

I owe you a letter, and soon I may have time to write. I did have some free time today but I'm sure you won't mind that I went to the beach, my first time this summer!

Good luck at the doctor's tomorrow,
Nicole

Hi Lolly,

No, I left to go have dinner with my sis and her husband who are visiting (lobster, which I can't eat--good pottao chips and salad though, lol).

The digestive enzymes should help IBS. The theory with using them for my hives is that if the gut leaks, poorly digested food will enter the blood stream and cause a reaction. Acidophilus or a probiitoic should help too.

The l-glutamine is supposed to heal the intestines, so that might be a very good supplement for IBS. I'm using the Firefox browser which doesn't want me to cut and paste, but you can easily find more info. online. I'm going to buy some.

You have my immense sympathy for the eczema, when your hands are cracked and bleeding there's very little you can do without being in pain.

Best,
Nicole