The incidence of a stroke can prove devastating to patients and those that are charged with supervising recovery. More often than not, at least some percentage of motor function is lost, severely impairing the ability to complete every day functions and robbing the victim of their independence. However, a link has been found between commonly prescribed Sarafem/Prozac and re-establishing motor skills within three months of stroke, while aiding in improving depression suffered by victims.

Prozac and Sarafem are medically named fluoxetine, and are the most commonly prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Serotonin is a hormone, also called 5-hydroxytryptamine, located in the pineal gland, blood platelets, the digestive tract, and brain. It acts both as a chemical messenger that transmits nerve signals between nerve cells, and that causes blood vessels to narrow.

In the largest study of this association to date, it was discovered that prescribing the antidepressant fluoxetine soon after an ischemic stroke, mostly caused by a narrowing of the arteries in the neck or head, could improve motor function and increase the number of independent patients. As this medication is relatively affordable, this can be a major breakthrough in lowering recovery costs and allowing stroke patients lead lives free of secondary home care.

The authors of the study published online by the The Lancet state:

“The positive effect of the drug on motor function of recovering patients suggests that the neuronal, non-vascular-targeted action of SSRIs provides a new pathway that should be explored further in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.”

Some small trials previously had suggested that SSRIs might aid motor recovery after stroke, particularly the paralysis or weakness on one side of the body, by increasing the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the central nervous system.

This new, much larger scaled research was conducted in France over a four year period. One hundred eighteen patients were divided into two groups and randomly assigned to fluoxetine or placebo for a three month period starting 5 to 10 days after stroke. All patients also received physical therapy treatments.

Primarily using the Fugl-Meyer motor scale (FMMS), which is designed to assess motor functioning, balance, sensation and joint functioning in post-stroke patients, significant improvements in motor function were recorded just after three months in patients taking fluoxetine. An average FMMS score improved by 34.0 points, compared with placebo that saw an increase in scores ten points less. Importantly, this gain was significant for both the upper and lower limb scores.

Aside, the group prescribed fluoxetine also proved to be more alert and independent than their placebo taking counterparts.

Fluoxetine not only helped in the recovery of motor function but also served its original purpose of diminishing depression post stroke, which leads to more rapid recovery and freedom to return to a normal lifestyle.

Authors:

Professor François Chollet, University Hospital of Toulouse and INSERM, Toulouse, France. Dr Robert Robinson, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.

Source: Lancet

An abstract of the complete study findings can be found here.

Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.