Stroke and Prozac

Stroke victims who took the antidepressant Prozac for three months following the interruption of blood flow to the brain regained more mobility, and showed lower rates of depression, than those given a placebo pill, a new study has found. Of course, just as many other explanations, the clinical efficacy is unknown. The FLAME trial (short for Fluoxetine for Motor Recovery After Acute Ischemic Stroke) holds out an option for patients who do not reach the hospital quickly enough to receive clot-busting medication, and who lose movement or feeling in the during stroke. It found that after three months, subjects who took the antidepressant fluoxetine scored, on average, 10 points better on a 100-point measure of mobility and sensation than similarly affected subjects who took a dummy pill. Study here.