Common anti-depressant treats COVID19

HBS Guy

HBS Guy

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Common antidepressant slashes risk of COVID death
Fluvoxamine is both inexpensive and highly effective at preventing mild COVID-19 from turning severe.

A cheap, widely available drug used to treat mental illness cuts both the risk of death from COVID-19 and the need for people with the disease to receive intensive medical care, according to clinical-trial results1.

The drug, called fluvoxamine, is taken for conditions including depression and obsessive–compulsive disorder. But it is also known to dampen immune responses and temper tissue damage, and researchers credit these properties for its success in the recent trial. Among study participants who took the drug as directed and did so in the early stages of the disease, COVID-19-related deaths fell by roughly 90% and the need for intensive COVID-19-related medical care fell by roughly 65%.
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https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02988-4

No horse de-wormer in sight!
 
mothra

mothra

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johnsmith said:
if it dampens immune responses, shouldn't that mean it doesn't work against covid?:headscratcher3
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Inflammation is an immune response. From what i understand, Fluvoxamine (or Luvox as it's known here) acts to allay inflammation.
 
greggerypeccary

greggerypeccary

Active member
My Dad is on that drug.

For depression, not COVID.

I was worried when I first found out about it (not a fan of anti-depressants), but considering he's 89 and probably in his last days, I've allowed the nursing home to keep giving it to him.

It seems to be helping, and I've seen no side effects.
 
mothra

mothra

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johnsmith said:
does that mean covid causes inflamation?
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Yes. In vulnerable people, Covid causes what is known as a "cytokine storm". Cytokines are little proteins that live on certain white blood cells and provoke inflammation as part of the normal immune response. In a cytokine storm, they get carried away and create problems for the lungs and other major organs.
 
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mothra

mothra

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Staff member
greggerypeccary said:
My Dad is on that drug.

For depression, not COVID.

I was worried when I first found out about it (not a fan of anti-depressants), but considering he's 89 and probably in his last days, I've allowed the nursing home to keep giving it to him.

It seems to be helping, and I've seen no side effects.
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Yeah, depression is a really big problem with he elderly. And is it any wonder! Who was it that said "old age sure ain't no place for sissies"? Bette Davis?

I'm so pleased your father is getting some benefit from antidepressants. They can range from dangerous through ineffective all the way to miracle drug, depending on the patient and drug combo. And on some people they just don't work at all. Sounds like your dad is on the right medication for him.

And by the sounds of it, he's back in the nursing home? That's great news. Tough old bugger.
 
greggerypeccary

greggerypeccary

Active member
mothra said:
Yeah, depression is a really big problem with he elderly. And is it any wonder! Who was it that said "old age sure ain't no place for sissies"? Bette Davis?

I'm so pleased your father is getting some benefit from antidepressants. They can range from dangerous through ineffective all the way to miracle drug, depending on the patient and drug combo. And on some people they just don't work at all. Sounds like your dad is on the right medication for him.

And by the sounds of it, he's back in the nursing home? That's great news. Tough old bugger.
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Yeah, back in the nursing home.

Quite a surprise, considering the last stroke.

He certainly is a tough old bugger.
 
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