Mental illness refers to a wide range of disorders, such as anxiety or depression, that affect thinking, behavior, and mood. Anxiety and depression affect over 15 million American adults each year. Unfortunately, many Americans perceive anxiety as a personal weakness rather than a medical condition.
Everyone deals with mood changes at some point, but when the symptoms affect your ability to function properly, it is important to know that you have treatment options. Only a third of people suffering from anxiety seek medical attention, and the multiple causes of anxiety make it difficult to offer effective interventions. Fortunately, some medications, such as low-dose naltrexone (LDN), can assist with several different mental health disorders. Contact our office today if you are interested in learning more about how low-dose naltrexone (LDN) can help with anxiety. During your consultation, Dr. Jacobson will discuss this drug at length and help determine if LDN is a suitable treatment option for you.
Anxiety is a healthy and often normal emotion, but when you regularly experience disproportionate anxiety levels, you may receive a diagnosis of a medical disorder. Anxiety disorder is a category of mental health that causes extreme fear, worry, apprehension, and nervousness.
This manifestation might alter how you behave and process different emotions, leading to physical symptoms. While mild anxiety disorders might be unsettling and hard to understand, severe disorders could seriously interfere with your daily functionality.
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health issues, affecting 30 percent of adults at some point in life. Forty million Americans struggle with anxiety, but only around 36 percent of the population with anxiety disorders seek and receive treatment in the United States. If someone suffers from an anxiety disorder, they may benefit from discussing low-dose naltrexone treatment and how it could help with a wellness doctor.
LDN is an opioid antagonist medication that the FDA first approved in 1984. Originally, LDN was used as a treatment for opioid addiction, but then proved effective among patients with HIV/AIDS. People living with HIV/AIDs only produce around 20 percent of a healthy person’s endorphins, but trials established that low doses of naltrexone (LDN) resulted in a 300 percent endorphin increase in the tested patients. From there, LDN was also approved to help treat alcohol dependency in 1994.
When used in patients, LDN triggers the release of endorphins that helps relieve stress and pain and boosts pleasure. Endorphins are hormone transmitters that your body produces after pleasurable activities such as massage, laughing, meditating, and exercising. Additionally, this hormone promotes well-being and emotional satisfaction.
LDN is not an opioid and is not addictive. When used to treat those with opioid addictions, it functions by blocking cravings receptors with few side effects and low chances of abuse. Low-dose naltrexone is also affordable since only a small amount is required to provide promising results in helping with depression and anxiety.
When you experience anxiety, you may have strong feelings of sadness and be unable to focus on the important things in life. If the severity of the disorder increases, you may even find it difficult to complete daily activities. If the disorder reaches such levels, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. Dr. Jacobson and his team use LDN to help with multiple types of anxiety disorders.
During the consultation, Dr. Jacobson will assess the type and level of anxiety you have and determine if LDN is right for you. If he decides to move forward with treatment, Dr. Jacobson will prescribe the appropriate dose of LDN to help address your feelings of anxiety.
When someone has a mental illness such as anxiety, their brain responds to stressors by releasing high levels of the hormone cortisol into their body. This hormone could contribute to panic, tension, fatigue, fear, or difficulty concentrating. With the correct dosage, LDN could help normalize the level of cortisol in your body. The LDN activates your brain to release endorphins, which triggers pleasurable moods and reduces cortisol effects in the body.
If you or a loved one suffers from an anxiety disorder, it can be devastating, especially if the symptoms start to worsen. Severe symptoms of anxiety could result in depression and other mental health issues, but the treatment of anxiety with LDN could help reduce these symptoms. Dr. Jacobson has decades of experience assisting patients across the United States with mental health issues.
If you are diagnosed with a mild to severe anxiety disorder, professional treatment with LDN could help you take control. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how low-dose naltrexone could help your anxiety.