In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that people taking a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), particularly fluoxetine, were much less likely to die of COVID-19 than a matched control group.
The results add to a body of evidence indicating that SSRIs may have beneficial effects against the worst symptoms of COVID-19.
The study is from UC San Francisco and was conducted by Marina Sirota, et al.
In the study, the team analyzed information from almost 500,000 patients across the U.S.
This included 83,584 adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and September, 2020. Of those, 3,401 patients were prescribed SSRIs.
The large size of the dataset enabled researchers to compare the outcomes of patients with COVID-19 on SSRIs to a matched set of patients with COVID-19 who were not taking them.
The results showed that patients taking fluoxetine were 28% less likely to die; those taking either fluoxetine or another SSRI called fluvoxamine were 26% less likely to die.
The entire group of patients taking any kind of SSRI was 8% less likely to die than the matched patient controls.
Though the effects are smaller than those found in recent clinical trials of new antivirals developed by Pfizer and Merck, the researchers say that more treatment options are still needed to help bring the pandemic to an end.
It’s important to find as many options as possible for treating any condition. A particular drug or treatment may not work or be well tolerated by everyone.
Data from electronic medical records allow us to quickly look into existing drugs that could be repurposed for treating COVID-19 or other conditions.
If you care about Covid, please read studies about new antiviral drug 10 times more effective against COVID-19, and findings of what heart and stroke patients should know about COVID-19 vaccines.
For more information about Covid, please see recent studies about anti-inflammatory drug that could reduce COVID-19 death risk, and results showing who recover quickly and sustain antibodies.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
