I had to figure out a Low Dose Naltrexone dose for a dog not too long ago.

A quick look at the doses people said their Vets were prescribing was a bit confusing, as the doses being prescribed were equal to – or bigger than – what is recommended for people. But… people were reporting succcesses with those doses.

After checking out the data that I could find in the literature for the blood levels and metabolism of naltrexone in dogs and people, I think I understand why those doses work.

Dogs’ livers break down naltrexone MUCH faster than peoples’ livers. So, it takes a bigger dose than you would think necessary to get blood levels that are equivalent to what you have when people take the doses that are recommended for them.

In fact, dogs’ livers chew up naltrexone so fast that it probably becomes impossible to maintain adequate blood level profiles in dogs much bigger than a cocker spaniel with a single dose.

The theoretically based graph pasted below illustrates this effect.

The Series 1 line is the blood concentration for a ‘normal’ sized person plotted against hours on the x-axis…

The lines for Series 2, 3, and 4 are blood concentration levels for increasing doses of naltrexone in a cocker spaniel sized dog.

Notice that the blood concentration level curves fall below the human profile curve for all doses somewhere between 3 and 4 hours after administration.

Basically, what this graph shows is that dogs’ livers deactivate naltrexone so quickly that you just can’t get a reasonable Low Dose Naltrexone dose that will give a human-like plasma level curve in dogs larger than a cocker spaniel.

So, what can we do?

If I had a large dog I would dose them with a normal ‘human’ dose two times every evening, with the second dose being given around two and a half hours after the first. If possible, dose titration to effect would be desirable. (in other words, you might have to increase your doses in some predictable manner if the original doses don’t work)

But, you often don’t have time to do this kind of work. In those cases you’ll just have to dose as described and hope the dose is ok.

Too big a dose and it won’t work. Too small and it won’t work either. Keep this concept in mind. If you increase your doses and don’t see an effect think about your doses for a second. They might be too big.

Print this posting out and take it to your Vet. He will understand what I am talking about.

Hope this helps.

Again, remember… I am not a physician. Just a pharmacist telling you what the literature shows. Always seek professional advice from your physician, care giver, or veteranarian… as applicable…

I get a lot of posts from who knows who trying to restate what I’ve said about Dr Burzynski and his antineoplaston treatments.

I have no idea what their agenda is, or for whom they’re posting. But, I leave the posts on the site because this site is dedicated to providing balanced information to people.

From time-to-time I also provide links to people’s work that I feel is relevant.

The Doctor whose blog I provide a link to below is one whose work I frequently read and respect. Even if I don’t agree with his dedication to the ‘goodness’ of our current system.

But I think the post at this web address clearly defines the counterpoint to Dr Burzynski’s claims.

So, I post it here as a counterpoint for those who are considering Dr Burzynski.

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/01/14/the-story-of-sean-olaighin-patient-of-dr-stanislaw-burzynski/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ScienceblogsChannelMedicineHealth+%28ScienceBlogs+Channel+%3A+Medicine+%26+Health%29

My respect for this physician’s works and point of view does not in any way change my position and observations about Burzynski’s treatments.

And I remind you that this site is not dedicated to hyping Dr Burzynski’s treatments, instead having posted upon it many other therapies that I believe have merit.

I receive a lot of e-mail and comments.

I do not delete any of them if they are serious posts… Regardless of whether the author agrees with me or not.

Some are relevent enough to be posted as part of a blog posting of their own.

Some are particularly offensive to me.

This comment from ‘John’ is really offensive. But I think his questions should be answered in public… Just to set the record straight.

‘Steve, is Burzynski paying you? A very detailed anecdote along the Burzynski party line with overt appeals to emotion? Sounds totally legitimate to me (sarcasm). How convenient for the Burzynski clinic that this “woman” shares their opinions AND knows how to express those opinions with all of the polished diction of a Burzynski shill. Oh my, did I just say that? She’s certainly not a shill, no, no, certainly not. Couldn’t be. She’s an anonymous woman who sent you a long, detailed email about her experience with the Burzynski clinic AND who’

1. No, I am not paid by Dr Burzynski. I have no relationship to him or his organization. In fact, my wife died in October without the benefit of his treatments because I could not afford them, and no accommodation could be worked out despite the fact that I had excellent insurance and my wife had been told before we traveled to his clinic that we could work something out.

2. I clearly noted at the top of the posting that you are so upset about that I did not vouch for this person’s authenticity. But her posting did relate the cost and other details that I often get questions about, and I clearly stated this was the case. To refresh your memory, this is what I said:

‘This parent’s post answers many of the questions I see coming in… I do not know her, and do not guarantee what she says is true… but the facts about costs etc.. are true as far as I know. Hope you find this useful…’

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

3. I believe Dr Burzynski’s treatments work for some patients. In fact, I personally observed one who had experienced a remission of stage 4 prostate cancer that simply does not occur naturally.

4. I also believe that there are several treatment options detailed in other postings on this site that are at least as effective for some patients, and I urge patients to seriously consider them.

5. I maintain this website with no financial assistance from anywhere. Readers are welcome to believe in what is detailed or not. I strongly believe they will live longer and better if they integrate some of the treatment options I discuss into their therapy regimens.

6. So, now we get to you… Why the f_ck do you care whether people go to Dr Burzynski or not? Who’s paying you? I think that’s a question readers must ask themselves…

This parent’s post answers many of the questions I see coming in… I do not know her, and do not guarantee what she says is true… but the facts about costs etc.. are true as far as I know. Hope you find this useful…

I have a baby being treated with Antineoplastoms right now. I choose to remain anonymous because I do not want people to bother us or use her as an example. I actually hate seeing threads like this, so i am posting the truth for anyone who cares to read this. The treatments are working for her. Her brain tumor is shrinking and it is stunning. Our options were to do surgery and chemo. Chemo has not proven to work either, surgery would severely limit her. Most chemo doesn’t even penetrate the brain.Then what if the tumor grows back after surgery because they usually do? I have a sick, physically and mentally impaired child with a brain tumor. I had to try this no matter the cost. We only prepared to pay for 2-3 months at first. If the treatment doesn’t work after 2 months then you need to try something else and they will not even let you continue if it’s not working. We are now on 4 months. You can expect 25,000 – 30,000 the first month. This includes MRI and port surgery which you can get done at home and not have to pay. It also includes seeing a doctor everyday, getting nurse training for about 3 hours a day, and all the supplies. You have to pay for IV bags, tubing, saline flushes, dressing change kits etc… These things are not free and seeing a doctor everyday costs money too. People do not realize how much you are trained and you case is reviewed. It would cost more than that anywhere else. Her brain biopsy and week in the hospital was 3x that. Now home, we get charged 7600 a month. They billed our insurance but they do not have electronic billing, so the insurance takes forever to build claims. Our actual bill is more than 7600 but that is what we pay. $395 a day for maintenance – doctors review our case and call us daily, plus all the supplies. Antineoplastoms are not charged and they ship them every two weeks. If insurance does not end up paying, we are not responsible for the additional charges. You have to get MRIs every 6-8 weeks and have a local doctor that agrees to help you. He/she has to give you an evaluation visit and reports to the clinic once a month, you never need to return to the clinic. We have several doctors and nurses helping us. Lots of people are involved in our baby’s care. We have regular blood tests and do our visits to make sure she is healthy and can stay on treatment . When the tumor is gone, complete response, they keep you on a lighter dose that includes the oral PB for 8 months because they say 8 months seems to be the appropriate amount of time for the tumor to not come back. IV Antineoplastons are for brain tumors. Oral PB and sometimes tiny doses of chemo are used for other cancers. Both of these treatments work to make cells and genes do what they are supposed to do without killing good healthy ones. If your gene is covered in the Antineoplastons, you are very fortunate. Sometimes brain stem tumors are too tricky to treat because the ANP makes the tumor swell a little before it starts to shed cells, that’s another reason why not everyone can use it. The brain stem can’t always take anymore swelling. I made a friend while I was at the clinic. We kept in touch after we left. She was put on PB for lymphoma and her cancer was gone in 4 weeks. She had a little bit of diarrhea as her only side effect, but maybe that was all the Mexican food, who knows but it sure beats chemo. IV Antineoplaston side effects are extreme thirst and tiredness. My baby drinks about a liter of water a day. The tiredness adjusted after a day or two and she just takes an extra hour nap. It is not an easy treatment, it is constant and rigorous. We are tired and always wondering what she is feeling. We are so glad she is not suffering the ill effects of chemo and surgery. I wish this treatment could be tried by all these kids with brain tumors. They deserve the chance to at least try what won’t hurt them first before treatments that do hurt them. I’m actually pretty mad it’s not available to everyone. I know it can’t always work because maybe someone needs surgery right away or the genes are not covered by the ANP, but everyone deserves a chance to try it. Some day I will have a louder voice on this, but right now I just want my baby to be cured and that is what I’m focusing on. If you want to write negative posts about how Dr. Burzynski can’t prove anything, show me proof that chemo and radiation work because all I see is proof that they cure nothing and mess people up. It is all a big experiment aka clinical trial. Do not judge someone for thinking outside the box. Until you, or God forbid your child, is suffering from cancer do not make judgements on people looking for alternative treatments. I don’t care how much it costs out of pocket- it’s actually cheaper than modern medicine. It is worth the risk if you have a month or two to try it.

Sorry for all the typos, I’m using a phone to post. Bottom line, my baby is so healthy and happy you would never know she had a tumor if you did not see her hooked up to her pump. She could be partially paralyzed from surgery and deathly sick from chemo if we would not have known about the Burzynski Clinic. I know we are not out of this fight yet, but we are so happy we were able to try Antineoplastons.

One more thing to add… The Burzynski clinic is curing my daughter so you know I am a believer. But, if I’m diagnosed with cancer tomorrow, he will not treat me because of the FDA. I would have to use traditional medicine first, have it fail, then the FDA would allow me to have Dr. Burzynski treat me. This is so wrong!!

Note: This post seems to be getting a lot of attention from those who want to debunk Dr Burzynski. that is fine, but it is my belief that you should read all of the posts about him before forming an opinion. so, I’m listing them below. Please read this one, as the information is needed to provide a balanced picture of the situation. But, also read the other posts to round out your perspective. 

A Burzynski Patient Tells About Her Experience…..

One Last Burzynski Post

I Visited Burzynski’s Clinic Last Week – And I Do NOT Believe He Is A Quack!

Regards,

Steve

Sigh… Dr Burzynski has become an ongoing topic despite my attempt to stop commenting on his work.

But, I feel an obligation to share with my readers information that might impact their cancer treatments.

So, I thought this Physician’s comments should be shared to provide balance.

I will tell you that I respect her input… she is talking the language Pharmacists are trained to listen to and evaluate.

I will also tell you that it would be easy to pick holes similar to the ones she points in a lot of Dr Burzynski’s data.

BUT, I also remember the one patient I observed and overheard when I was in Burzynski’s clinic – and I  believe that was the real deal.

So, I’m sharing this physician’s comments out of respect, but I still think I’d take a hard look at Burzynski’s treatments if money was plentiful and my prognosis was poor.

Dear Steve

I am a physician from the West Indies who has recently been researching Burzynski. I truly hope that your wife’s disease remains stable for a long, long time. Cherish and enjoy all your good days as indeed  we should all be doing.

Steve, you should not feel any guilt about the fact that you cannot afford Burzynski’s treatment.

The Burzynski’s clinic’s pitch uses the same time honored formulae of all snake oil dealers. More importantly Burzynski’s publications are all in weak journals, in addition the science is week. To follow is my critique of one of his articles on brain stem tumors entitled “Targeted therapy with Antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 of High Grade, Recurrent and Progressive Brainstem Glioma”.

1. The paper is published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, the web site of which describes it as  a “peer-reviewed quarterly journal focused on the scientific understanding of alternative medicine and traditional medicine therapies, and their responsible integration with conventional health care.”. The editorial board of this journal includes Ralph Moss, PhD who has written about Burzynski in his book The Cancer Industry.

2. In the paper both adults and children are included in the same cohort. However it is well documented that the biology of brain stem tumors is very different between adults and children. As emphasized in a paper published last month in the respected journal Neuro-Oncology entitled “treatment of High Grade glioma in children and adolescents”, by Macdonald et al, 13 (10): 1049-1058, it is stated that “Efforts to develop effective therapies for HGGs in children may not be able to rely on progress made with adult high grade gliomas (HGGS). While the histology of HGGs between adults and children appear identical , the biology of the tumors may vary significantly.”

3. Burzynski also includes different types of brain stem tumors in his paper, although the majority are DIPG, exophytic, cervico-medullary and multifocal tumors are also included. The paper “A Clinico-Pathological Reappraisal of Brain Stem Tumor Classification” by Fisher et al from Johns Hopkins (Cancer, Oct, 2000, Vol 89 (7) ) elegantly explains the difference in prognosis between the various brain stem tumors.

4. If one teases out the children under 10 from Burzynski’s paper the overall survival from diagnosis is 11 months. No different from that obtained with radiation therapy.This is in opposition to the overall 5 year survival of 22% that is stated in the paper.

5. The point is that parents of unfortunate children with diffuse pontine glioma could look at this paper and come away with the conclusion that their child could have a 22% chance of survival with antineoplaston treatment.

6. This is intellectual fraud.

In conclusion, I remain unconvinced about the validity of Burzynski’s work.

Maria Bartholomew, MBBS, FRCP

A comment from ‘Wanda’ on September 6th, 2011 –

I was also a patient at Burzynski Clinic in July this year. I have stage 1v colon or ovarian cancer. Their path lab said the results were inconclusive. Strange two people who were there at the same time I was had inconclusive results also. They were the only other patients I talked to about the results. I spent three weeks in Texas at my own expense of course. Spent 35,000 at Burzynski Clinic and 4,500 more a month for sodium phenylbutyrate. This is the drug they give you to fight your cancer. As far as I can tell this is the drug given to all the patients. As soon as you pay up of course. This is the only drug I recieved from Burzynski as his targeted therapy. As far as gene testing that’s still a mystery to me.I was put on sodium phenylbutrate [working up to 3,000 mg 4 times a day 2 hrs apart with food] and chemo before any testing was done. I could of had chemo here at home and save the trip, time and money. Two other oncologist had already given me that option. One of the chemo drugs I am taking is Zeloda $3,500 at Burzynski for a 2 week supply $1,400 from other pharmacy’s. Spent $400 to talk to their nutritionist got the same info I could have gotten for free on the internet. In short it is to keep the acid level down and the alkaline level up. Their aminocare is something they suggest to all patients also. A list of it’s ingredient are on the aminocare site, or you can buy it on the internet. As far as their success rates who knows when you are on both their methods and chemo which one shrunk the tumor?         Wishing both you and your wife well. GOD BLESS

My reply –

hello, wanda.

what you’re saying matches what i saw and experienced when we went down there. i am not saying nobody gets the antineoplastons. i think it is hard to reach the point where they put you in the trials. i do believe they work. i do believe he’s a genius.

but, when it comes to the money thing and their business practices… well, they’re a little sketchy. hell, they’re really sketchy. they collect your money fast, but stall like crazy when it comes to getting insurance overages back to you. at least, that’s been my experience so far.

guess they figure you’ll die before they have to pay you back…

very unfortunate considering the stature of Dr Burzynski.

steve

An update from ‘Wanda’ on October 19th, 2011 –

Thought I would update you on my progress. My first petscan July 12th showed activity at post op site, one to the left of it and two on the liver. Had my second petscan on Oct 12th. This is the summary of that scan. [Minimal residual activity at the dome of the liver, site of previous demonstrated abscess. This may simply represent a sequelae of the previously demonstrated abscess and not a liver metastasis. No other area of of abnormal activity is seen.]
I am hoping that spot is just scar tissue from the drainage tube used to drain the abscess in my liver. And that all the cancer is gone.
These are the treatments I have done since my diagnosis of cancer.
Surgery for blockage.
Sodium phenylbutyrate from Burzynski clinic. I took this less than 3 months as it caused my blood pressure to go dangerously high, and the price is prohibitively high for me. $4,500 a month for pills. I have good insurance but they won’t pay for this, or anyhing else from Burzynski.
I had two IV chemo treatments and three rounds of chemo pills. Will not do any more chemo treatments. They made me extremely ill, and caused other problems with my health. I was told before these treatments they would not cure me but possibly prolong my life. The only reason I consented to chemo was to possibly give me more time to find a treatment that would work. I would not do it again. I believe I would never have lived through the 13 sessions they suggested.
I did a lot of searching the net for natural cures. Almost all the sites stress a whole food or raw food diet. This go’s back to the acid alkaline diet they stressed at Burzynski. They danced all around the PH balance there without ever mentioning PH. In my search on PH balance I came across the phkillscancer site. A story on how Vernon Johnson killed his stage 1v cancer in days by raising his PH level using baking soda and molasses. I decided to give it a try. BE sure if you do this to monitor your PH level several times a day. I used only half the baking soda he did and got my PH up to 8.50 in a matter of days. I kept it there for 7 days. They say that if you can get your PH up to 8.00 and keep it there 5 days it will kill the cancer. I think the reason I only needed half as much baking soda is because I was already sticking closely to the alkaline diet, and the fact I only weighed 90 lb’s. A lot less than Mr.Johnson I am sure.
Of the three treatment I tried I think the Baking Soda, Molasses cure did it. I could feel my body getting stronger, had a lot more energy and had no desire to nap during the day. A nap everyday was a constant for me before this treatment.
For the info on this go to phkillscancer.com.
Another important thing is to think positive. I have to believe that the cancer is gone not just so small it wouldn’t show up on a scan.
Best wishes and good health to you, Wanda

My thoughts relative to ‘Wanda’s’ posts –

I think that if you can get into an antineoplaston trial and can afford the treatments Dr Burzynski is definately an option you should take a hard look at. If you can’t, then I think you can probably do as well getting treatments at a major cancer center.

As far as the high pH treatment, it might work. I don’t know enough about it. But, I  think – based on my readings of the work of Dr Emanuel Revici – that many patients won’t be able to tolerate the high pH. In fact, it might make their tumors worse.

You can read about Dr Revici by getting a copy of ‘The Doctor Who Cures Cancer’. I think you’ll find it an interesting read. You can buy it at Amazon.com. I have no affiliation with the author, and no financial incentive to recommend this book.

You can find a copy of Dr Revici’s text on this website.

Again… as always, I’m not a physician. Only a lowly pharmacist, and a crazy one at that. Talk to your physician before starting any new medication or supplement or stopping a medication regimen.

Steve

My wife and I drove a total of 36+ hours to and from Houston over a 3 day period the week after July 4th to have her case reviewed by the doctors at Dr. Burzynski’s clinic.

Additionally, I had to endure – as I’m sure you might have to if you decide to go there – the strident criticisms of family members who are convinced that Dr. Burzynski’s treatments are a scam. Their reasons for believing this to be the case? Their extensive and highly technical review of google search results for the topic ‘Burzynski Scam’, or something like that. I’m sure their intentions are good, but the only way I know of to find out whether something is credible or not is to go see it yourself.

Anyway, we did visit the clinic. We did pay the money you have to pay to see the docs. We did see the docs. We did NOT get to start treatments – but not because I am not convinced that Dr. Burzynski’s Antineoplaston therapies don’t work. I simply couldn’t afford it at the time. Although they’ll submit your expenses to the insurance company, they’re pretty much a pay as you go enterprise – and you will need a lot of cash to get through their protocol.

So, I’m sure you’re asking yourself… what did you see and what do you think about what you saw.

First… I want to go on record saying that I firmly believe that Dr. Burzynski’s treatments work for a significant number of the patients who get treated. I say this based on a gestalt of impressions formed while going through the process of seeing the docs, listening to people talk to each other in the waiting room and in the lobby, the discussion we had with Dr. Burzynski, and the results of my review of numerous journal articles and patents authored by Dr. Burzynski and members of his team.

And the story I overheard from a patient who has been being treated for around a year for extensively metastasized prostate cancer – and who has only one ‘small’ lesion left – is a hard thing to ignore. He was so excited, and definately a patient. He got weighed just before my wife did.

We met with Dr. Burzynski’s son (an extremely personable physician) and an oncologist (Dr Yi) whom I was quite impressed with. He knew my wife’s case in great detail. After we talked, they left and discussed the case with Dr Burzynski. Then they came back into the room to talk about options and opinions. During this discussion they asked to have previous biopsy samples sent to a university for genomic mapping. They also wanted to get a PET scan done and planned to start her on their oral medication to see if it worked for her. (Note: you can’t receive the IV formulations unless the FDA approves your entry into one of Dr. Burzynski’s Clinical Trials.)

OK, yes… money is a central theme going in and coming out of the session with the docs. The office is kind of a money collection machine. But, I’m pragmatic about that. They don’t let you see a doc or get tests at your neighborhood hospital either unless you can produce what are essentially guaranteed funds.

I left frustrated, discouraged and angry that the treatments are not mainstream and easily covered by insurance – but resolved to work on the problem of getting my wife antineoplaston therapy.

The facility was nice. The people were nice and appeared to be competent. The equipment that the blog that my son showed me had complained about was equivalent to the equipment that they use at the hospital I work at. Not fancy, but definately adequate and definately not obsolete.

And then there was Dr. Burzynski…. He has obviously seen a lot of cancer patients come through his doors. It seems to me that he has seen many pass away, and has seen many live. His ice blue eyes never looked away or hid from query. He had the demeanor of a man who believes in what he is doing and has logged significant successes. I believe he is the real deal.

Hope this helps. I’m going to keep trying to figure out a way to pay for his treatments.

Again, as always, you know I’m nuts. Do your research… What I have conveyed above is my story and my impressions. But, after I got home I sent his corporate office an e-mail offering to work for them in Houston (and I HATE humidity) if they needed a pharmacist and covered treatments for employee’s family members.