Fluvoxamine is a very cheap drug that reduces hospital stay for corona patients

David Bulwer, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota, said he "absolutely" believes we could see fluvoxamine play a serious role against COVID-19 almost immediately.

A recent study found that fluvoxamine, a well-known and very cheap oral drug, reduced hospital stays for people with severe coronavirus infection.

The study was published on Wednesday in the journal " The Lancet Global Health " (The Lancet Global Health), and carried sites like " The Daily Beast " (The Daily Beast) and " Wall Street Journal " (The Wall Street Journal).

Fluvoxamine is a medication commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The researchers found that fluvoxamine reduced hospital stays for people with severe coronavirus infections.

The results of the study could be a major breakthrough to save patients' lives and shorten recovery time from Covid-19, not least because fluvoxamine is very cheap and can be taken orally.

Is it an effective treatment option?

Nicolas Hortel, a psychiatrist at the University of Paris who was not involved in the study, told The Daily Beast: “Scientifically and medically, I believe that this treatment should now be considered a serious treatment option to reduce the risks of hospitalization and death among Covid-19 patients, especially in low-income countries. Resources that have no other means to tackle the epidemic. This treatment is safe, well-tolerated, inexpensive, easy to use, and there is a high level of evidence for its strong efficacy."

Fluvoxamine was first introduced to the world in 1983, and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1994.

According to Drugs , fluvoxamine belongs to a group of drugs known as "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs). These drugs are believed to work by increasing the activity of a chemical called serotonin in the brain.

According to the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, serotonin is a neurotransmitter; a chemical messenger that transmits signals between nerve cells in the brain, which is believed to have a good effect on mood, emotion and sleep.

After the nerve message is transmitted, serotonin is usually absorbed by the nerve cells. SSRIs work by blocking (inhibiting) reuptake, which means more serotonin is available to pass more messages between nearby nerve cells.

High levels of serotonin can improve symptoms of depression and make people more responsive to other types of treatment, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.

9 of the most prominent symptoms of corona infection (with title)

How does fluvoxamine work with corona patients?

The effects are likely anti-inflammatory, said Edward Mills, a co-author of the new study at McMaster University in Canada.

This is important, because in many severe cases of COVID-19 it is not the virus that kills, but rather the body's immune response that goes into overdrive and unleashes healthy cells and tissues.

The study involved giving fluvoxamine to 741 Brazilian adults with coronavirus who had not been vaccinated and were considered to be at high risk of severe infection. Another 756 participants infected with the Corona virus were given a placebo.

Participants treated with fluvoxamine were 32% less likely to require more than 6 days of hospitalization than their counterparts using the placebo, and had an overall 5% reduced risk of prolonged hospital stay.

Among patients who took at least 80% of the fluvoxamine dose, there was only one death in the fluvoxamine group, compared to 12 deaths in the placebo group.

David Bulwer, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota who was not involved in the new study, told The Daily Beast that he "absolutely" believed we could see the drug play a serious role against Covid-19 almost immediately.

More details about fluvoxamine

Fluvoxamine is the generic name of the drug, and it is sold under trade names such as "Luvox", and this drug should not be taken except on the basis of a doctor's prescription.

Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide, especially in young adults and teens. You should consult your doctor and not take fluvoxamine unless instructed by your doctor.

What special precautions should be taken?

Before taking fluvoxamine , tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to fluvoxamine, or any other drugs, or any component of fluvoxamine disks components, you should ask your doctor or pharmacist about the list of ingredients, according to the website " Medline Plus " (medlineplus).

Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines, including prescription and non-prescription medicines that you do not need, as well as vitamins that you are taking or plan to take.

Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.

Tell your doctor about the herbal products and supplements you take, especially products containing St. John's wort and tryptophan.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, especially if you are in the last few months of pregnancy, or if you plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking fluvoxamine, call your doctor. Fluvoxamine may cause problems in newborns if it is taken during the last months of pregnancy.

if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking fluvoxamine.

you should know that this medicine may make you drowsy or affect your judgment, thinking, or motor skills. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you.

you should know that fluvoxamine may cause "angle-closure glaucoma" (a condition in which fluid is suddenly blocked and unable to flow out of the eye, causing a rapid and severe increase in intraocular pressure, which may lead to vision loss).

Talk to your doctor about having an eye exam before you start taking this medication. If you have nausea, eye pain, and vision changes, such as seeing colored rings around lights and swelling or redness in or around your eye, call your doctor or get emergency medical treatment right away.

What side effects can fluvoxamine cause?

Fluvoxamine may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

-Drowsiness

-Difficulty concentrating, memory problems, or confusion

-Dry mouth

-Headache

-Nausea

-vomiting

-Diarrhea

-Stomach pain

-Constipation

-Indigestion

-Gases

-Change in taste

-Poor appetite

-Weight loss

-Nervous

-Weakness

-Changes in sex drive or sexual ability.

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment:

-Pain in chest

-Coordination problems

-Dizziness

-Hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that are not there)

-Fever, sweating, confusion, fast or irregular heartbeat, and severe muscle stiffness

-Pain, burning, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, or one of them

-Vibration of a part of the body that you cannot control

-Rapid heartbeat

-Goosebumps

-Slowed or difficult breathing

-Seizures

-Unconsciousness

-Unusual bleeding or bruising

-Nose epistaxis

-Vomiting blood or a substance that looks like coffee grounds

-Red blood in the stool or black stools.