Long COVID malaise and sore throat, now nearly back to normal after pantoprazole and diet
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2 years
- Last post
- Jun 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I have had some strange health funsies since Covid (about 14 months ago)
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I walk 10+ km daily (once I walked over 30 km and was fine).
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
97% cured, proper LPR diagnosis, pantoprazol & dietary changes and a lot of patience worked
In context ↗ - Began after: another virus
Last summer (August 2023) I caught some kind of a cold
- Says they never had: Brain fog
cognitive impairment not present
- Says they never had: Post-exertional malaise
I actually don't have PEM, none that I'm aware of
Read from 22 of their posts and comments; links to the 16 this page draws on
Summary
Vale 52462, 18 and living in Czechia, fell ill in August 2023 with constant flu-like malaise and a chronic sore throat after an untested cold, though he still walked 10+ km daily and never had PEM. A severe influenza in early 2025 eased the sore throat, and the malaise remitted during a summer 2025 trip. An LPR diagnosis, pantoprazole and a strict diet later left him 97% better, with occasional flares.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- ascorbic acid · Worse
I tried taking ascorbic acid in the early days but it always made it worse.
In context ↗ - saline nasal sprays · Helped
heat and saline nasal sprays alleviate it
In context ↗ - cetirizine · No change
cetirizine antihistamine (didn't help much)
In context ↗ - doxycycline · No change
not responsive to steroids&doxy
In context ↗ - methylprednisolone / prednisone · No change
I'm currently on doxycycline and methylprednisolone to see if that helps
In context ↗ - NAC · Helped
NAC 300 mg/day (general improvement)
In context ↗ - B-complex · Not said
B-complex (no idea if works)
In context ↗ - magnesium · Not said
magnesium (no idea if works)
In context ↗ - zinc · Not said
zinc (no idea if works)
In context ↗ - omeprazole · Helped
omeprazol (helps, 60 mg a day)
In context ↗ - therapy · Helped
learning to live with this and finding ways to thrive amidst the pain, discomfort and general difficulty was the only thing that made my life worth living
In context ↗ - elevating my bed · Helped
elevating my bed (seems to help but I have only had tried this for a few days)
In context ↗ - dexamethasone gargle · No change
dexamethasone gargle (doesn't help much)
In context ↗ - nasal sprays · No change
kept giving me nasal sprays but then they did little
In context ↗ - Isoprinosine (inosine pranobex) · Helped
I am taking Isoprinosine (inosine pranobex) and it helps a bit too
In context ↗ - amitriptyline · Helped
the LSN has gotten 50% better and I feel much better in general
In context ↗ - antivirals · Not said
I took the antivirals for about three months following a really bad case of the flu
In context ↗ - chewing gum · Helped
chewing gum saved my ass!
In context ↗ - saltwater · Helped
eating somewhat soothes it, as does saltwater and chewing gum
In context ↗ - pantoprazole · Helped a lot
97% cured, proper LPR diagnosis, pantoprazol & dietary changes and a lot of patience worked
In context ↗ - LPR diet · Helped a lot
be EXTREMELY good at sticking to the diet, in three months, it was miles better
In context ↗ - baking soda water · Not said
during flares I take up more meds and baking soda water for 2 weeks
In context ↗ - walking and running · Helped
exercise usually helped
In context ↗ - mindfulness · Not said
I did everything, therapy, now even meds, getting my life sorted, mindfulness
In context ↗ - patience · Helped
pantoprazol & dietary changes and a lot of patience worked
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · Proton pump inhibitors · Antivirals · Diet · Supplements · Tricyclic antidepressants
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 |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | post-viral malaise and sore throat began after an untested coldthe post-viral feeling of malaise just lingeredIn context ↗ | Mild |
| early 2025 | severe influenza eased the sore throatthen I caught a flu, really bad one, 39.9c-bad kind of one, and some of my symptoms got milderIn context ↗ | Mild |
| summer 2025 | malaise remitted during a DiscoverEU tripthe awful malaise, sick feeling, from the vagus nerve I suppose, lasted the whole two years before finally remitting this summerIn context ↗ | Mild |
| June 2026 | LPR diagnosis, pantoprazole and diet left him 97% better97% cured, proper LPR diagnosis, pantoprazol & dietary changes and a lot of patience workedIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Vitamin C“I tried taking ascorbic acid in the early days but it always made it worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Amitriptyline (Elavil)“At first I had strong antihistamine feeling, sedation ... the only side effect I have is some mild weight gain” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
My sleep used to be meh, especially this winter, now the fatigue is gone
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
body weakness (occasional, mild)
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
I started 12.5 mg amitriptyline four weeks ago for post-covid laryngeal sensory neuropathy
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
occasionally I get some chest pain, shortness of breath and headaches
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
First I had to get my mental health in line in autumn
In context ↗
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