Long COVID with insomnia, fatigue and brain fog, now back to old self after antibiotics
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5 years
- Last post
- Sep 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
My long covid began after my first infection in 2021 and it must have reactivated the Bartonella
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I had horrible fatigue and brain fog as well as bad bloating constantly and occasional stomach pain. ... I was pretty much half dead so I was willing to do anything
In context ↗ - Now: Recovered
I did an aggressive triple antibiotic regimen and am now back to my old self.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
My long covid began after my first infection in 2021
Read from 6 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
They developed long COVID after a mild infection in late 2020 at age 21; a month later came severe insomnia, unrefreshing sleep, fatigue, brain fog and head pressure, lasting about five years. They blamed reactivated Bartonella and took a four-month triple antibiotic regimen; the first month was brutal, with joint swelling and twitching, but by the end of the second month they felt amazing and are now back to their old self, sleeping normally.
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What they tried
What they credit
Their words about each treatment
- ambien · No change
I could only sleep for about 2 hours before waking up no matter what medications I took and I was prescribed heavy meds like ambien and lunesta.
In context ↗ - CPAP · No change
I had a sleep study done that said I had mild sleep apnea so I tried CPAP it didn’t help.
In context ↗ - mouthpiece · No change
I also tried a mouthpiece, also didn’t help.
In context ↗ - doxycycline · Helped a lot
I tried doxycycline as well for 3 months and it didn’t help me with my symptoms. It only added new symptoms (muscle twitching mainly), so I knew it definitely was doing something but just not nearly enough.
In context ↗ - Rifampin · Helped a lot
I did an aggressive triple antibiotic regimen and am now back to my old self.
In context ↗
Approaches: Antibiotics
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. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| late 2020 | mild COVID-19 infection at age 21I had my first covid infection in late 2020In context ↗ | Near normal |
| about a month after infection | sleep-maintenance insomnia beganabout a month later I developed horrific sleep maintenance insomniaIn context ↗ | Mild |
| after four years of illness | years of insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, bloating and head pressureI was pretty much half dead so I was willing to do anythingIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| first month of antibiotics | worse at the start of triple antibioticsThe first month I felt terribleIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| end of the second month of antibiotics | started feeling amazing on triple antibioticsit was only at the end of the second month that I started feeling amazingIn context ↗ | Mild |
| 2026-09-03 | back to their old self and sleeping normallyI did an aggressive triple antibiotic regimen and am now back to my old self.In context ↗ | Recovered |
Adverse events
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin)“It only added new symptoms (muscle twitching mainly)” In context ↗ Side effects
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin), Rifampin (rifampicin), Levofloxacin (Levaquin)“I had crazy joint swelling (mainly in my fingers) that I’ve never experienced before, popping in my ears, neck pain, twitching” In context ↗ Side effects
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin), Rifampin (rifampicin), Levofloxacin (Levaquin)“The first month I felt terrible” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin), Rifampin (rifampicin), Levofloxacin (Levaquin)“I did get worse at first, but it was all worth it in the end!” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- CPAP and sleep apnoea treatment“I tried cpap couldn’t tolerate it” In context ↗ Side effects
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin), Rifampin (rifampicin), Levofloxacin (Levaquin)“combination antibiotics and it was extremely brutal” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
I couldn’t stay asleep for longer than 2 hours and whatever sleep I got was very light.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I had horrible fatigue and brain fog as well as bad bloating constantly and occasional stomach pain.
In context ↗ - Gut problems
bad bloating constantly and occasional stomach pain
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
awful head pressure for almost 5 years
In context ↗
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