Dear Dr. Gott: I would like to inform you and your readers about low-dose naltrexone (LDN).

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1982. I have the relapsing/remitting type. In 1997, I started taking Betaseron. I only had Medicare, so I was able to get the medication directly from the manufacturer at a discounted rate.

When Medicare part D took over, I could no longer get it at the discounted rate. I was frantic to find a solution. Then, during one of my regular MS support-group meetings, a woman came to talk about LDN.

She told us naltrexone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for drug addicts and alcoholics, but that 25 years ago, Dr. Bernard Bihari discovered that in low doses, it helped MS sufferers. He was a neuropsychiatrist from New York. I also have heard that it is now being used successfully to treat other autoimmune disorders, like Crohn's disease.

I started the medication in May 2006. I don't know how it works, but I can say that I have experienced improvement since starting it. The cost is minimal, and it's a pill, not an injection or infusion like most of the other MS treatments. There are no side effects except it cannot be taken with any opiates. Most neurologists are hesitant to prescribe it because there have not been any clinical studies done on its effectiveness. Also, it needs to be made up by a compounding pharmacist, not a regular pharmacist.

I recently changed to a new neurologist who is quite renowned and is very supportive of the LDN therapy.

Dear Reader: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerves). Myelin covers nerve cells in the body. In those with MS, myelin is attacked as a foreign substance, which then leaves the nerves vulnerable to damage.

Thankfully, there are many treatments available today.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (www.nationalmssociety.org), there were several clinical trials on a variety of medications. Two involved completed human trials of low-dose naltrexone.

One small study looked at the effect of LDN on quality of life. Improvement was seen in self-reported cognitive function, mental health and pain. No impact was seen on physical aspects, such as visual function, fatigue, sexual satisfaction or bowel and bladder control. The only adverse effect seen during the trial was vivid dreaming during the first week of treatment.

Further research is needed using larger groups of sufferers. However, it does appear that LDN treatment is potentially beneficial with few side effects.

Write to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th fl., New York, N.Y. 10016.