Let’s Hope This Drug Is The One

[Bobbisox1]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53061281

[Mozz71]

Amen to that

[Bobbisox1]

It’s cheap as well Mozz, a steroid

[pastafreak]

I read about it earlier...and it's pretty cheap, if I'm not mistaken.

[Mamyalynne]

Dexamethasone is an extremely useful drug and am a little surprised it wasn't used earlier for those seriously ill.

[Mozz71]

And, xenophobia aside, developed by British boffins. Yay! Go us!

[bookbinder]

Is it too early to throw our hats in the air and shout "Three cheers for British experts"?

[Bobbisox1]

Bookie if that makes you happy, go for it haha

[Mamyalynne]

My Husband and no doubt many others on this site took it all during his chemotherapy, he also had to have regular heart checks because of its possible side effects.

[shoota]

It's not exactly a 'cure': 'It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth.'

[Bobbisox1]

It’s a help though Shoota

[Mamyalynne]

It certainly will help the sickest patients,yes.

[Bazile]

I thought it was only used as an eye medication

[Mamyalynne]

No Baz, also oral,injection as well as ear and eye drops too.

[Buenchico]

Dexamethasone is an immunosuppresant which, almost counter-intuitively, works by switching OFF (to a large extent) the body's immune system.

With Covid-19 there obviously has to be a balancing act, as for those with only mild symptoms it would probably be best for a patient's immune system to be working well, whereas for those who're suffering the worst symptoms (which are largely brought about through a person's immune system responding far too vigorously to infection) it's important to suppress the body's natural immune response to a certain extent.

I suspect that the medical profession will have known all along that dexamethasone could be of benefit to Covid-19 patients but it's been getting the DOSAGE correct (as part of the 'balancing act' that I've referred to above) that's needed some research.

[Buenchico]

>>> I thought it was only used as an eye medication

I hope not, otherwise I've been taking the wrong stuff ever since my chemotherapy began! ;-)

[Vagus]

I thought it was more a corticosteroid than an immunosuppressant as such, Chris, and reduces inflammation.
Maybe it’s both..

[Bazile]

I'm currently taking it as an eye medication , after been prescribed it , by the eye hospital

[Buenchico]

Quote (for Vagus):
"With certain conditions, inflammation can cause the immune system to be overactive. This can damage the body's tissues. Steroids such as dexamethasone help block the immune system’s response to inflammation, which helps prevent this damage"

Source:
https://www.healthline.com/health/dexamethasone-oral-tablet

[bookbinder]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexamethasone

[Vagus]

Interesting. Thanks Chris.