Photo: Getty Images
Researchers believe that the addiction drug naltrexone could be used to help treat brain fog and other symptoms associated with long COVID, according to Reuters.
Reuters reviewed Clinicaltrials.gov and found at least four clinical trials that were in the works to test the effectiveness of naltrexone in treating long COVID symptoms.
In low doses, naltrexone has anti-inflammatory properties that could increase energy and concentration, reduce pain, and help patients sleep better.
"It should be at the top of everyone's list for clinical trials," Dr. Jarred Younger, director of the Neuro-inflammation, Pain and Fatigue Laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told Reuters.
While patients taking naltrexone have shown signs of improvement, researchers warn that the drug is not a treatment for long COVID.
"It's not a panacea," said Jaime Seltzer, a Stanford researcher and head of scientific outreach for the advocacy group MEAction. "These people weren't cured, but they were helped."
Scientists said they need to conduct more research to figure out how naltrexone helps ease symptoms of long COVID.