Do not turn to “metformin” to draw unwelcome conclusions about the effects of this study at this time. But a clinical trial described in a June 8 publication in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that those who took metformin when they had health problems with Covid-19 were 41% less likely to have eventually progressed to a long Covid than those who only took a placebo. In the trial, 6. 3% of those who had gained metformin ended up being diagnosed with a long Covid, compared to 10. 4% of those who had only gained placebo. This is encouraging news, because basically, doctors lately do not have at their disposal remedies shown for the long Covid. However, there are many buts, we can’t lie, about the effects of this clinical trial. So before “mettreformin” any plans to take this drug the next time you test positive for Covid-19, first take a closer look at what this study found.
Here’s a tweet from The Lancet Infectious Diseases about the publication and the trial, which went through the so-called COVID-OUT:
The goal of the COVID-OUT trial was to see if taking metformin, fluvoxamine, or ivermectin during the acute phase of an infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can decrease the threat of a long COVID-19 emerging later. All 3 medications have been around for some time to treat other, unrelated conditions. Metformin is a common medication used to treat diabetes. Fluvoxamine is a commonly used antidepressant that has shown great promise as a remedy for covid-19, as I reported for Forbes on March 8, 2021, but has not yet been established as an effective remedy for covid-19. COVID-19. And from the horse, you’ve probably heard of ivermectin. Ivermectin is a drug that has been used for years to treat parasitic infections in humans, horses, cows, and other animals. In fact, there is not enough clinical evidence that it can be an effective remedy for Covid-19. That hasn’t stopped various anonymous personalities and social media accounts from proceeding to make all sorts of claims about ivermectin until the cows come home.
Incidentally, Long Covid, otherwise known as the post-COVID-19 condition, has been a major expanding challenge since 2020. This is where you continue to have symptoms or expand new symptoms weeks, months, and even years later. Supposedly recovering from SARS-CoV-2. Es a major challenge because he chronically suffers from breathing difficulties, chest pain, fever, headaches, chronic fatigue, “brain fog,” anxiety, stress, “tingling” sensations, sleep disturbances, joint pain, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or others. The symptoms really suck. This is a major unresolved challenge because when it comes to treating Covid for a long time, doctors have thrown their hands in the air, but not in the way of a Timbaland song.
Carolyn Bramante, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School and first of The Lancet Infectious Diseases called metformin “an inexpensive, safe and widely available drug,” in the following tweet from the University of Minnesota Medical School:
In fact, since metformin has been around for many years and generic versions are available, metformin is much less expensive than a new drug. If you notice common side effects of metformin, locate things like abdominal or gastric discomfort, cough, chills, decreased appetite, and diarrhea. Although no one says “Yay, diarrhea,” those side effects don’t necessarily occur and the drug sometimes turns out to be well tolerated.
The COVID-OUT trial was a phase 3 parallel group, decentralized, randomized, quadruple-blind trial. It would possibly look like a bite. But it all makes more sense when you take a look at each word individually. Decentralized meant that the trial was held at six other locations in the United States with no one location dominating the others. Randomize meant that test participants were randomly assigned to obtain one of six drug combinations at trial enrollment: metformin plus ivermectin, metformin plus fluvoxamine, metformin plus placebo, ivermectin plus placebo, fluvoxamine plus placebo, or placebo. plus placebo. The quadruple blindfold did not mean that everyone wore 4 blindfolds during the trial, which would have made it a bit tricky to run the trial. Rather, it meant that none of the four main teams of other people involved in the study (the study participants, the researchers, those providing medical care to the participants, and those comparing the participants’ outcomes) knew which participants were assigned. to which treatment group. This helped prevent anyone, knowingly or unknowingly, from appearing to be for or against a specific remedy, which has been a challenge for some of the ivermectin studies.
To sign up for the test, all players had to have Covid-19 symptoms for less than seven days and have had an obviously positive SARS-CoV-2 result in the last 3 days. This was going to be the first time they had been. diagnosed with Covid-19. It should be noted that all players had to have body mass indexes above 25 kg/m2, the threshold to be in the obese category. Recruitment for the test took place from December 30, 2020 to January 28. 2022. Then, each player won one of six combinations of remedies by signing up for the trial. Each player was then asked to complete the surveys 180, 210, 240, 270 and 300 days after signing up for the trial. all players had been diagnosed with Covid for a long time through a healthcare professional.
First, the researchers were able to enroll another 1431 people in the trial. However, not all survived the full ordeal. Of the other 1431 people, 1323 eventually won one of six combinations of remedies, while 1126 ended up answering at least one survey. The ages of those 1126 participants ranged from 30 to 85 years. About 95% (1074 of the 1126 participants) were followed for at least nine months. Just over a fraction (56. 1%) of the participants were women, 44 of whom were pregnant. The median age of the participants ended up being forty-five years, while the median BMI ended up being 29. 8 kg/m2.
Many other people around the world have continued to suffer from Long Covid, that is, when symptoms persist for at least 3 months after the initial infection with SARS-CoV-2. (Photo by Jörg Carstensen/alliance photo Getty Images)
Participants began receiving remedies as soon as they enrolled in the trial, meaning they were still in the midst of their SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the end, 564 of the participants ended up receiving a two-week metformin course with a varying dose of 500 mg to 1000 mg in the first six days, and 562 ended up receiving a corresponding placebo.
By day 300 after their initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, 93 (8. 3%) of the 1126 participants had been diagnosed with long-term Covid. However, this occurrence decreased by 41% (6. 3% vs. 10. 4%) those who gained metformin compared to those who gained placebo alone (10. 4%). The difference even greater (63% less) between those who had started taking metformin within 3 days of the first symptoms of Covid-19.
And surprise, surprise, there was no genuine difference in the long-term onset of Covid between those who had gained ivermectin and those who had gained a placebo. Fluvoxamine also did not appear to have an overall positive effect.
So why can a drug that is commonly used to treat diabetes save you the long Covid?Metformin is useful against diabetes due to the following sweet effects: it can reduce the amount of glucose produced by the liver, reduce the amount of glucose absorbed by the intestines and increase the reaction of the tissues of its structure to insulin. Those who take metformin also lose weight.
But wait, what does all this have to do with the long Covid?Several laboratory studies have shown that metformin can act in particular against SARS-CoV-2. It has been found to inhibit replication of the virus in human mobiles. culture and lung tissue. However, keep in mind that you are more than just a mobile or lung tissue organization. He has emotions and other things. So just because metformin can prevent the virus from replicating in the lab doesn’t mean it will do the same in living, whole humans.
A protester holds a sign that is not easy to study in Long Covid-19 protest. . . . [ ] (Photo via Martin Pope/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In addition, although promising, this clinical trial was precisely a clinical trial. You deserve to never think of anything as an effective remedy based on a solo clinical trial. It would have been like calling Los Del Rio the next Beatles right after they crowned their song Macarena. the Billboard charts in 1996. La people don’t exactly queue up to do the Let’s Go That We’re Going at Weddings.
In addition, this clinical trial did not come with anyone under the age of 30, with a BMI less than 25 kg/m2, or who has ever had COVID-19. Those under 30 matter. The effects of this trial may not be generalizable to the rest of the population.
In general, we want more genuine clinical evidence before metformin can be used as a treatment for COVID-19. This means that more studies and trials are definitely needed. Thank God for all the investment in studies that has been allocated to the study of covid-19. . . Oh wait, that’s right, a lot of the cash is no longer there.
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