SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Scientists and health experts are still trying to figure out what causes long COVID-19 in some people and not others, and how best to treat it.
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Recently, a diabetes drug has shown promise in treating the symptoms of the virus.
"This is a ray of hope," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, Chief of Research and Development at the St. Louis VA Hospital and director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System on KCBS Radio’s "Ask an Expert" with Eric Thomas and Margie Shafer on Thursday.
This is the result of a trial that just came out, it has not been peer-reviewed yet, the last week of December.
Researchers tested three different drugs, according to the initial study released Dec. 24, 2022 – metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine.
The study of over 1,000 adults ranging in age found that metformin, a diabetes drug, decreased the incidence of long COVID-19 by 42%.
Metformin is usually used to treat people in the early stages of diabetes to lower blood sugar. But it might be its "off-target effects" that could be helping reduce the risk of long COVID-19, including potentially reducing inflammation and stress.
But people shouldn't get ahead of themselves and start trying to treat themselves with it until more research has been done.
"I think we need to learn a lot more about it," said Al-Aly.
The drug does have some adverse side effects, including, nausea, vomiting, liver disease, and in rare cases, lactic acidosis, which is when muscles start accumulating lactic acid.
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