Research

WashU Medicine researchers identify potential for repurposing Prozac to treat rare epilepsy

Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, and Lawrence Salkoff, PhD, are lead authors on a case report that describes how Prozac can be used in the treatment of children with rare forms of epilepsy.
Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, and Lawrence Salkoff, PhD, are lead authors on a case report that describes how Prozac can be used in the treatment of children with rare forms of epilepsy.
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A team of WashU Medicine researchers has discovered a promising new use for Prozac, which is the brand name of the antidepressant fluoxetine, in the treatment of children with rare forms of epilepsy.

In a Frontiers of Pharmacology case report published earlier this year, the researchers describe how fluoxetine treatment of two siblings with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy improved seizure control, decreased antiepileptic medication use and aided development.