Long COVID, overstimulated and wired after exercise, somewhat better on aripiprazole
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3 years
- Last post
- Feb 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’m using it for long COVID post vax
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I can’t always read a book or watch tv ... My main thing now is getting really wired after exercise and socializing
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
it has given me 0.5 points on the funcap 27 in improvement. That sounds little but is a pretty major upgrade in quality of life
In context ↗ - Began after: a vaccination
crashed again after a covid booster vaccine ( it was my third total covid vaccine) and never recovered after that
In context ↗ - Says they never had: Brain fog
I don’t get brain fog luckily
Read from 25 of their posts and comments; links to the 15 this page draws on
Summary
Long COVID patient traced their ongoing illness to a COVID booster; 2.5 years on they were mentally well but physically unchanged, overstimulated by reading and wired after exercise. An SSRI cleared their anxiety, and low-dose aripiprazole titrated to 2 mg over eight months gave a modest funcap gain and milder PEM. Keto made them feel awful; microdosed Mounjaro helped energy until a dose increase brought PEM back.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- quetiapine (seroquel) · Helped
I use 6mg for sleeping and I do feel better during the day.
In context ↗ - SSRI / lexapro · Helped
It helped really well for my anxiety and my physical highs and lows are less intense.
In context ↗ - 3 types of antibiotics · Not said
My first crash was after a month of UTIs and 3 types of antibiotics.
In context ↗ - rest · Helped
Took some rest and recovered pretty fast but crashed again after a covid booster vaccine
In context ↗ - lucovitaal bioticomel · Not said
Started lucovitaal bioticomel 4 days ago. Lots of noise coming from my abdomen
In context ↗ - psychotherapy · No change
did psychotherapy which was really good but physically no improvement
In context ↗ - promethazine · Helped
I can sleep on 6mg of quetiapine and also on 25mg of promethazine. But it does affect focus the next day.
In context ↗ - h1 anti histamine meds · No change
I’ve tried h1+h2 anti histamine meds and didn’t notice any difference when I quit those again.
In context ↗ - keto · Worse
Im on day four of keto and I’m not feeling well.
In context ↗ - LDA (low dose aripiprazol) · Helped
I get less overstimulation, better recovery and PEM less intense.
In context ↗ - mounjaro · Helped
My energie was better up until a few days ago when I went from 2.0mg to 2.5mg.
In context ↗
Approaches: Other drugs and medicines
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, with time counted from when the illness began. Hover or tap a point. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| onset | crashed after a COVID booster and never recoveredcrashed again after a covid booster vaccine ( it was my third total covid vaccine) and never recovered after thatIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 22 mo | an SSRI cleared their anxiety; physical symptoms unchangedIt helped really well for my anxiety and my physical highs and lows are less intense. But it hasn’t improved my exercise intolerance unfortunately.In context ↗ | Mild | Escitalopram (Lexapro) |
| 2025-11-12 | low-dose aripiprazole titrated to 2 mg over eight monthsI get less overstimulation, better recovery and PEM less intense.In context ↗ | Mild | Low-dose Abilify / aripiprazole |
| 2026-02-11 | PEM after raising the Mounjaro dose from 2.0 mg to 2.5 mgMy energie was better up until a few days ago when I went from 2.0mg to 2.5mg. I’ve had PEM ever since.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Quetiapine (Seroquel)“Does make the dreams even more vivid and more drowsy during the day.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Promethazine (Phenergan)“But it does affect focus the next day.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)“Then started an SSRI, lost some more in the beginning” In context ↗ Side effects
- Keto and low-carb diets“I tried keto and felt awful on it.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Low-dose Abilify / aripiprazole“I did gain some weight (3kg) and I had some side effects but they all went away within two weeks after dose increase.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)“I’ve had PEM ever since.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I get less overstimulation, better recovery and PEM less intense.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
My main thing now is getting really wired after exercise and socializing. If I do too much I can’t sleep.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
a constant feeling of impending doom. it went away with an SSRI
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
When I’m crashing I have muscle aches
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
body feels very heavy
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
a vibrating tingling sensation in my legs
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
I dunno it feels annoying and I get overstimulated.
In context ↗ - Hair loss
I’ve had waves of hair loss as well for a few years
In context ↗
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