LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) Awareness Week
October 19 - October 25
About LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) Awareness Week
LDN Awareness Week is an international campaign focused on Low Dose Naltrexone, a repurposed medicine being studied as a treatment for autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, mental health conditions, and certain cancers. Led by the UK-based LDN Research Trust, the week brings together patients, doctors, pharmacists, and researchers around shared educational goals.
What is LDN Awareness Week?
LDN Awareness Week is an annual campaign run by the LDN Research Trust, a UK charity founded in 2004 to support research and education on Low Dose Naltrexone. Naltrexone was originally licensed at 50mg to support recovery from opioid and alcohol addiction. At much lower doses, typically between 0.5mg and 4.5mg, it is being explored as an off-label treatment for autoimmune conditions including multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and complex regional pain syndrome. LDN Awareness Week shares evidence, patient stories, and prescriber resources to support more informed conversations between patients and clinicians.
When is LDN Awareness Week?
LDN Awareness Week 2026 runs from Monday, 19 October to Sunday, 25 October. The LDN Research Trust schedules the week each year with educational webinars, conference content, and online campaigns. While related awareness events have been held in June in some past years, the autumn slot has become an established fixture for the trust’s UK-led activity and aligns with international rare disease awareness in the autumn calendar.
Why LDN Awareness Week Matters
Autoimmune and chronic pain conditions affect tens of millions of people worldwide. The British Society for Rheumatology estimates that around 1 in 10 people in the UK live with a chronic autoimmune disease, and conditions such as fibromyalgia and ME/CFS often go undertreated. Naltrexone at low doses appears to act on the immune system and pain pathways differently from its standard high-dose use, and a growing body of small studies and clinical experience supports its use in carefully selected patients. Because LDN is off-label and unbranded, it receives little commercial promotion. LDN Awareness Week matters because patients themselves often have to discover this option and bring it to their clinicians, and because honest, balanced education is needed to separate genuine evidence from overclaim.
How to Get Involved in LDN Awareness Week
Whether you are a patient, carer, healthcare professional, or simply curious, there are many ways to take part.
- Attend an LDN Research Trust webinar – The trust runs free educational sessions throughout the week with researchers and prescribing clinicians.
- Read the published literature – Peer-reviewed reviews, including those in Advances in Therapy and Current Rheumatology Reports, summarise the current evidence base.
- Watch patient stories – The trust hosts hundreds of filmed patient testimonies covering many conditions and outcomes, both positive and less successful.
- Talk to your GP or specialist – If you live with a relevant condition, an honest conversation with a clinician about whether LDN may be appropriate is the right starting point. Bring printed resources rather than relying on memory.
- Share verified resources – Use social media to share information from credible bodies rather than anecdote-heavy sites. Avoid making medical claims.
- Donate to research – The LDN Research Trust funds and supports clinical trials, conferences, and patient information services.
- Educate fellow professionals – If you are a clinician, pharmacist, or nurse, use the week to share evidence summaries with colleagues in your team or department.
- Join the LDN community – Patient communities on Facebook and other platforms offer peer support, but read with care: every patient is different and online stories are not medical advice.
History of LDN Awareness Week
Low Dose Naltrexone was first proposed as a treatment for autoimmune disease and certain cancers in the 1980s by the late Dr Bernard Bihari, a New York neurologist who observed unexpected immune effects in patients taking very small doses of naltrexone. Over the following decades, doctors and patients began experimenting with LDN for a wide range of chronic conditions, often with limited evidence but promising individual stories.
The LDN Research Trust was founded in the United Kingdom in 2004 by Linda Elsegood, a multiple sclerosis patient who credited LDN with stabilising her own condition. The trust set out to support research, build a register of LDN-prescribing doctors, and educate the public. Within a few years it had grown into an international hub, helping more than 100,000 people obtain LDN through the NHS or private prescription.
Awareness weeks and conferences have been part of the trust’s calendar since the late 2000s, with formats evolving from in-person seminars to large hybrid events featuring speakers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. LDN Awareness Week now brings together patient stories, scientific evidence, and prescriber resources in a single concentrated period of activity, helping the conversation move beyond anecdote and into mainstream healthcare debate.
Noteworthy Facts About LDN Awareness Week
- The LDN Research Trust has produced more than 700 filmed interviews with doctors, scientists, and patients since 2004.
- Standard naltrexone is licensed for opioid and alcohol dependence at 50mg; LDN doses are typically less than one tenth of that.
- LDN is generally compounded by specialist pharmacies because it is not commercially available at low doses.
- Multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are among the most studied conditions for LDN.
- Reviews in journals such as Advances in Therapy and Frontiers in Pharmacology describe LDN as having a generally favourable safety profile but emphasise the need for larger high-quality trials.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LDN Awareness Week?
It is an annual international campaign run by the LDN Research Trust to raise awareness and share evidence about Low Dose Naltrexone as a treatment for autoimmune, chronic pain, and other long-term conditions.
When is LDN Awareness Week in 2026?
LDN Awareness Week 2026 runs from Monday, 19 October to Sunday, 25 October.
Is LDN available on the NHS?
LDN is not licensed at low doses in the UK and is therefore prescribed off-label, usually privately, although a small number of NHS clinicians prescribe it on a named-patient basis. Always discuss any treatment decisions with a qualified clinician.
Spread the Word
Help raise awareness by sharing LDN Awareness Week with your friends, family, and followers. Use the hashtags #LDNAwarenessWeek and #LDN2026 on social media, and follow the LDN Research Trust for verified resources.
Related Awareness Days
- World Mental Health Day – Highlights the mental health conditions that LDN is sometimes considered for in research settings.
- World No Tobacco Day – Connects to the broader theme of preventive and proactive health.
- Dying Matters Week – Reflects on serious illness and treatment decisions in advanced disease.
Links
2026 Awareness Days Wall Planner
Every key awareness day at a glance. Perfect for offices, staff rooms, and team planning.
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