Long COVID with severe weakness and brain fog, much better on escitalopram and venlafaxine
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Not stated
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- Feb 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Escitalopram (antidepressant) helped me a lot for insomnia and panic attacks after COVID.
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
At last I was okay, but still weak though.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Escitalopram (antidepressant) helped me a lot for insomnia and panic attacks after COVID.
In context ↗
Read from 27 of their posts and comments; links to the 10 this page draws on
Summary
Long COVID from about 2023 left this Reddit user with severe weakness, brain fog, dizziness, insomnia and hair loss. Escitalopram cleared the dizziness quickly and the brain fog in about two weeks, and venlafaxine later helped mood and depression, but fatigue and weakness persisted. A November 2024 COVID reinfection brought gut problems and tachycardia; magnesium and potassium were followed by a normal heart rate.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Cytoflavin · No change
Cytoflavin (infusions) ... the only thing that helped me for my terrible brain fog was Lexapro
In context ↗ - L-carnitine · No change
L-carnitine (injections) ... the only thing that helped me for my terrible brain fog was Lexapro
In context ↗ - Choline alfoscerate · No change
Choline alfoscerate (injections) ... the only thing that helped me for my terrible brain fog was Lexapro
In context ↗ - Lexapro · Helped a lot
Escitalopram (ssri) helped me a lot for my brain fog. My dizziness and vertigo were gone right away.
In context ↗ - Velaxine · Helped
Then Velaxine helped for mood and depression. At last I was okay, but still weak though.
In context ↗ - vitamins B · Not said
I was taking Nootropics meds like Choline alfoscerate, antidepressants, vitamins B and D
In context ↗ - ajovi · Helped a lot
Yeah, ajovi is a life saver for migraine
In context ↗ - Tristans · No change
Tristans didn’t help at all.
In context ↗ - Mg · Helped
But tried Mg and K first just in case. After 2 weeks my heart rate was normal.
In context ↗
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 first step with a time is 2 years after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. The dashed part: the story doesn’t say when. 2 steps say too little to place on the scale and are 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 onset with severe weakness, brain fog, dizziness and insomniaI had severe weakness, brain fog, problems with concentration, dizziness and used to forget simple words.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| — | Escitalopram cleared dizziness at once and brain fog in about two weeksMy dizziness and vertigo were gone right away. And after two week I could think clearly and my memory start improving.In context ↗ | Mild |
| November 2024 | COVID reinfection with gut problems, weakness and tachycardiaNow I am on velaxine and got Covid in November. I had gut problems, weakness, tachycardia like 150 bpm like always.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| January 2025 | Venlafaxine helped mood and depression; still weakThen Velaxine helped for mood and depression. At last I was okay, but still weak though.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2025-02-10 | Resting heart rate back to normal after magnesium and potassiumBut tried Mg and K first just in case. After 2 weeks my heart rate was normal.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Venlafaxine (Effexor)“It has more side effects in first 2 weeks, like tremors and shaking.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
I had severe weakness, brain fog, problems with concentration, dizziness and used to forget simple words.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Escitalopram (antidepressant) helped me a lot for insomnia and panic attacks after COVID.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
My dizziness and vertigo were gone right away.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
I had tachycardia and 150bpm resting heart rate.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Then Velaxine helped for mood and depression.
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
At last I was okay, but still weak though.
In context ↗ - Hair loss
My hair loss stopped after 6 months
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I had gut problems, weakness, tachycardia like 150 bpm like always.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
Yeah, ajovi is a life saver for migraine
In context ↗ - Vision problems
Hey I had something like that flickering. It was gone after a week.
In context ↗
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