Newer Depression-Fighting Drugs Attack Fungus, Too

[Guest guest]

They didn't do a damned thing for me while I was on treatment and taking

Zoloft, still had a constant yeast problem.

Maybe they mean if you aren't on tx lol

alley

[Guest guest]

Monday January 21 6:34 PM ET

Newer Depression-Fighting Drugs Attack Fungus, Too

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Newer antidepressant drugs known as selective

serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be able to abolish fungal infections

as well as depression, a report suggests.

An Austrian research team had previously found that SSRIs, a family of

drugs that includes the popular Prozac, could destroy several species of Candida

fungus. In their latest findings, Dr. Cornelia Lass-Floerl of the University of

Innsbruck and her colleagues report that SSRIs can kill several other types of

fungus as well.

The discovery of a potential new antifungal drug is important, as fungal

infections have become a serious cause of death and disease in recent decades.

The infections can be particularly devastating for people with compromised

immune systems, premature infants and people having surgery.

At present, there are only a limited number of antifungal drugs available

to fight infections and these drugs are becoming less useful as resistance to

them develops. Furthermore, antifungal drugs have significant side effects.

The researchers tested fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft),

paroxetine (Paxil), reboxetine and seroxate against samples of several different

types of fungus in the laboratory. The 31 different fungal samples, which were

taken from patients, included fungi from the Candida and Aspergillus families.

All of the drugs showed antifungal activity against the species tested,

and their activity increased with dosage and the amount of time the fungi

samples were exposed to the drugs. Prozac and Zoloft had the most potent

antifungal activity.

The drugs' inhibition of fungal growth was reversible, but fungi exposed

to the drug for a prolonged amount of time were permanently destroyed, according

to the report in a recent issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Several questions must be answered to determine if SSRIs could indeed be

used for treating fungal infection, the authors note. But, they add, their

findings ``probably provide a rationale'' for using preparations containing

SSRIs for local treatment of fungal infection.

``Animal models and clinical trials are highly warranted to evaluate the

potential role of SSRIs in the management of fungal infections,'' Lass-Floerl

and colleagues conclude. Understanding exactly how the SSRIs exert their

antifungal effect could also be helpful in the development of new antifungal

agents, they add.

SOURCE: Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2001;48:775-779.

[Guest guest]

Welllllllllllllll....let's see, if this were REALLY true, I wouldn't have

toenail fungus ALL the time!!! I,for one, have been on Zoloft for 5 yrs and

never had nail fungus up until about 2 yrs ago. Now it NEVER goes

away........Just a comment on yet another GREAT BREAKING NEWS STORY!!!!!

LOL! Gave me a little laugh for the day though! luv, mzgee

[Guest guest]

Maybe it only helps those who don't have HCV. Or toe nail fungus,

lol. That is a tough one to get rid of, even with drugs designed for

it! Try rubbing tea tree oil on the nail around around it. It HELPS.

Once, when I caught one just beginning, it got rid of it within a

week. But on my one toe that's had it for years (thought I had

'deformed' it when I injured it badly and didn't realize what it was

until a couple of years ago) it has not gotten rid of it, but it

really made a big improvement. Maybe, if I was more careful about

using it regularly it would work better.

C

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Claudine...I'll give it a try! luv, gee

[Guest guest]

Actually, they do prescribe those drugs for those conditions.

Suzy

>From: glitterari@...

>Reply-SSRI medications

>SSRI medications

>Subject: Re: Newer Depression-Fighting Drugs Attack

>Fungus, Too

>Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 15:30:07 EST

>

>Oh, I think they should just take all the other drugs off the market and

>prescribe SSRIS for EVERYTHING!!! Wouldn't that be easy? Oh, you have

>brain

>cancer? Take Prozac! Chronic heart disease? Zoloft should fix you right

>up. You think you got breast cancer from taking Paxil? Nonsense! You

>need

>to double your dose until you no longer have these kinds of thoughts. We'd

>better watch it, or the Prozac Police will be coming to our door and

>forcing

>us to take these meds. We'll all wind up like Saco and Vinzetti if we

>aren't

>careful -- hanged in a public square and made an example out of. Sieg

>Heil!!!

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

[Guest guest]

Actually, they do prescribe those drugs for those conditions.

Suzy

>From: glitterari@...

>Reply-SSRI medications

>SSRI medications

>Subject: Re: Newer Depression-Fighting Drugs Attack

>Fungus, Too

>Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 15:30:07 EST

>

>Oh, I think they should just take all the other drugs off the market and

>prescribe SSRIS for EVERYTHING!!! Wouldn't that be easy? Oh, you have

>brain

>cancer? Take Prozac! Chronic heart disease? Zoloft should fix you right

>up. You think you got breast cancer from taking Paxil? Nonsense! You

>need

>to double your dose until you no longer have these kinds of thoughts. We'd

>better watch it, or the Prozac Police will be coming to our door and

>forcing

>us to take these meds. We'll all wind up like Saco and Vinzetti if we

>aren't

>careful -- hanged in a public square and made an example out of. Sieg

>Heil!!!

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.