Prognosis
Covid Patients Taking Antidepressant May Have Lower Death Risk
- Study suggests association of fluoxetine with reduced risk
- Researchers have been studying another antidepressant as well
Photographer: Paul S. Howell/Liaison Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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A common antidepressant appears to reduce the risk of death in patients admitted to the hospital with severe Covid-19, according to a study published in the JAMA Network Open journal.
About 9.8% of the 470 Covid-19 patients in the study who were taking fluoxetine, also sold under the brand name Prozac, died. That’s compared to over 13% of patients with similar characteristics not receiving any antidepressants.