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If you& #39;ve been following the "severe covid is serotonin syndrome" story for the past year like I have, the doctors behind the theory have a preprint up: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3800402">https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/pape...
This paper lays out the pathophysiology of severe covid and proposes cyproheptadine, an antihistamine, as a repurposed drug appropriate for treatment. It also sheds some light on why early treatment with some SSRI& #39;s like fluoxetine or fluvoxamine might prevent deterioration.
You may remember Dr Kyle-Sidell from his "COVID-19 is not typical ARDS" videos from a year ago where he explained that putting people on ventilators based just on low O2 saturation was needlessly harmful. https://youtu.be/k9GYTc53r2o ">https://youtu.be/k9GYTc53r...
"Do COVID-19 Vent Protocols Need a Second Look?" https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/928156">https://www.medscape.com/viewartic...
Dr Jalali had first proposed that covid-19 was a disease of hypercoagulation last May (maybe earlier) and has since worked out a theory that the cause of severe symptoms is driven by serotonin released from platelets by the virus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4DwdFLWgk0">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Did you know that 95% of your body& #39;s serotonin is stored in your platelets? Almost nobody pays attention to this and it could be the key to curing severe covid.
Ok so I think what this is really referring to is from a later citation (68) about serotonin and homeostasis. Serotonin does not cross the blood-brain barrier. The central nervous system produces its own serotonin in the brainstem, but it is only 5% of total body serotonin.
The other 95% of serotonin in the body is produced in the gut. Most of that stays in the gut, and of what is released in the bloodstream, 98% of that is held by platelets. So only 2% of your body& #39;s serotonin circulates in plasma.
https://sci-hub.st/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001457931500455X">https://sci-hub.st/https://w...
https://sci-hub.st/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001457931500455X">https://sci-hub.st/https://w...
The overall aim of this paper is to explain peripheral serotonin physiology, show how platelets are activated to release serotonin in severe covid-19 and advocate for cyproheptadine (a generic antihistamine an serotonin antagonist) as a treatment for severe covid.
Cyproheptadine is currently considered controversial as a covid treatment because the serotonin physiology is not well understood, and I think because there& #39;s a general attitude of disdain towards repurposed drugs.
I& #39;ve seen some of the authors of this paper get shouted down by other doctors for trying to discuss this, as if somebody was trying to push a conspiracy theory.
What& #39;s funny is that cyproheptadine for serotonin syndrome is an uncontroversial treatment, practically a home remedy, for cats with chronic kidney disease.
https://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm">https://www.felinecrf.org/persuadin...
https://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm">https://www.felinecrf.org/persuadin...
It& #39;s not a rare thing for cats with ckd because they are frequently prescribed a drug combination for poor appetite and nausea (mirtazapine and ondansetron) that can be serotonergic together.
