Long COVID
Moderate → relapsedIll 5.5 years before improving or writing
Long COVID worsened for five years, naltrexone helped then a crash, now walks 10 min daily
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5.5 years
- Last post
- Jun 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Covid symptoms here since 2020/2021 and pretty bad since summer 2022.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I need to work just a couple of hours, but it is killing me and PEM is really a thing. Talking with somebody for an hour gives a huge crash a day later.
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
I was pretty normal last year, definitley due to ldn (3 mg) ... I crashed very hard after stopping. Never returned to 'pretty normal' since then.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Covid symptoms here since 2020/2021 and pretty bad since summer 2022.
In context ↗
Read from 27 of their posts and comments; links to the 22 this page draws on
Summary
Long COVID began in mid-2021 with inflammation, dizziness and head pressure while he still ran marathons. He declined over five years, stopping running in late 2022 and cutting work to a few hours a week; antibiotics in late 2024 made things much worse. Low-dose naltrexone gave months of better energy in 2025, but depression and suicidal thoughts forced him to stop and he crashed hard afterwards. He now walks 10 minutes a day.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
icebaths· Helpedfasting (20-24 hour fast once a week)· Helpedstrict diet· HelpedEwot therapy· Helpedred light / near infrared lamp (Nuvibody lite 1500)· No changecitalopram· No changecoq10· No changeNAC· No changecreatine· No changestrictly cutting refined sugars· No changemany supplements· WorseZyrtec / antihistamine pills· WorseShilajit· WorseCOVID vaccination as treatment· Worseantibiotics (doxy)· Much worseLyme treatment from a functional doctor· Much worsebreathwork and meditating· Not saideating healthy, growing own vegetables, quitting alcohol· Not saidenzymes· Not said
Their words about each treatment
- breathwork and meditating · Not said
In the beginning I was so motivated to get better and do all the good and healthy things like breathwork
In context ↗ - eating healthy, growing own vegetables, quitting alcohol · Not said
eating healthy as fuck, grow my own veggies in the backyard, quit alcohol completely
In context ↗ - many supplements · Worse
Supps: have tried so many (on advice of a functional doc) but the effect is so little. I dont think they did any good for my body and probably made me worse.
In context ↗ - antibiotics (doxy) · Much worse
Antiobiotics have completely destroyed me! From mild covid symptoms to very severe.
In context ↗ - Lyme treatment from a functional doctor · Much worse
A doctor gave me a lyme diagnosis too. ... My covid symptoms got so much worse, from able to work and 2 hour walks to almost nothing.
In context ↗ - LDN · Helped a lot
It helped me almost instantly with inflammation and after a while it helped with pem. ... But it made my brainfog worse and it fucked with my mood.
In context ↗ - icebaths · Helped
Icebaths helps me as well. The relief in my head is amazing, but only lasts a couple of hours.
In context ↗ - fasting (20-24 hour fast once a week) · Helped
Fasting helps me, but its not so easy to continue this, because my body screams for food sometimes.
In context ↗ - red light / near infrared lamp (Nuvibody lite 1500) · No change
It was nice to catch some light in de darker months, but no improvement in my covid symptoms.
In context ↗ - Zyrtec / antihistamine pills · Worse
Zyrtec give me extreme fatique and made me worse.
In context ↗ - strict diet · Helped
LDN, strict diet, Ewot therapy, Bemer therapy, there really was a difference and I could do more thing those days
In context ↗ - Bemer therapy · Helped
LDN, strict diet, Ewot therapy, Bemer therapy, there really was a difference
In context ↗ - citalopram · No change
I take it, but only very little effect.
In context ↗ - coq10 · No change
Tried coq10, nac and creatine. Not a difference.
In context ↗ - Shilajit · Worse
Shilajit give some energy, but crash afterwards is harder.
In context ↗ - enzymes · Not said
Only NAC, and some enzymes.
In context ↗ - strictly cutting refined sugars · No change
Did it strictly for a year, not a big difference. I expected a lot more.
In context ↗ - COVID vaccination as treatment · Worse
Pfizer: permanent damage: I felt it almost instantly. The biggest regret of my life
In context ↗
Approaches: Alternative therapies
Their path
What they say at each step doesn’t fit the worst point or outcome above on the severity scale, so the steps are listed as they describe them. Dates are when they posted.
| When | What happened | After |
|---|---|---|
| 7/2021 | First noticeable symptoms (inflammation, dizziness); still training five times a week7/2021 first clearly noticable issues, inflammation and weirs dizziness but stil trained 5 times a week.In context ↗ | |
| 7/2022 | First crash after a teens camp holiday as instructor7/2022 first crash after a teencamp holiday (instructor)In context ↗ | |
| 11/2022 | Stopped running, switched to walking, worked a fifth of his hoursStopped running here and started walking and worked only 20 procent of my hours.In context ↗ | |
| 12/2024 | Went downhill after antibioticsHere I had to take antibiotics and from here it was going downhill.In context ↗ | |
| 5/2025 | No more walking; only five hours of work a week5/2025 no more walking and only work 5 hours a week.In context ↗ | |
| 7/2025 | LDN improved energy and inflammation; back to the gym7/2025, tried LDN and i was getting better. Hit the gymIn context ↗ | Low-dose naltrexone |
| 9/2025 | Crashed after hikes in Germanyin 9/2025 did some hikes in Germany, but crashed afterIn context ↗ | |
| late 2025 | Crashed hard after stopping LDN because of depressionI had to quit with it, because of depressive symptoms from the ldn and I crashed very hard after stopping.In context ↗ | |
| 2026-06-20 | Declined further; walks ten minutes, works a couple of hours, sleeps a lotnow only walk 10 minutes, cause I really really want it and sleep a lot.In context ↗ |
Adverse events
- Red and near-infrared light therapy“I started with too many and too long sessions, because I started to feel kinda nauseous and more headache the rest of the day.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“But after 2 months the side effect became pretty annoying and I had to stop.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec)“Zyrtec give me extreme fatique and made me worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Low-dose naltrexone“I can't take it for too long, cause it affects my mood after a while.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“But the crashed and extra brainfog had me to quit it.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Low-dose naltrexone“It also affect my mood in a terrible way, cause the crashes come with very depressive feelings.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- “my brain is very shitty after a lot of supplements in the past 3 years” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Low-dose naltrexone“But it made my brainfog worse and it fucked with my mood.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Low-dose naltrexone“After 2 months I was really depressed and I didn't relate it to lnd.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“a few months later I tried it again, but in a few weeks I experienced suicidal thoughts. They dissapear when I stopped.” In context ↗ Suicidal thoughts or attempt
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin)“Here I had to take antibiotics and from here it was going downhill.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Low-dose naltrexone“The ldn made me depressed so I had to quit.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“LDN helped me physically and condiotionally, burlt made me very depressed and on cognition it did nothing!” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“I had to quit with it, because of depressive symptoms from the ldn” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“I crashed very hard after stopping. Never returned to 'pretty normal' since then.” In context ↗ Withdrawal problems
- Shilajit“Shilajit give some energy, but crash afterwards is harder.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin)“Antiobiotics have completely destroyed me! From mild covid symptoms to very severe. More than a year ago, but it has never been back since then.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Lyme / co-infection protocols“My covid symptoms got so much worse, from able to work and 2 hour walks to almost nothing.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Pfizer: permanent damage: I felt it almost instantly. The biggest regret of my life” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin)“Antibiotics (doxy), destroyed my gut anx energy levels for months.” In context ↗ Gut side effects
- “I dont think they did any good for my body and probably made me worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Anxiety & low moodBrain fogHeadaches & migrainePOTS & dysautonomiaPost-exertional malaiseSleep problemsVision problems
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
PEM is really a thing. Talking with somebody for an hour gives a huge crash a day later.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
Here the same 24/7 headpressure since 2021.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
mood swings, sometimes severe
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
inflammation and weirs dizziness
In context ↗ - Vision problems
Sometimes I see very blury cause of the pressure.
In context ↗
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