SQUASH long COVID risk? (finally!)

I’m not a fan of medication.

In fact, I consider it a good day when I’m able to take a patient off medication.

But every once in a while, along comes a drug that can do many positive things for some tough-to-treat ailments…

Like long COVID.

Heightened protection

We’ve talked about ongoing effects of COVID-19. And how they can be utterly debilitating (let alone, annoying).

I’ve even offered general recommendations for how to get your doctor to take your lingering symptoms seriously.

Well, soon, you might not have to work as hard. Because research reveals a drug that’s already on the market may help prevent long COVID… which may help get this tricky condition on more mainstream doc’s radar.

I’m talking about metformin.

Metformin is prescribed to Type 2 diabetics—and has been found to potentially ward off the effects of aging, as well as Alzheimer’s disease, to boot.

Now, an interesting study called COVID-OUT tested the effects of metformin, ivermectin (anti-parasitic), and flucoxamine (anti-depressant) against long COVID symptoms.

It was a double-blind study on participants between the ages of 30-85. All subjects were overweight or obese—known risk factors for COVID and long COVID.

Notably, neither ivermectin nor fluvoxamine showed any benefits for preventing long COVID.

But, when taken early enough, researchers found that metformin lessened the risk of developing long COVID by 42 percent among those with a mild to moderate infection, compared against placebo.

(Not to mention, in August 2022, the authors published results from this same study that showed metformin also led to a 42 percent reduction in hospital visits, emergency department visits, and deaths related to severe COVID infections.)

Turns out, that protection was consistent across subgroups, including vaccination status and different COVID-19 variants.

And the protection grew the sooner it was taken…

Infected? Act fast

The metformin doses were doled out over a two-week period.

Participants received 500 milligrams (mg) on the first day, 500 mg twice daily for the next four days, and then 500 mg in the morning, and 1,000 mg in the evening for the remaining nine days.

Nearly half (47 percent) started taking it within four days or less of being diagnosed with COVID—and a little over half received the first two shots of the vaccine.

And when taken that soon, well, the effect of metformin was potentially even greater—it provided a 64 percent reduced risk of developing long COVID, compared to a 36 percent reduction for those who starting taking it four or more days after infection.

Plus, those who received at least the primary vaccine series had a lower risk of developing long COVID compared to the unvaccinated. And only one of 57 people who received a booster developed it.

So, as we’re heading into yet another cold, flu, and COVID season, I thought I’d leave you with some food for thought…

If you happen to become infected this fall, ask your doctor about your options—including metformin.

I also encourage you to keep your immune system primed and ready to go. For detailed tips, check out my Complete Guide to Year-Round Immunity.

P.S. This Sunday, September 24th at 3:00 p.m. (EDT), FOUR renowned physicians in the world of alternative medicine—including myself—sit down to talk about the most frightening disease of our time… Alzheimer’s. Click here now to SECURE your spot for the premier of this exclusive event, the Alzheimer’s Reversal Summit: Meeting of the Masterminds.

Source:

“’Breakthrough’ Study: Diabetes Drug Helps Prevent Long COVID.” WebMD, 03/09/2023. (webmd.com/covid/news/20230309/diabetes-drug-helps-prevent-long-covid)