Panic attacks four times a week with long COVID, now nearly back to normal on Lexapro
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 4.5 years
- Last post
- Jan 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
long-COVID symptoms returned
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I went to Iceland and Ireland during my first bout of long-COVID
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I’m thankfully mostly recovered, I think, but every time I overdo it and especially every time I try to do squats, I get fever/PEM.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
during my first bout of long-COVID
In context ↗
Read from 16 of their posts and comments; links to the 14 this page draws on
Summary
A Reddit user with long COVID had panic attacks around four times a week, ER trips, broken sleep and bouts of insatiable hunger. Lexapro 10 mg, taken for nine months, stopped the panic attacks and they credit it most, along with Zyrtec, Pepcid and B vitamins, for feeling normal again. By 2025 they were mostly recovered, though overexertion still brought fever and PEM. Refills cost about $4 a month.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Trip to Iceland and Ireland · Helped a lot
I went to Iceland and Ireland during my first bout of long-COVID, and magically felt substantially better in both places.
In context ↗ - Magnesium · Helped
I’ve found that magnesium helps with them a little for me.
In context ↗ - Lexapro (escitalopram) · Helped a lot
for me and I think some others on here, Lexapro helped tremendously during the more active phases of my LC.
In context ↗ - Vitamin B complex · Helped
the Vitamin B complexes are really the only ones that make me feel like myself again.
In context ↗ - Ativan · Helped
It’s really helped me
In context ↗ - Zyrtec/cetirizine, Benadryl, Allegra · Helped
I went from waking up 8-10 times a night and being awake for 2-3 hours, to being awake for only 10-20 min a night with 1 wake up.
In context ↗ - Pepcid/famotidine · Helped
recently I’ve tried Pepcid/famotidine (#3) that has been amazing.
In context ↗ - Vit D · Not said
magnesium glycinate, Vit D, fish oil, Taurine, vitamin B complex, vit C, L-arginine, and then L-theanine in the afternoons (stress), and L-glutamine (help gut) before bed.
In context ↗ - nicotine patch · Helped
I’m on Day 3 of trying it. The first day I didn’t really experience any major changes but by the afternoon I realized that I was feeling “normal”.
In context ↗ - LiquidIV electrolytes · Helped
Interestingly, LiquidIV electrolytes seem to help me immensely.
In context ↗ - Therapy · Helped
honesty, therapy has really helped me.
In context ↗ - Walks and heavy lifting / squats · Worse
making sure to get walks in ... every time I try to do squats, I get fever/PEM.
- MCAS diet · Helped
MCAS diet seems to help.
In context ↗ - Tums · Helped
sometimes simply taking a tums before bed helps me sleep.
In context ↗ - Wedge pillow · Helped
Also got a wedge pillow and that seems to help.
In context ↗ - Cutting out caffeine and alcohol · Helped a lot
cutting out all caffeine (coffee especially) and alcohol helps tremendously.
In context ↗
Approaches: H1 antihistamines · H2 blockers · POTS medication · SSRIs · Diet · Mould avoidance · Supplements
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 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | long COVID beganduring my first bout of long-COVIDIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| during first bout | trip to Iceland and Ireland; felt substantially better abroadI went to Iceland and Ireland during my first bout of long-COVID, and magically felt substantially better in both places.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024 | panic attacks about four times a week, ER visits, waking 8-10 times a nightI was having panic attacks like 4x a week, with that exact terrible and horrifying sense.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024-09 | reinfection brought back hunger and other symptomsMore recently after a reinfection, the hunger and some various other symptoms came back.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024-09 | Lexapro stopped the panic attacks; slowly felt better over weeksI started to incrementally (slowly/steadily) feel better over the span of a few weeks.In context ↗ | Mild | Escitalopram (Lexapro) |
| 2024-10 | nicotine patch; felt normal by day oneby the afternoon I realized that I was feeling “normal”In context ↗ | Mild | Nicotine patches |
| 2024-11 | Zyrtec at night cut night wakings from 8-10 to oneI went from waking up 8-10 times a night and being awake for 2-3 hours, to being awake for only 10-20 min a night with 1 wake upIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2025-08 | mostly recovered, but squats and overexertion still cause fever/PEMI’m thankfully mostly recovered, I thinkIn context ↗ | Near normal | |
| 2026-01-28 | still mostly well; Lexapro credited for the active phaseLexapro helped tremendously during the more active phases of my LCIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
every time I overdo it and especially every time I try to do squats, I get fever/PEM
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
I get fever/PEM
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I was having panic attacks like 4x a week
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
waking up 8-10 times a night and being awake for 2-3 hours
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I often wake up around 3/4am starving with a headache
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I definitely have GERD and sometimes simply taking a tums before bed helps me sleep
In context ↗ - Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
I’m guessing I have MCAS and that’s why it’s worked so well
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
For me the pain sent me to the ER twice.
In context ↗
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