This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Urgent Question: Has anyone had any experience of low dose naltrexone raising their ck (creatine kinase) levels? I've finally persuaded my doctor to let me try LDN, and 10 days after starting I had a regular 3-monthly blood test that I have for other medical screening purposes, and it showed elevated ck levels, suggesting muscle damage is happening. I'm having a re-test next week, but before then I'm trying to find out if this is a known side effect of LDN, since some ck muscle problems can be drug induced. If the levels stay high next week, then the doctor will start investigating various possibilities, but since the LDN is new and he's not familiar with it and is suspicious of it anyway, this will be the first suspected cause that he will want me to stop to see if it changes the ck levels. Since I did the research that persuaded him to let me try LDN, I feel it's up to me to check out this possible danger which I had not seen any mention of on any of the LDN sites. I actually have thought I've seen some small improvements in leg muscle strength since starting the LDN, so I'm reluctant to stop it so soon unless I need to. Has anyone else come across an LDN-raised ck side effect?

Curiouser -

I have no personal experience with LDN but looked on PubMed for association with rhabdomyolysis and naltrexone. I found one reported instance of a possible association you could share with your doctor if you want - in this case, note the patient was receiving a much higher dose, 50 mg/day, for treatment of alcohol dependence.

Other than this, I didn't see much else on PubMed for naltrexone, so based on that, I don't see very strong evidence of an association compared to what is published on other drugs. It is also worth noting that people taking naltrexone for drug dependence have effects on their bodies from addiction and possible other health effects like infections.

Like you noted, rhabdomyolysis has been associated with a variety of other drugs, including antidepressants and statins. I've also personally known people have developed it after having the flu.

Are you taking anything else besides LDN? Hope the ck levels go back down, whatever is causing the elevation....

Here's the abstract.....
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1: Ann Pharmacother. 1999 Mar;33(3):312-3. Links
Rhabdomyolysis associated with naltrexone.Zaim S, Wiley DB, Albano SA.
Division of Cardiology, Brooklyn Veterans Affairs Hospital, NY, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To report a possible association between naltrexone therapy and the development of rhabdomyolysis in one patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 28-year-old white man in good physical health was started on naltrexone 50 mg/d for inpatient treatment of alcohol dependence and depression. A routine serum chemistry panel obtained on day 9 of naltrexone therapy showed marked new elevations in creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase. The patient remained asymptomatic and did not develop renal insufficiency. The serum enzyme concentrations returned to normal within eight days of naltrexone discontinuation. DISCUSSION: Rhabdomyolysis has not been previously reported to occur in patients during treatment with naltrexone. Alcoholism may result in a reversible acute muscle syndrome, but our patient did not fit the appropriate clinical profile for such a syndrome. Additionally, the other prescribed medications could not be implicated as possible causative agents. CONCLUSIONS: This case report illustrates a possible association between naltrexone therapy and rhabdomyolysis.

PMID: 10200856 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I've been on LDN around 3 1/2 years, and my family Dr does a CBC every year. He has never told me of any weird results from that test, so assuming a CBC looks for the particular thing you asked about I haven't been affected.

Sorry that this is not more specific to your question.

Curious,

Do you work out? Heightened CK levels can be seen the day after a good workout. Unless they are high and stay that way AND you are sedintary, I wouldn't worry about it. That is just my opinion, but once during my blood draw for the trial I'm in they told me my CK levels were very high. I then got into a lengthy discussion about it with my neuro. and he said that he wouldn't get alarmed if I am someone who exercises.