Bed- and housebound with long COVID, now much better with Cymbalta and low-dose naltrexone
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Apr 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Ive had horrible PEM for two and a half years
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
after being bed and house bound for so long
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
Adding LDN has been a game changer. I now have less brain fog and can go to yoga a couple times a week, as long as I don’t overdo it on weekends or something.
In context ↗
Summary
Had long COVID with disabling post-exertional malaise for two and a half years and was bed- and house-bound. Cymbalta, after two months of side effects, helped marginally enough to keep working; adding low-dose naltrexone was a game changer, and slow physiotherapy reintroduced movement. By April 2025 they had less brain fog, could do basic tasks and attend yoga twice a week, though overdoing it still caused problems.
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What they tried
Their words about each treatment
- Cymbalta · Helped
it took two months on Cymbalta ... which helped marginally
In context ↗ - LDN · Helped a lot
Adding LDN has been a game changer. I now have less brain fog
In context ↗ - PT · Helped
I’ve been working with a PT who is helping me reintroduce movement very slowly
In context ↗ - magnesium L-Threonate · Helped
magnesium L-Threonate has been helping my quality of sleep improve from horrible to just bad
In context ↗
Approaches: SNRIs · Physiotherapy and rehab · Supplements
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. 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 | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| onset | onset of illness with post-exertional malaiseIve had horrible PEM for two and a half yearsIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| — | bed- and house-boundafter being bed and house bound for so longIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| — | fatigue and pain less crippling, could get through work but nothing afterOn Cymbalta I couldn’t do anything after work, but the fatigue and pain was less crippling so I could get through work at least.In context ↗ | Mild | Duloxetine (Cymbalta) |
| 2025-04-27 | less brain fog, yoga a couple times a week, basic tasks no longer spiralAdding LDN has been a game changer. I now have less brain fog and can go to yoga a couple times a weekIn context ↗ | Mild | Low-dose naltrexone |
Adverse events
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta)“I had to wait for the side effects to go away which took just about two months” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
Ive had horrible PEM for two and a half years
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I now have less brain fog
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
helping my quality of sleep improve from horrible to just bad
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
the fatigue and pain was less crippling
In context ↗
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