Long COVID with PEM crashes, much better with omega-3 and pacing
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2 years
- Last post
- Oct 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I've had bad times when I stayed in bed for days. Typically after a PEM crash.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I've had bad times when I stayed in bed for days. Typically after a PEM crash. Takes weeks to get back to baseline.
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
2000 mg a day of Omega 3 made the worst of it subside. Took about 3 days and I felt much better and could drive again.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I was diagnosed with diabetes before having Covid.
In context ↗
Read from 28 of their posts and comments; links to the 20 this page draws on
Summary
Puffin 38183 has had long COVID for a couple of years, with PEM crashes that kept them in bed for days, disrupted sleep, alternating constipation and diarrhoea, head pressure and dizziness. Omega-3 2000 mg a day, psyllium husk, a low-histamine diet, pacing and an earlier bedtime helped; brain fog and dizziness improved within days and the gut is now essentially normal. Extra long walks brought a crash, and Pilocarpine gave headaches and blurry vision.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Psyllium husk · Helped a lot
Within about a week, my symptoms had dissipated. ... my gut motility is essentially normal now.
In context ↗ - Kiwi · Helped
eat high fiber fruit like Kiwi - with the skin on. It really helped stabilize my gut.
In context ↗ - Omega 3 · Helped a lot
2000 mg a day of Omega 3 made the worst of it subside. Took about 3 days and I felt much better and could drive again.
In context ↗ - Lowering nighttime bedroom temperature to 68 degrees · Helped
Lowering my nighttime bedroom temp to 68 degrees so I get at least an hour of deep sleep. These two things made a huge difference.
In context ↗ - Yoga Nidra, breathing exercises, legs-up-the-wall pose · Helped
Lay down and listen to calm music or Yoga Nidra with pillow under your knees.
In context ↗ - Ice pack on the sides of the neck · Helped
Put ice pack on the sides of your neck - calms your vagus nerve
In context ↗ - Pressure points on wrists and in ear · Helped
use pressure points on wrists and in ear to lower calm vagus nerve
In context ↗ - Acupuncture · Helped
acupuncture - let them know what you are experiencing and they can customize the treatment
In context ↗ - Antibiotics · Worse
I've had some severe cognitive reactions to common medications like antibiotics.
In context ↗ - Vitamin C · Not said
Also take vitamin C to act as a histamine.
In context ↗ - Low histamine diet · Helped
eating a low histamine diet made a significant difference
In context ↗ - Pacing by heart rate · Helped
I use my HR as a guide, as long as I keep it under about 125 I'm fine.
In context ↗ - Stopping soda, juice and candy; losing 40 pounds · Helped a lot
The #1 thing I did to get my blood sugar down was lose 40 pounds. Then stop drinking soda and juice and stop eating any type of candy. Blood sugar went from 7.8 to 5.4.
In context ↗ - Exercise, especially calf raises · Helped
Exercise helps immensely, especially calf raises.
In context ↗ - Pilocarpine · Worse
My doctor prescribed Pilocarpine 5mg But it gave me constant headaches, blurry vision and dizziness.
In context ↗ - Daytime eye drops and nighttime eye gel · Helped
Look for daytime eye drops and also nighttime eye gel, these really help.
In context ↗ - Shifting bedtime earlier · Helped
recommended shifting my bedtime earlier. I've tried this for a few days and gotten an extra hour of sleep each night.
In context ↗ - Tart cherry juice · Helped
I've found tart cherry juice helps. 1 glass in morning, a glass an hour before bed.
In context ↗ - Vegetable glycerine spray · Helped
Vegetable glycerine in water in a small spray bottle helps to keep mouth moist if you wake at night.
In context ↗ - Resistant starch · Helped
A simple solution is resistive starch and psyllium husk supplements. These have worked for me.
In context ↗ - Vitamin D3 · Helped
My D was low as well so Iv'e been supplementing for about a year. I have improved some but hard to know if that is it.
In context ↗ - B12 · Helped
Things that have really helped me. ... B12
In context ↗ - Claritin · Helped
Things that have really helped me. ... Claritin
In context ↗
Approaches: H1 antihistamines · Diet · Pacing · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Long COVID after Covid infectionI was diagnosed with diabetes before having Covid.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| — | PEM crashes leaving them in bed for daysI’ve had bad times when I stayed in bed for days. Typically after a PEM crash. Takes weeks to get back to baseline.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2026-09 | Brain fog, dizziness and disorientation much better, could drive again2000 mg a day of Omega 3 made the worst of it subside. Took about 3 days and I felt much better and could drive again.In context ↗ | Mild | Omega-3 and fish oil |
| 2026-10-08 | Crashed after extra long walks on consecutive daysI’ve been feeling pretty good and went for extra long walks for a couple of days. Today I’m paying for it so I’m resting.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2026-10-27 | Gut motility essentially normal; still improving slowlymy gut motility is essentially normal nowIn context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Pilocarpine“My doctor prescribed Pilocarpine 5mg But it gave me constant headaches, blurry vision and dizziness.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Pilocarpine“I tried Pilocarpine but it gave me headaches and blurry vision and didn't seem to help with the dryness.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Antibiotics (unspecified)“I've had some severe cognitive reactions to common medications like antibiotics.” In context ↗ Other
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I’ve had bad times when I stayed in bed for days. Typically after a PEM crash.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I’ve been struggling with disrupted sleep for years.
In context ↗ - Gut problems
My body would alternate between being constipated and having diarrhea.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
this has dramatically improved brain fog & dizziness
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
If I have a full blown crash my BP and HR will get wildly out of control.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I get severe head swimming and pressure in my head, neck and shoulders.
In context ↗ - Vision problems
My eyes, nose and mouth are very dry.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Many of us feel this way on bad days.
In context ↗
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