Hungarian discovery: This can triple the chance of survival for COVID-19 patients

Hungarian doctors have reached a new significant milestone in the fight against the coronavirus. Based on their results, the antidepressant fluoxetine can triple the chance of survival for COVID-19 patients.

It is a well-known fact that stress has a negative effect on our health. Furthermore, it can even worsen the situation in the case of a serious illness. Based on this factor, the Hungarian medical team came up with a creative solution. Their primary purpose was to decrease the Covid-fueled fear of death and anxiety in patients by using medication as effectively as possible. However, they discovered the most potent molecule against Covid during their experiments. 

During the case-control study, it has been noticed that the mortality rate decreased by a third among those Covid infected patients who were prescribed an antidepressant called fluoxetine.

The initial aim of the use of the antidepressant fluoxetine was to improve the overall psychological and physical well-being of people infected with Covid. András Holló, neurologist, rehabilitation psychiatrist and project leader of the study team revealed that serotonin-based antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, have been poven to be effective against hepatitis C and some other viruses in laboratory settings for many years. Accordingly, their curative effect was already known before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. This led the study team to conclude that serotoninergic antidepressants may also be able to suppress the so-called cytokine storm, known as the fatal consequence of Covid infection.