Ask HN: Has anyone heard about steroids being used to treat Covid-19?
I heard an anecdote from someone that steroids have been used to successfully mitigate COVID-19 symptoms. I have no idea how credible it is, so I tried to do some research, but I didn't really see any literature either confirming or debunking it. It makes some intuitive sense, given that a big part of the disease is an exaggerated immune system response. But I'm also highly skeptical that such an obvious and cheap solution could go unnoticed by the world for this long, so I tend to think there must be a catch.
Does anybody have knowledge or references on the subject?
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Also ivermectin (anti-parasite drug) is being tested with and without the addition of dex which is kinda interesting but only time will tell how the studies come out. But it is interesting. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016635422... has a little about the ivermectin as a treatment.
Unfortunately, this has led to a shortage of some steroids, including hydrocortisone. There are people with unrelated medical conditions, like a member of my family, that take it as a replacement for cortisol in order to stay alive.
We have had a pretty rough time finding a place that can actually fill the prescription lately.
Less anecdotally, I’ve seen several COVID based guidelines recommending mail-order scripts — they are less geographically constrained, pretty much always on time and can be filled for similar timeframes, no standing in line etc.
Hope things get easier for your loved one!
Using steroids to stop inflammation in the lungs is as old as steroids. This is not a special discovery. It's being spun as "news" since anything related to Covid-19 sells news.