Daily exhaustion a year into long COVID, now nearly normal with stimulants and therapy
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3 years
- Last post
- Sep 2023
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’m a 24F who’s almost a year LH post Covid (got Covid in July).
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
Leaving the house to grocery shop makes me feel like I can’t do anything else for the rest of the day because I’m so tired.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
This worked for me also and I’d like to say I’m about 90% recovered.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
got Covid in July
In context ↗
Read from 12 of their posts and comments; links to the 10 this page draws on
Summary
A 24-year-old who caught COVID in July 2020 was still exhausted every day a year later, depressed and needing stimulants to function. Stimulants, modafinil, therapy and nutrition changes helped; in late 2021 she could do ballet on good weeks but not weight lifting or hiking, and by September 2023 she rated herself about 90% recovered.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- coffee · Helped
I need to drink at least 3-4 cups of coffee (or some other type of stimulant/caffeine) to just function normally
In context ↗ - adderal · Helped
I’ll actually take an adderal sometimes just to get through the day ... works really well for me
- work-outs · No change
I’ve tried introducing work-outs back into my routine
In context ↗ - cutting alcohol · No change
I’ve tried cutting alcohol
In context ↗ - meditation · No change
I’ve tried cutting alcohol, diet changes, meditation, sleeping more
In context ↗ - sleeping more · No change
meditation, sleeping more ... I’ve tried everything I can possibly think of that would help
In context ↗ - gluten free · No change
I’ve done gluten free in the past due to my stomach issues ... it didn’t change much for me
In context ↗ - therapy · Helped a lot
therapy has helped me tremendously ... I started therapy back up which was a huge game changer
- Modafinil · Helped a lot
I actually take Modafinil, it works wonders for me
In context ↗ - focusing on my food and nutrition · Helped
I’ve spent a lot of my time focusing on my food and nutrition. It’s helped a decent amount, mostly GI wise
In context ↗ - Stretching · Helped
Stretching, definitely still hard to do but will make you feel good and still works your body
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset
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 10 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 | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | caught Covidgot Covid in JulyIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| May 2021 | exhausted every day, depressed, needed coffee and stimulants to functionLeaving the house to grocery shop makes me feel like I can’t do anything else for the rest of the day because I’m so tired.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| September 2021 | symptoms still present but less severe, meds helping14+ months in and still experiencing symptoms just not as badIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| November 2021 | restarted therapy and more meds; ballet once a week on good weeks, reading, learning a language, but no weight lifting or hikingI started therapy back up which was a huge game changer.In context ↗ | Mild | CBT and psychotherapy |
| June 2022 | modafinil works wondersI actually take Modafinil, it works wonders for me.In context ↗ | Mild | Modafinil / armodafinil |
| September 2023 | about 90% recoveredI’d like to say I’m about 90% recovered.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Modafinil / armodafinil“I noticed I got hella brain fog because it was interacting with other meds of mine.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
Leaving the house to grocery shop makes me feel like I can’t do anything else for the rest of the day because I’m so tired.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I will wake up exhausted and go to bed exhausted, just to repeat the cycle again and again.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
It’s gotten to the point where I’ve started to become depressed.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I noticed I got hella brain fog because it was interacting with other meds of mine.
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I’ve done gluten free in the past due to my stomach issues.
In context ↗ - Loss of smell or taste
No smell at all, once I got to that 6 month mark it took a couple more months to fully get my sense of smell back.
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
I’ve just had a slow progression back to being able to smell and comfortably be able to breathe.
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
There was about a 3 day period a month ago where I had a fever, cough, etc. similar to when I had Covid
In context ↗
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