Severe long COVID anxiety and parosmia, nearly normal after ashwagandha and fluoxetine
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3 years
- Last post
- Mar 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I got the longhaulers months after being infected the first time in 2020.
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
My anxiety was so bad that I could barely drive at one point
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I feel like my normal self again. The only thing that is left is that coffee smells like plastic/rubber.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I got the longhaulers months after being infected the first time in 2020.
In context ↗ - Says they never had: Tinnitus
I didn't have tinnitus
Read from 33 of their posts and comments; links to the 12 this page draws on
Summary
Rain 94513 developed long COVID months after a COVID infection in 2020, with parosmia, distorted taste and such severe anxiety by late 2021 that they could barely drive. Time eased the lightheadedness and driving anxiety, and Ashwagandha seemed to help; later fluoxetine and a new therapist helped further, with anxiety easing within a month. By March 2024 they felt like their normal self again, with only coffee still smelling wrong.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- antidepressants · Worse
I tried anti depressants for anxiety but I hated the side effects so I decided to try Ashwagandha
In context ↗ - Ashwagandha · Helped
I decided to try Ashwagandha and it seemed to help
In context ↗ - therapy · Helped
Therapy helped, we focused on coping skills for anxiety.
In context ↗ - Weed · Helped
Weed does make me feel super calm though.
In context ↗ - eliminating caffeine · Helped
I eliminated caffeine as well. It started feeling like it was going to give me a heart attack.
In context ↗ - Buspirone · Not said
I’m currently on 10mg or Buspirone.
In context ↗ - Fluoxetine (Generic version of Prozac) · Helped
the one that worked for me was Fluoxetine (Generic version of Prozac)
In context ↗ - time · Helped
it slowly got better over time with noticeable improvements on some days
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · SSRIs
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 | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid 2021 | long COVID symptoms months after first COVID infectionI got the longhaulers months after being infected the first time in 2020.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021-11 | severe anxiety and lightheadedness, could barely driveMy anxiety was so bad that I could barely drive at one pointIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2022-10-25 | lightheadedness and driving anxiety easingIt got better with time ... Ashwagandha and it seemed to helpIn context ↗ | Mild | Ashwagandha |
| 2023-05-23 | drove two hours on the interstate without lightheadednessI was able to drive on the interstate again. I drove 2 hours without getting lightheaded.In context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2024-03-16 | almost completely recovered; coffee still smells like plasticI feel like my normal self again. The only thing that is left is that coffee smells like plastic/rubber.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Antidepressants (unspecified), Fluoxetine (Prozac)“I tried anti depressants for anxiety but I hated the side effects” In context ↗ Side effects
- Buspirone (Buspar)“I didn’t want to medicaste because of side effects but found I only experience them if I take my medicine with food.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Loss of smell or taste
parosmia (distorted sense of smell), and distorted sense of taste
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I got really bad anxiety
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
I felt lightheaded and thought I was going to faint.
In context ↗
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