A widely available antidepressant may provide meaningful relief for people experiencing persistent fatigue from long COVID, according to a global clinical trial co-led by McMaster University.
Researchers found that fluvoxamine (sold under the brand name Luvox), an inexpensive medication already commonly used to treat depression and other conditions, reduced fatigue and improved quality of life in adults with long COVID. The randomized, placebo-controlled trial was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
A Potential Treatment for Long COVID Fatigue
Fatigue is among the most frequent and disabling symptoms reported by people with long COVID. For some, the exhaustion is severe enough to interfere with employment, family responsibilities, and everyday activities. Despite the scale of the problem, there are still few treatments supported by strong clinical evidence.
"This is an important step forward for patients who have been desperate for evidence-based options," says Edward Mills, senior author, professor in McMaster's Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, and co-principal investigator of the trial. "Fluvoxamine showed consistent and meaningful benefits, and because it's already widely used and well understood, it has clear potential for clinical use."
