A message from Dickson chemist - they supply LDN in the UK, but there is advice in here about taking NSAIDs too:
COVID-19 and Low Dose Naltrexone.
Please stop panicking.
We are receiving very high call volumes, so ask all patients not to email us or call us unless they urgently need LDN or related medicines supplied. This email is intended to answer the majority of questions. For further updates, please follow "Dickson Chemist" on Facebook.
Every additional call that we answer, or email that we have to reply to asking the same question, further delays our ability to continue to maintain a safe and expedient supply chain. We understand that everyone is concerned, especially with the vulnerable groups we supply LDN and other medicines to. We also understand that a large movement has formed on social media - and would advise those who have made comments on the use of LDN with COVID to remove those comments from social media with immediate effect. This will help calm the unnecessary panic we are seeing today.
- We have enough LDN liquid / sublingual for 12 months minimum. This isn't going to run out.
- There is no reason to expect Royal Mail to completely fall apart either, so please do not call us and ask for 6 months of LDN "just in case".
- We have no interruption in the capsule supply chain at this point, and our suppliers are taking extreme measures to continue to supply us with these.
- We will be pushing forward with automatic dispensing, for all patients who are on automatic with us - if you are not on automatic and normally call us to pay - or pay online - we recommend going onto automatic. (This is not new advice.)
- Doing this enables us to be one to two weeks ahead of your dispensing needs should one or more of our staff need to isolate due to COVID-19.
- If you pay online through your account, please note there is currently a 7-10 day lag due to the number of outstanding requests for double and triple supplies. Do call us if you paid online and are running out. Be prepared for a short wait on the phone, we are all in - it's just busy.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES & LDN & COVID-19
- There was some "fake news" from the Health and Safety Executive in Ireland - saying Ibuprofen and associated NSAIDS could be harmful in COVID-19. This was proven to be malicious and untrue. The information did not come from the government or the doctor named. SEE HERE
- The French health minister made a comment about not using Ibuprofen to treat fever or suspected COVID-19. This may have been in response to seeing this fabricated advice message from Ireland - and not based on any empirical evidence.
- Neither Italy nor China has reported problems with Ibuprofen in COVID-19 - suggesting to the UK NHS that a trend would have been spotted by now. This may be subject to change as we see more cases hospitalised in the UK.
- The comments made by the French health minister on social media have been embellished and expanded vastly beyond their value by the media and should be ignored in their entirety. SEE HERE
- The actual advice was really quite sensible if you don't take NSAIDS(Ibuprofen etc) regularly - then choose paracetamol first if you need something to make you feel better. This is good advice at all times!
- There *IS* advice on not using Ibuprofen in children with chickenpox, as it may cause complications. This is a very different scenario and a totally different mechanism.
SHOULD I STOP TAKING LDN?
- People are calling worried that dampening down inflammation may make them sicker.
- People are calling asking if they should stop LDN - just in case, not sure why, but worried having read some of the social media storms.
- People are calling asking to be STARTED on LDN to prevent COVID-19 (no we will not prescribe or dispense for this).
The basic answer is, there is no advice specifically regarding LDN.
There is no reason it would make your condition worse if you were to get COVID-19.
There is also no reason it will make you more likely to get COVID-19.
There has been a lot of discussion in the LDN healthcare professionals groups about using LDN as an adjunct to help treat people with severe COVID-19 as it may help reduce the severity of something called a Cytokine Storm (the main reason why people with COVID-19 die).
WHAT ABOUT MY OTHER DRUGS! I'm on Immunosuppressants!
- The reason why people are on immunosuppressants varies wildly.
- Generally being on an immunosuppressant will increase your risk of catching any infection, and patients on these will already know this.
- Do not stop taking these drugs unless on medical advice! Instead practice good hygiene, social isolation and follow the latest government advice on gatherings.
The best thing you can do is to stay calm, don't perpetuate panic - especially on social media - and make sure you have some support in place to do shopping / errands if you have to isolate yourself for a while.
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