Long COVID, not functioning well, severe insomnia, back to normal after low-dose Cymbalta
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 8 months
- Last post
- Jun 2022
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’m 9 1/2 months post Covid and started to feel like myself again about a month ago
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I was not functioning well at all. ... I finally feel back to normal and was able to go back to working today
- Now: Recovered
Yes I feel back to normal again. It took about 6 months for me.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I'm 9 1/2 months post Covid
In context ↗
Read from 4 of their posts and comments; links to the 4 this page draws on
Summary
Pond 65866 became ill with long COVID in late 2020 and was not functioning well. They had a couple of months of severe insomnia, and their symptoms lasted about seven to eight months. After starting a low dose of Cymbalta, most symptoms faded within about a month, and they felt back to normal and returned to work, though still needing sleep medication. Other medications tried earlier seemed to make things worse.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Mirtazapine · Not said
I took 7.5mg last night and slept for 13 hours ... but I felt like a zombie all day after getting up
In context ↗ - some other medications · Worse
I had tried some other medications before that but they seemed to make it worse.
In context ↗ - Cymbalta · Helped a lot
I started taking a low dose of Cymbalta and about a month later is when I noticed most of my symptoms fading.
In context ↗
Approaches: SNRIs
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. The chart starts 6 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| onset | Long COVID after Covid infectionI'm 9 1/2 months post CovidIn context ↗ | Not stated |
| 2021-05-19 | not functioning well, two months of severe insomniaI was not functioning well at all.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2021-09-21 | most symptoms faded after starting Cymbalta; went back to workI started taking a low dose of Cymbalta and about a month later is when I noticed most of my symptoms fading.In context ↗ | Near normal |
| 2021-11-06 | feels back to normal againYes I feel back to normal again. It took about 6 months for me.In context ↗ | Recovered |
Adverse events
- Mirtazapine (Remeron)“I took 7.5mg last night and slept for 13 hours. Which is great, I’ve had horrible insomnia for the last 2 months, but I felt like a zombie all day after getting up.” In context ↗ Side effects
- “I had tried some other medications before that but they seemed to make it worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
I've had horrible insomnia for the last 2 months
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
It lasted about 7-8 months for me. I was not functioning well at all.
In context ↗
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