Long COVID with breathlessness, chest pain and brain fog, much better after fluoxetine
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5 months
- Last post
- Aug 2022
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
it helped my long COVID a lot
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
My difficulty breathing disappeared immediately and I was able to go on long walks without worsening symptoms after starting Prozac
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
My difficulty breathing disappeared immediately and I was able to go on long walks without worsening symptoms after starting Prozac ... The brain fog is still there
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
5 months after infection
In context ↗
Read from 6 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
Puffin 68398 developed long COVID after a COVID-19 infection, with breathlessness, chest pain, brain fog and poor sleep. About five months in they started fluoxetine (Prozac) 10 mg: breathlessness went immediately, they could take long walks again without worsening, sleep improved and chest pain eased, while brain fog remained but improved slightly. They asked to switch to fluvoxamine 25 mg; fluvoxamine's sedation made brain fog worse.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- fluoxetine (Prozac) · Helped a lot
My difficulty breathing disappeared immediately and I was able to go on long walks without worsening symptoms after starting Prozac, 5 months after infection.
In context ↗ - fluvoxamine · Worse
Fluvoxamine is recommended for long COVID but the sedation makes my brain fog worse.
In context ↗
Approaches: SSRIs
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 |
|---|---|
| about December 2021 | long COVID after a COVID-19 infection5 months after infectionIn context ↗ |
| early 2022, before Prozac | breathless, chest pain, unrefreshing sleep, brain fog; walking brought on worsening symptomsI couldn't sleep until I started an SSRI.In context ↗ |
| May 2022 | started fluoxetine (Prozac) 10 mg; breathing cleared, long walks without worsening, sleep better, chest pain easing, brain fog slightly betterMy difficulty breathing disappeared immediately and I was able to go on long walks without worsening symptoms after starting ProzacIn context ↗ |
| 2022-07-14 | fluvoxamine sedation made brain fog worseFluvoxamine is recommended for long COVID but the sedation makes my brain fog worse.In context ↗ |
| 2022-08-09 | still credits Prozac; brain fog persistsHave you tried Prozac? I had improvement within a day or two.In context ↗ |
Adverse events
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)“Prozac makes me sleepy/fatigued, but this is also an expected side effect that may clear up eventually.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox)“Fluvoxamine is recommended for long COVID but the sedation makes my brain fog worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Breathlessness
My difficulty breathing disappeared immediately
In context ↗ - Brain fog
The brain fog is still there, although I think it had improved slightly
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my chest pain has decreased and continues to get better. Not 100%
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I couldn't sleep until I started an SSRI.
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
I was able to go on long walks without worsening symptoms after starting Prozac
In context ↗
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