Naltreksonin normaali käyttöannos vaihtelee välillä 50-300 mg. Tämä annos salpaa opioidireseptorit kokonaan tai lähes kokonaan ja aiheuttaa useimmiten ikäviä sivuvaikutuksia, kun endorfiinien toiminta estetään lähes täysin. Pieniannoksinen naltreksoni (tai matala-annoksinen naltreksoni) tarkoittaa terapiaa, jossa annos on kuitenkin vain 1,75 mg-5 mg (yleensä 3-4,5 mg) ja se salpaa reseptorit vain osittain ja lyhyeksi aikaa. Tämä stimuloi kehoa tuottamaan enemmän endorfiineja ja enkefaliineja, opioidipeptidejä jotka tunnetaan parhaiten kivun lievittämisestä ja mielialan kohottamisesta. Niillä on kuitenkin paljon muitakin vaikutuksia elimistössä, erityisesti immuunijärjestelmän ylläpitämisessä. Niiden on osoitettu esimerkiksi lisäävän luontaisten tappajasolujen määrää ja aktiivisuutta. Myös monista syöpäkasvaimista on löydetty opioidireseptoreita.
Beetaendorfiinista, leu-enkefaliinista ja met-enkefaliinista (tunnetaan myös opioidikasvutekijänä (OGF)) löytyy paljon tutkimuksia, jotka osoittavat niiden roolin eri sairauksissa. Monissa erilaisissa neurologisissa ja immuunijärjestelmän sairauksissa beetaendorfiinin tai enkefaliinien pitoisuudet on todettu liian alhaisiksi tai niiden eritysrytmi poikkeavaksi. Normaalisti suurin osa elimistön endorfiineista erittyy aamuyöllä. Siksi LDN otetaan yleensä ennen nukkumaanmenoa, jotta endorfiinien eritystä pystytään stimuloimaan mahdollisimman paljon. LDN-hoidon kehittänyt neurologi Bernard Bihari on osoittanut LDN:n nostavan beetaendorfiinitasoja jopa 200-300%.
LDN auttaa säätelemään immuunijärjestelmää, mutta sitä voidaan pitää myös immunostimulanttina, koska se stimuloi luontaisten tappajasolujen eli NK-solujen toimintaa. Sen käyttö autoimmuunisairauksissa perustuu teoriaan, että autoimmuunisairaudet eivät johdu immuunijärjestelmän yliaktiivisuudesta vaan aliaktiivisuudesta. Asia ei toki ole aivan näin yksinkertainen, sillä immuunijärjestelmä on äärimmäisen monimutkainen koneisto ja mahdollistaa hyvin moninaiset häiriötilat liika- ja vajaatoiminnan lisäksi. Useat uudehkot tutkimukset kuitenkin tukevat tätä teoriaa autoimmuunisairauksista immuunipuutoksina, kuten myös se, että LDN useimmiten lievittää oireita, eikä johda sairauden pahenemiseen. LDN vaikuttaa olevan erityisen tehokas MS-taudissa, minkä syyksi on ehdotettu sitä, että se vähentää typpioksidisyntetaasin aktiviteettia ja siten peroksinitriitin muodostumista. Peroksinitriitti on yhdistetty myös esimerkiksi krooniseen väsymysoireyhtymään, fibromyalgiaan ja PTSD:hen.
Yhä useammasta aikaisemmin selittämättömästä sairaudesta on löytynyt viitteitä autoimmuniteetista. Tällaisia ovat esimerkiksi endometrioosi, interstitielli kystiitti ja narkolepsia. Myös AIDS-potilailta on löytynyt autovasta-aineita, mutta tämä ei todennäköisesti ole se syy, miksi LDN:stä on niin paljon apua monille HIV/AIDS-potilaille. LDN tehoaa moniin muihinkin sairauksiin kuin autoimmuunisairauksiin. Todennäköisesti tulevaisuudessa löytyy yhä useampia sairauksia, joihin LDN tehoaa, vaikka onkin turha odottaa siitä ihmeparannusta vaivaan kuin vaivaan. Jatkuvasti lisääntyvä tutkimus myös varmasti vakiinnuttaa LDN:n paikan monien sairauksien hoidossa.
LDN:ään liittyen on järjestetty jo ainakin kahdeksan: konferenssia: neljä ensimmäistä Yhdysvalloissa, sen jälkeen kaksi Glasgow'ssa Skotlannissa, yksi Birminghamissa ja yksi Irlannissa. Tämän sivuston ylläpitäjä Maija Haavisto oli Skotlannin vuoden 2010 konferenssissa puhumassa LDN:n käytöstä CFS:n hoidossa. Hän otti valokuvia molemmista konferensseista: Glasgow ja Birmingham.
Glasgow'n LDN-konferenssissa 2010 kävi myös ilmi, että naltreksonilla on kaksi stereoisomeeriä, joilla on toisistaan poikkeavat vaikutukset: toinen salpaa opioidireseptoreita ja toinen estää mikrogliojen, eräs keskushermostossa esiintyvä valkosolutyyppi, aktivaatiota ja siten vähentää keskushermoston inflammaatiota. Tällä havainnolla on mahdollisesti kaksikin merkittävää seurausta. Se voi tarkoittaa sitä, että LDN-hoidon tehoa voidaan entisestään parantaa ja/tai sivuvaikutuksia vähentää käyttämällä vain toista stereoisomeeriä, tai käyttämällä niiden sekoitusta, joissa niiden suhde on muu kuin 50/50. Toisaalta se tarkoittaa myös sitä, että lääketeollisuus voi mahdollisesti sittenkin tehdä rahaa LDN:llä ja siten myös laajat kliiniset tutkimukset saattaisivat olla mahdollisia.
Sivun alalaidassa on tietoa keskeneräisistä ja vielä julkaisemattomista LDN-tutkimuksista.
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LDN:n käyttöä lasten fibromyalgiassa oli tarkoitus selvittää, mutta valitettavasti tämä tutkimus näyttää peruuntuneen. Israelissa piti puolestaan käynnistyä tutkimus LDN:stä autismin hoidossa, mutta siitä ei ole tullut mitään päivityksiä vuosiin.
Ian Zagon jatkaa tutkimuksia LDN:n käytöstä eri syöpien hoidossa, mm. pään ja kaulan syövät, mutta näistä ei ole verkossa tarkempia tietoja. Gliooman eli erityisen pahanlaatuisen aivokasvaintyypin hoidosta löytyy kuitenkin tutkimus. Toinen tutkimus on meneillään LDN:n käytöstä levinneen melanooman, kastraatioresistentin eturauhassyövän ja munuaissyövän hoidossa.