Long COVID with PEM and brain fog, somewhat better on low-dose naltrexone and acupuncture
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3 years
- Last post
- May 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I have long covid and am in east LA about 10 miles away from the Eaton fire.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
When I was first diagnosed I was in such a bad place and needed to go on disability
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
It’s helped me more than anything else, but I’m still symptomatic for sure.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I have long covid
Read from 13 of their posts and comments; links to the 11 this page draws on
Summary
Eagle 14950 has had long COVID since mid-2022, with PEM, poor sleep, headaches and brain fog, and needed disability at diagnosis. Low-dose naltrexone, titrated to 7 mg, helped more than anything else, and acupuncture and leaving a stressful marriage also helped. A medication that helped at first faded, and a higher dose caused side effects with minimal benefit. They remain symptomatic and cannot exercise without worsening.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Water with electrolytes · Helped
Water with electrolytes
In context ↗ - getting enough sleep · Helped
getting enough sleep
In context ↗ - foam rolling/theragun · Helped
foam rolling/theragun
In context ↗ - cutting unnecessary sugar · Helped
cutting unnecessary sugar
In context ↗ - eating more fruits and veggies · Helped
eating more fruits and veggies (especially anti inflammatory)
In context ↗ - spending time in nature · Helped
spending time in nature
In context ↗ - connecting with supportive people · Helped
connecting with supportive people (fighting isolation and invalidation)
In context ↗ - heating pad · Helped
heating pad for sore muscles
In context ↗ - baths with epsom salt · Helped
baths with epsom salt
In context ↗ - no screen time · Helped
having dedicated “no screen” time to give my brain a rest
In context ↗ - intermittent fasting · Helped
intermittent fasting
In context ↗ - Effexor · Helped a lot
I just started Effexor 75 a few days ago and the results have been amazing for me so far in terms of fatigue and brain fog.
In context ↗ - Wellbutrin · No change
Wellbutrin (didn’t do anything for me)
In context ↗ - physical therapy · Worse
physical therapy (threw me into crashes)
In context ↗ - functional medicine doctor · Not said
I started working with a functional medicine doctor
In context ↗ - magnesium · No change
I take magnesium and melatonin. Hasn’t seemed to change anything.
In context ↗ - LDN · Helped a lot
I’ve been on LDN for about 9 months - steady at 7mg. It’s helped me more than anything else, but I’m still symptomatic for sure.
In context ↗ - duloxetine · No change
I started at 30mg and have been on 60mg for about 6 weeks now. To be honest, I haven’t noticed much one way or the other.
In context ↗ - exercise · Worse
Every time I’ve tried to get back to some kind of exercise, I end up making myself worse.
In context ↗ - acupuncture · Helped
I’ve had a great experience with acupuncture for the last 9 months.
In context ↗
Approaches: POTS medication · SNRIs · Alternative therapies · Diet · Mind-body practices · Radical rest
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. 1 step has no time and sits in story order between the steps around it. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | long COVID began; at diagnosis in a bad place, needed disabilityWhen I was first diagnosed I was in such a bad place and needed to go on disabilityIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| — | physical therapy threw them into crashesphysical therapy (threw me into crashes)In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-01-20 | wildfire smoke after returning home; daily headaches and more fatigueSince being back, I can breathe okay, but I’ve had the worst headache every day and been more fatigued than I usually amIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-02-16 | Effexor started; much clearer and no longer needed napsI just started Effexor 75 a few days ago and the results have been amazing for me so far in terms of fatigue and brain fogIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2025-06-10 | symptoms improved after leaving a stressful marriagemy symptoms have improved since leaving that stressful and unsupportive environmentIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2025-08-08 | LDN steady at 7 mg helped more than anything elseIt’s helped me more than anything else, but I’m still symptomatic for sureIn context ↗ | Mild | Low-dose naltrexone |
| 2026-01-17 | exercise attempts make them worse; muscle atrophyEvery time I’ve tried to get back to some kind of exercise, I end up making myself worseIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2026-03-18 | acupuncture helpful for nine monthsI’ve had a great experience with acupuncture for the last 9 monthsIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2026-05-18 | medication's benefit faded; dose increase brought side effects and minimal benefitOnce I plateaued, we increased the dose and I ended up with a number of side effects and minimal benefitIn context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Physical therapy / physiotherapy“physical therapy (threw me into crashes)” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Venlafaxine (Effexor), Bupropion (Wellbutrin), Duloxetine (Cymbalta)“Once I plateaued, we increased the dose and I ended up with a number of side effects and minimal benefit.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
physical therapy (threw me into crashes)
In context ↗ - Brain fog
the results have been amazing for me so far in terms of fatigue and brain fog
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I’ve had the worst headache every day
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I wake up maybe 6-8 times each night and wake up feeling like absolute garbage
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
heating pad for sore muscles
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my heart issues were feeling worse
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
feeling/seeing my muscles atrophy and my strength go down so low is really demoralizing
In context ↗
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