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| Science & Technology |
| Antihistamines and azithromycin as a treatment for COVID-19 on primary health care – A retrospective observational study in elderly patients |
| 2021-09-27 |
| This is of a study from the physicians for a community of elderly patients in Spain. Background Between March and April 2020, 84 elderly patients with suspected COVID-19 living in two nursing homes of Yepes, Toledo (Spain) were treated early with antihistamines (dexchlorpheniramine, cetirizine or loratadine), adding azithromycin in the 25 symptomatic cases. The outcomes are retrospectively reported. The primary endpoint is the fatality rate of COVID-19. The secondary endpoints are the hospital and ICU admission rates. Endpoints were compared with the official Spanish rates for the elderly. The mean age of our population was 85 and 48% were over 80 years old. No hospital admissions, deaths, nor adverse drug effects were reported in our patient population. By the end of June, 100% of the residents had positive serology for COVID-19. Although clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy of both drugs in the treatment of COVID-19, this analysis suggests that primary care diagnosis and treatment with antihistamines, plus azithromycin in selected cases, may treat COVID-19 and prevent progression to severe disease in elderly patients. Details of dosage, etc. is available at the link. BTW, dexchlorpheniramine is also known as Myclora, Cetirizine is sold under the trade name Zyrtec, and Loratadine is sold under the name Claratin. Azithromycin is also known under the names "Zithromax" or more colloquially as a Z-Pac. Seems a pretty simplistic approach to COVID. Going by my own experience, it clobbered me in the space of a few hours. X-rays showed my lungs as almost pure white -- way beyond the reach of the Cetirizine that I take regularly. It took me an hour to get to my feet and walk across the room to get my phone to call 911. Three weeks in the hospital and and three in rehab. When I got to rehab I was too weak to turn over in bed. I still have about half the strength I had last December, before I got it. I also feel like my brain doesn't work as well. Just my recollections. |
| Posted by:Thing From Snowy Mountain |
| #18 Cain't we all jus' .... rip each other's throats out? |
| Posted by: Rexque Rodney Rexque Futuram 2021-09-27 23:40 |
| #17 Angstrom: If any one of the alleged 17 or so intelligence agencies the US had were an actual intelligence agency, there would have been followup questions about Dr. Desai and his company. And also more scrutiny and due diligence would have been done about papers matching his alleged findings. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 22:22 |
| #16 Both retracted Lancet studies relied on data provided by Dr. Sapan Desai, a known fraudster. |
| Posted by: Angstrom 2021-09-27 20:58 |
| #15 Sorry about the breakup into several different comments, the computer didn't like me today. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 19:26 |
| #14 Now one thing I've found that's interesting that AFAIK hasn't been followed up on: Surgisphere did a similar data-fabricated-from-whole-cloth paper on... not an antimalarial, not a horse paste... but on a damn common human drug, one I take myself: ACE inhibitors. Medpage Today: Retracted COVID Paper Lives on in New Citations:
According to my notes, it was further linked to from slashdot. (I know, I was surprised to find out slashdot still exists). Anyway, I'd like to see a link to the supposed study on azithromycin. | |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 19:26 |
| #13 When that was discovered they also created a second wave of studies, where patients were administered unsafe doses of HCQ with the objective of "proving" it didn't work. Here's a link with more details: How a False Hydroxychloroquine Narrative Was Created June 28, 2020. There are a lot of links you can follow there, including in particular this one: WHO and UK trials use potentially lethal hydroxychloroquine dose--according to WHO consultant. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 19:25 |
| #12 (to be continued) |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 19:24 |
| #11 Mercutio: You're either not listening or not reading for comprehention. There were multiple fraudulent studies that "proved" that "HCQ alone" did not work. The big one was the Surgisphere study that had completely fabricated data, was published in The Lancet, and retracted. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 19:23 |
| #10 Snowy. The point I was trying to make is that azithromycin alone has been found to have adverse side effects and, yes, some of the original HOCQ treatments were given along with Azithromycin which is where some of the anti-HOCQ press came from. |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2021-09-27 18:28 |
| #9 dex...etc does not appear to be an over-the-counter drug in the US. I talked to one pharmacist who said she believed that the stuff in chlortrimeton was a close isomer, but I'll be double-checking that later. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 12:34 |
| #8 Another addition to my morning supplement regimen. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2021-09-27 12:14 |
| #7 But that's a distraction. I said last night I'd look up dosage information when my eyes started focusing again. Fred, according to the box here, 10 mg per 24 hours is a standard dose; this study was using 20 mg per 24 hour period, plus 2 mg dexchlorpheniramine every 12 hour. My next step is going to be looking up dexchlorpheniramine more thoroughly. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 11:08 |
| #6 Mercutio, as I keep pointing out, the studies with the adverse effects from HCQ were a) done with HCQ alone and b) done with intentional overdoses on patients with compromised kidney function. It wasn't due to the azithromycin. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 11:06 |
| #5 Lancet hit piece in 5, 4, 3 .... |
| Posted by: Angstrom 2021-09-27 10:17 |
| #4 When the buzz first started about HOCQ, it was being served up with a dose of Azithromycin. The word then that adverse effects were related to Azithromycin not HOCQ. I'd do more research at least before any treatments with Azithromycin. |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2021-09-27 08:44 |
| #3 If she ever gets down to a normal weight, those tats of hers'll look like used cond0ms |
| Posted by: Faux Drapeau 2021-09-27 04:10 |
| #2 Yes indeed. First line of attack. Nip it in the bud. When you have a severe ankle sprain with edema, its the edema that slows healing. Clear inflammation. Increase circulation. Then I increase warmth. I have found you need four things to manage most if not all major illnesses. Most major illnesses if not all thrive on low oxygen levels, normal body temperature, acidic chemistry and poor circulation. |
| Posted by: Dale 2021-09-27 03:46 |
| #1 I need to look up more on the dosages used here and about dexchlorpheniramine. My vision is lousy atm, I'll check in the morning. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2021-09-27 00:23 |