The research team randomly allocated 40 patients with the relapsing remitting form of MS to treatment with either 20 mg daily of fluoxetine (Prozac) or an inactive substance (placebo) for a period of 24 weeks.

Detailed brain scans (magnetic resonance images or MRI) every four weeks were used to check for new areas of neurological inflammation, a hallmark of active disease.

In total, 38 patients—19 in each group—completed the study. The scans showed that those in the placebo group had more new areas of inflammation than those treated with Prozac.

The effects began to become evident after eight weeks, which corresponds to the time the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class of drugs, of which Prozac is one, start to work on relieving depression.

The average number of new areas affected was more than five in the group given the placebo compared with just under two in the group given Prozac.

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