Member-only story
Metformin’s Potential in Reducing Long COVID — A Game Changer?
Three to six months after recovering from COVID-19, about 80–89 % of patients present with some symptoms, including fatigue and dyspnea, indicating long COVID that significantly influences the health-related quality of life of individuals who have had COVID-19.While there is no panacea for long COVID, an innovative clinical trial has found that metformin, which is used to treat diabetes, and other non-diabetic disease, may have substantial preventative effects to reduce the long-term damaging complications of COVID-19.e. Although no specific cure for long COVID exists, a groundbreaking clinical trial suggests that metformin, a widely used diabetes medication, may offer significant protective benefits — even for non-diabetic individuals.
A Promising Result for Non-Diabetics
A study conducted by the University of Minnesota showed that patients who took metformin ending four days from the first sign, of coronavirus symptoms reduced the risks of getting long COVID by 40% to 63%. This placebo-controlled clinical trial retrospective including more than 1200 adults evaluated the impact of metformin in combination with other medications such as ivermectin, fluvoxamine that did not reveal the same anti-long COVID activity. Overall, these data indicate that metformin might alleviate the phenomena of long COVID regardless of the initial viral type and patients’ age.
What You Can Do
Because of the findings of this study, it is suggested that if one is at risk for long COVID, they should perhaps talk to their healthcare professional about the benefits of metformin. This is especially so if you are overweight, as the study participants were, in general, from this segment. Further, intervention with metformin in the early stage of the disease may become an effective prevention of developing a long COVID.
A Shift in Understanding
The importance of this research is not only detected in its actual findings of metformin’s efficacy. Regarding the symptoms, it recognizes long COVID as a genuine and grounded health condition that denies patients’ worries about what might happen to them after COVID. Also, applications of a cheap, readily available drug like metformin create chances of preventive therapy which could be of amazing importance to the well-being of people all over the world.
Reference
1. University of Minnesota Medical School. “Study shows metformin lowers the risk of getting long COVID.” University of Minnesota News.
2. UNC Health. “Metformin found to reduce risk of long COVID by up to 63% in clinical trial.” UNC Health News.
3. Medscape. “Metformin May Reduce Long COVID in Non-Diabetic Population.” Medscape News.
