Long COVID with chest pain, fatigue and PEM, now somewhat better with low-dose tirzepatide
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 4 years
- Last post
- Feb 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
persistent Long Covid symptoms since early 2022
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I can manage day-to-day activities pretty well, but I have to be cautious about physical exertion and mental stress. I can’t exercise anymore
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I feel like I have more energy and can exert myself a bit more without triggering PEM. Chest pains are still there every now and then, but at much lower intensity than before.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
February 2022: First COVID infection (mild, but lingering chest discomfort & fatigue started)
Read from 15 of their posts and comments; links to the 11 this page draws on
Summary
Beech 85908 developed long COVID after a mild infection in February 2022, with chest pain and fatigue, then worsened after a second infection in 2023, adding PEM, dizziness and breathlessness. MRI showed subclinical myo-pericardial inflammation and microvascular angina. Losartan, prednisolone and other drugs gave little lasting relief, and nicotine patches caused a flare. In early 2026 low-dose tirzepatide helped, with more energy and less PEM, though chest pain remained.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Ibuprofen · Helped
for pericarditis I took Ibuprofen for a week or two until it was „gone“
In context ↗ - Colchicine · Not said
Previously: ... Colchicine
In context ↗ - McCullough protocol supplements · No change
I tried a number of supplements (McCullough protocol) but that hasn’t helped
In context ↗ - water fasting · Not said
Now, I’m trying water fasting.
In context ↗ - carnivore · No change
I have tried out carnivore, but only lasted for a week without noticeable improvements
In context ↗ - Famciclovir · No change
I’ve been on Famciclovir and LDN for about four weeks, but I haven’t noticed much improvement yet
In context ↗ - Losartan · Helped
I’ve been on Losartan and low-dose Prednisolone for about six months ... but feel like I'm getting better very very slowly, as in less frequent crashes
- Prednisolone · Helped
put me on Losartan/Candesartan and a micro-dose of Prednisolone ... feel like I'm getting better very very slowly
In context ↗ - nicotine patching · Worse
on the third day, I started feeling a slight onset of shortness of breath ... I also started feeling increased fatigue, dysautonomia, increased chest pain
In context ↗ - licorice / rhubarb root tea · Not said
I’ve tried the approach you’re describing for two days. However, last night (second day) I felt I was coming down with a moderate PEM crash.
In context ↗ - zepbound · Helped
My chest pain went away for the first week, but has since come back – though at a much lower intensity ... overall I feel like it’s helping
Approaches: ARBs · Other drugs and medicines
Their path
What they say at each step doesn’t fit the worst point or outcome above on the severity scale, so the steps are listed as they describe them. Dates are when they posted.
| When | What happened | After |
|---|---|---|
| February 2022 | First COVID infection; lingering chest discomfort and fatigue beganFirst COVID infection (mild, but lingering chest discomfort & fatigue started)In context ↗ | |
| May 2023 | Major flare after second infection: severe chest pain, PEM, dizziness and breathlessness; for two weeks could barely walk a few metresThere were two weeks when I could barely walk for a couple of meters without getting the feeling I would almost faint.In context ↗ | |
| August 2023 | Improved from the severe two-week episode; chest pain and PEM remainedMy conditions has improved since then, but the chest pain as described above remains plus PEM.In context ↗ | |
| January 2025 | Nicotine patch caused shortness of breath, fatigue, dysautonomia and chest painI also started feeling increased fatigue, dysautonomia, increased chest pain, and overall a feeling that I am coming down with something.In context ↗ | Nicotine patches |
| 2026-02-11 | Started low-dose tirzepatide; slightly less inflammation and fewer chest pains, with side effectsI’m feeling I have slightly less inflammation in my body and less frequent chest painsIn context ↗ | Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) |
| 2026-02-22 | On fourth dose of tirzepatide, more energy and less PEM; chest pain lower intensity but still presentI feel like I have more energy and can exert myself a bit more without triggering PEM.In context ↗ | Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) |
Adverse events
- Nicotine patches“on the third day, I started feeling a slight onset of shortness of breath ... I also started feeling increased fatigue, dysautonomia, increased chest pain, and overall a feeling that I am coming down with something.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Licorice and glycyrrhizin“last night (second day) I felt I was coming down with a moderate PEM crash.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)“At the same time, I’m having more intense adrenalin flushes (?) night — wild dreams and feeling that my heart is racing when I sleep, though in reality it isn’t.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)“My side effects have subsided, apart from a light headache every now and then and some fatigue a few hours after injecting.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I still have chest pains and PEM.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
Chest pains are still there every now and then, but at much lower intensity than before.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
now including dizziness and shortness of breath.
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
Occasional shortness of breath with exertion
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
I'm much more sensitive to mental stress and sensory overload.
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
overall a feeling that I am coming down with something.
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Bedbound with long COVID, unable to talk or read, now somewhat better; meds eased chest pain
Swan 33544 got long COVID from a COVID infection in early 2022 despite being triple vaccinated. They were bedbound about four months, unable to talk, read or lift their head, and improved around month nine to housebound. Private cardiology care found…
-
Bedbound with long COVID, improved then relapsed after overdoing it
A US long-hauler who fell ill in early 2020 and was hospitalised with hypertensive crises, bed-bound for a long time. High aldosterone, cortisol and thyroid were found; losartan, spironolactone, inhaled steroids and a short course of dexamethasone brought…
-
Long COVID with fatigue, pain and tachycardia, now much better with time and rest
She fell ill in January 2020 with fatigue, feverishness, blurred vision, weakness and pain, then tachycardia, high blood pressure, neuropathy and weight loss. Endocrine tests found high aldosterone and cortisol and subclinical hyperthyroidism; aldosterone…
-
Long COVID, once bedbound, now about 70% of pre-COVID self after salt and compression
A woman in North Carolina developed long COVID after COVID in February 2023, with POTS, small fiber neuropathy, MCAS and hEDS. By August 2023 she could barely stand and was later bedbound; she reached about 70% of her pre-COVID self, crediting salt, fluids…