Long COVID with loss of taste and smell, somewhat better after nicotine patches and yoga
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2 years
- Last post
- Sep 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
consistently bad dreams filled with stress and anxiety making my covid worse?
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
My symptoms have not been as severe as most folks here, but the Vagus nerve exercises have been so helpful for me.
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I feel better than I’ve felt in the last three years.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
covid finally got bored with my heart
Read from 25 of their posts and comments; links to the 20 this page draws on
Summary
Fjord 45098 has had long COVID since early 2021, with loss of taste and smell, joint pain, heart fluttering, gut problems and stress-triggered flare-ups; symptoms were milder than most. Nicotine patches in March 2023 brought a marked improvement, though later they felt it may have only worked for a minute; daily vagus nerve exercises, yoga and later electrolyte drinks each helped. They were never fully cured and still had modest flare-ups and kidney stones, and at one point their symptoms got remarkably worse.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- mushrooms (microdose) · Helped
I microdose mushrooms. ... I think the microdosing has been helpful for me.
In context ↗ - ivermectin · Helped
The first time, and with the first two doses, I almost instantly regained a significant amount of my taste and some smell.
In context ↗ - Natto (Nattokinase) · Much worse
I think Natto has been killing me for nearly a year
In context ↗ - vagus nerve exercise (Stanley Rosenberg, page 187) · Helped
It has not solved everything, and it only provides temporary relief for my joint pain. My chronic shoulder injury is most improved.
In context ↗ - hypnosis breathing exercise on a sleep app · Helped
There’s a Hypnosis thing I found on a sleep app that apparently triggers the vagus nerve. It works really well too.
In context ↗ - Xhance · Not said
It may be working—just veeerrrry slowly
In context ↗ - nicotine patches (7mg extended release) · Helped a lot
the nicotine patch, extended-release, for 8 days straight was amazing and appears to have changed my overall trajectory to trending positive.
In context ↗ - yoga · Helped a lot
Yoga changed my life. ... I feel better than I’ve felt in the last three years.
In context ↗ - Rosuvastatin · Worse
5 days ago I started taking Rosuvastatin (because my Cardiologist is very insistent). I cannot say if it is legitimate or placebo but it's making me feel weak so I am stopping
In context ↗ - Prednisone · Helped
Occasionally a quick 40mg of Prednisone helps reverse a flare up trend.
In context ↗ - vitamin D3 · Not said
I take 5000 D3 daily
In context ↗ - turmeric curcumin · Not said
Natto (and turmeric curcumin) are the only new ones.
In context ↗ - massage and chiropractic adjustments · Not said
I get massage and chiropractic adjustments.
In context ↗ - riding a bike · Helped
I force myself to ride (in the sunshine) even just a mile or two a few times a week. ... I think I am suffering less for trying to exercise.
- neti pot · Helped
Multiple netty pots followed by some reasonably quality sleep and I beat it back!
In context ↗ - nebulizer · Not said
I feel a cold, so I netty pot, and nebulizer, and sleep, and it goes away.
In context ↗ - ELMT or Liquid IV · Helped a lot
An ELMT or Liquid IV per day has changed my life too.
In context ↗ - paxlovid · Helped
The first time I did a round of paxlovid (a year ago) I experienced an immediate improvement in my sense of smell. The improvements leveled off after about 3 days
In context ↗
Approaches: POTS medication · Exercise and activity · Mind-body practices · Other drugs and medicines
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | long COVID onset; symptoms milder than mostI’m two years in.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2023-02-08 | slow progress while microdosing mushroomsMy progress is so slow, but it is progress.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2023-02-20 | vagus nerve exercise reduced joint pain within minutesmy joint pain was greatly reduced in minutes!In context ↗ | Mild | Vagus nerve stimulation |
| 2023-03-14 | nicotine patches; full productive work day, sleeping well, smell improvingI even got an urge to do jumping jacks at the office.In context ↗ | Mild | Nicotine patches |
| 2023-11-10 | kidney stones and gut/back pain while taking nattoThe last two weeks I thought I might die from the pain.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2024-03-14 | debilitating quad muscle cramp, later under the scapulaLast October my quad muscle cramped up to a point where it was debilitating for around a month.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024-07-30 | daily living-room yoga routineI feel better than I’ve felt in the last three years.In context ↗ | Mild | Qigong, tai chi and isometric yoga |
| 2026-09-18 | daily electrolyte drink; still improvingAn ELMT or Liquid IV per day has changed my life too.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Ivermectin“I do have new'ish gut issues corresponding with last fall when I get sick and tried another dose.” In context ↗ Gut side effects
- “I had an angiogram (contrast die) and it wrecked me.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Rosuvastatin (Crestor)“it's making me feel weak so I am stopping because I want to finish the nicotine experiment before I screw it up with a statin.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Nicotine patches“I may have suffered some very slight withdrawal.” In context ↗ Withdrawal problems
- Nattokinase“while my heart problems were going away my stomach turned to liquid and I began having these awful pains in my lower back and groin” In context ↗ Gut side effects
- Nattokinase“Is it possible that the natto aggravated my kidney somehow?” In context ↗ Liver or kidney problems
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Loss of smell or taste
my taste has continued to improve to maybe 50% and my smell to 12%
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
my joint pain was greatly reduced in minutes
In context ↗ - Gut problems
my stomach has been liquid for almost a solid year
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my heart is still fluttering a lot
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
I still experience modest flare-ups of my afflicted areas every time I encounter stress (emotional or physical).
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
I often feel like I have the start of a cold coming on.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
There is an exercise on page 187 that I have tried the last two nights to fall asleep
In context ↗
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