Daily long COVID headache, now far less frequent with time and lifestyle changes
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Not stated
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2 years
- Last post
- Nov 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
In September of 2022 I got Covid and I was sick for a week. Immediately after I started developing a strange headache everyday nonstop.
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
Headaches are still there but reduced in severity significantly. Doesn’t really affect me much anymore.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
In September of 2022 I got Covid and I was sick for a week. Immediately after I started developing a strange headache everyday nonstop
In context ↗
Read from 8 of their posts and comments; links to the 7 this page draws on
Summary
A 20-year-old man developed a daily nonstop left-sided headache after COVID in September 2022. Gabapentin and topamax did not help; propranolol eased chest tightness and anxiety, and an SSRI calmed health anxiety while Pristiq killed his libido. Over nearly two years the headaches slowly became far less frequent and intense, which he credits to time, lifestyle changes and managing anxiety, though they still occur.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- ssris (and an snri) · Helped
The ssri helped in a sense that it made me less anxious about it.
In context ↗ - gabapentin · No change
I’m currently trying gabapentin and topamax. I’m not seeing promising results with these medications
In context ↗ - propranolol · Helped
Yes propranolol helped me but I stopped taking it because my chest pain stopped. It helped me with my anxiety and that tight feeling in the chest
In context ↗ - time · Helped
It was time, lifestyle changes, and managing my anxiety that reduced the impact of these headaches.
In context ↗ - quit nicotine, cut down caffeine · Helped
I quit nicotine, cut down caffeine, and started taking ssris.
In context ↗ - Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) · Not said
I take an snri which affects my libido. ... Pristiq made my libido die
Their path
They say too little about how ill they were at each step to draw it on the severity scale, so the steps are listed as they describe them. Dates are when they posted.
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2022 | COVID followed immediately by a daily nonstop left-sided headacheIn September of 2022 I got Covid and I was sick for a week. Immediately after I started developing a strange headache everyday nonstopIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| over the first year (2023) | headaches eased from daily to a few times a weekIt went from being everyday with the worst being at nights to a few times a week over the first year. It was a very slow process.In context ↗ | Not stated | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2024-01-02 | headaches down to a few times a monthIt’s gotten better over time but it still happens a few times a monthIn context ↗ | Not stated | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2024-11-05 | headaches much less severe and frequent, no longer affecting him muchHeadaches are still there but reduced in severity significantly. Doesn’t really affect me much anymore.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)“I take an snri which affects my libido. ... Pristiq made my libido die” Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Headaches & migraine
Headaches are still there but reduced in severity significantly.
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
can be described as a burning, pressure, numbness
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
I stopped taking it because my chest pain stopped
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I was suffering from really bad health anxiety around this time
In context ↗
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