Everyone · 398 people
How it went for everyone who tried it
Helped means they said it helped with what they took it for, which may be one symptom and not the illness.
Shares are out of the 269 people who said how it went. 129 more tried it without saying how it went overall; 3 of them describe a problem.
Show as a table
| How it went | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Helped a lot | 14 | 5% |
| Helped | 206 | 77% |
| No change | 39 | 14% |
| Worse | 8 | 3% |
| Much worse | 2 | 1% |
| Where it was reported | Helped | Said how it went |
|---|---|---|
| 206 | 255 | |
| Recovery stories | 14 | 14 |
Did it last, for everyone it helped?
- It wore off for 15 of the 220 people it helped: 8 who credit it for their improvement, 7 who don’t.
Read from what people wrote, and the more someone wrote, the more likely they are to mention it. Some people stop posting before saying, so the real number may be higher.
Everyone · 155 people
Among the 155 who credit it with their improvement, here’s how they are now
Credit it means they say it’s one reason they got better: 17 say it helped them most; 138 say it was one of several things that helped.
Where each person was at the end of their story, or in their latest post that says how they are, compared with their worst point.
Show as a table
| Outcome described | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Recovered | 14 | 9% |
| Near normal | 35 | 23% |
| Much better | 46 | 30% |
| Somewhat better | 36 | 23% |
| Relapsed | 24 | 15% |
Did it last?
- 8 of the 155 who credit it said its benefit wore off (5 of them among the 24 who relapsed).
- 82 of the 155 who credit it say they still need to keep doing something (not always this) to stay well.
Long COVID · 260 people
How it went for everyone who tried it
Helped means they said it helped with what they took it for, which may be one symptom and not the illness.
Shares are out of the 169 people who said how it went. 91 more tried it without saying how it went overall; 2 of them describe a problem.
Show as a table
| How it went | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Helped a lot | 7 | 4% |
| Helped | 132 | 78% |
| No change | 25 | 15% |
| Worse | 5 | 3% |
| Much worse | 0 | 0% |
Did it last, for everyone it helped?
- It wore off for 5 of the 139 people it helped: 4 who credit it for their improvement, 1 who doesn’t.
Read from what people wrote, and the more someone wrote, the more likely they are to mention it. Some people stop posting before saying, so the real number may be higher.
Long COVID · 102 people
Among the 102 who credit it with their improvement, here’s how they are now
Credit it means they say it’s one reason they got better: 5 say it helped them most; 97 say it was one of several things that helped.
Where each person was at the end of their story, or in their latest post that says how they are, compared with their worst point.
Show as a table
| Outcome described | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Recovered | 9 | 9% |
| Near normal | 28 | 27% |
| Much better | 34 | 33% |
| Somewhat better | 18 | 18% |
| Relapsed | 13 | 13% |
Did it last?
- 4 of the 102 who credit it said its benefit wore off (1 of them among the 13 who relapsed).
- 53 of the 102 who credit it say they still need to keep doing something (not always this) to stay well.
ME/CFS · 138 people
How it went for everyone who tried it
Helped means they said it helped with what they took it for, which may be one symptom and not the illness.
Shares are out of the 100 people who said how it went. 38 more tried it without saying how it went overall; 1 of them describes a problem.
Show as a table
| How it went | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Helped a lot | 7 | 7% |
| Helped | 74 | 74% |
| No change | 14 | 14% |
| Worse | 3 | 3% |
| Much worse | 2 | 2% |
| Where it was reported | Helped | Said how it went |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | 86 | |
| Recovery stories | 14 | 14 |
Did it last, for everyone it helped?
- It wore off for 10 of the 81 people it helped: 4 who credit it for their improvement, 6 who don’t.
Read from what people wrote, and the more someone wrote, the more likely they are to mention it. Some people stop posting before saying, so the real number may be higher.
ME/CFS · 53 people
Among the 53 who credit it with their improvement, here’s how they are now
Credit it means they say it’s one reason they got better: 12 say it helped them most; 41 say it was one of several things that helped.
Where each person was at the end of their story, or in their latest post that says how they are, compared with their worst point.
Show as a table
| Outcome described | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Recovered | 5 | 10% |
| Near normal | 7 | 13% |
| Much better | 12 | 22% |
| Somewhat better | 18 | 34% |
| Relapsed | 11 | 21% |
Did it last?
- 4 of the 53 who credit it said its benefit wore off; all 4 are among the 11 who relapsed.
- 29 of the 53 who credit it say they still need to keep doing something (not always this) to stay well.
Everyone · not split by condition
By how ill people were
Only the 155 who credit it, so people it didn’t help or made worse aren’t here. How they are now is their outcome overall, not the effect of this one treatment.
| Severity at worst | How they are now | n | Recovered or near normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild | 38 | 45% | |
| Moderate | 35 | 34% | |
| Severe | 54 | 20% | |
| Very severe | 5 | 40%, few people | |
| Not stated | 23 | 31% |
Show as a table
| At worst | Outcome | People | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild | Recovered | 5 of 38 | 13% |
| Mild | Near normal | 12 of 38 | 32% |
| Mild | Much better | 2 of 38 | 5% |
| Mild | Somewhat better | 13 of 38 | 34% |
| Mild | Relapsed | 6 of 38 | 16% |
| Moderate | Recovered | 4 of 35 | 11% |
| Moderate | Near normal | 8 of 35 | 23% |
| Moderate | Much better | 13 of 35 | 37% |
| Moderate | Somewhat better | 6 of 35 | 17% |
| Moderate | Relapsed | 4 of 35 | 12% |
| Severe | Recovered | 3 of 54 | 5% |
| Severe | Near normal | 8 of 54 | 15% |
| Severe | Much better | 22 of 54 | 41% |
| Severe | Somewhat better | 9 of 54 | 17% |
| Severe | Relapsed | 12 of 54 | 22% |
| Very severe | Recovered | 1 of 5 | 20% |
| Very severe | Near normal | 1 of 5 | 20% |
| Very severe | Much better | 1 of 5 | 20% |
| Very severe | Somewhat better | 1 of 5 | 20% |
| Very severe | Relapsed | 1 of 5 | 20% |
| Not stated | Recovered | 1 of 23 | 4% |
| Not stated | Near normal | 6 of 23 | 27% |
| Not stated | Much better | 8 of 23 | 35% |
| Not stated | Somewhat better | 7 of 23 | 30% |
| Not stated | Relapsed | 1 of 23 | 4% |
Everyone · not split by condition
Time to improvement
Among the 4 who name it as their one main treatment and say how long it took (most people don’t, and those who do may not be typical), the first improvement came after 3 days at the quickest and after 1 week at the slowest. Each dot is one person.
Each person’s time4 stories, quickest firstShowHide
Read from each person’s own timeline and estimated from the dates they give. A story’s time runs from starting its main treatment, so it can’t be split between several. The time line stretches short waits so a few days and a few months both have room.
Everyone · not split by condition
What people started next
49 of the 269 people who said how it went saw no change or got worse. 29 of those 49 say what they started next.
Started by the most people first; a tie goes to the one that helped more of them. The first treatment each person started after it, read from their own timeline. Someone who started two things at once is in both cards, so the cards can add up to more than 29. “Helped” is how that next treatment went, out of those who said how it went.
Everyone · not split by condition
Adverse events
What people said went wrong, in their own words.
25 of 398
people who wrote about taking it described a problem they tied to it
The serious kinds
Worth telling a doctor about straight away.
Made them much worse
2 people“I almost died of selenium poisoning thanks to supplements that were prescribed to me.”
— Swan 55291 “so i continued 100-200mcg and it totally fked my health just within 4 weeks of starting it.”
— Puffin 86305 Mood or psychiatric effects
3 people“i took the higher dose and was crazy anxious. I cut that in half”
— Maple 69325 “magnesium glycinate causes me bad anxiety”
— Dune 11712 Show 1 moreShow fewer
“selenium supplements make me angry for some reason”
— Dove 98622 If you are struggling or having thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out for help: a doctor, a local crisis line or emergency services.
Refeeding or deficiency problems
2 people“I took zinc for years and had copper deficiency show up on a cellular nutrient deficiency test.”
— Maple 37560 “I also have folate deficiency, it was 0.65 before after selenium it came down to 0.23.”
— Puffin 86305 Blood count problems
1 person“Having my thyroid suddenly start making hormones again made me have anemia symptoms”
— Dove 98622 Heart rhythm problems
1 person“Selenomethionine 100mcg from supplements caused arrhythmias and further heart issues.”
— Comet 87655
The serious kinds are a death, suicidal thoughts or an attempt, a hospital stay, an ER visit, an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis, heart rhythm, liver or kidney, blood count, mood or psychiatric, or refeeding or deficiency problems, and being made much worse: a large worsening such as a crash lasting weeks or more.
Other kinds
Unpleasant effects people tied to it, the most serious first.
Made symptoms worse · 8Gut side effects · 4Side effects · 10Other · 1 Show all 4Hide
Made symptoms worse
8 people“What made me worse: Nattokinase, antihistamines, Selenium, Vit. B1 and Folate”
— Hill 82091 “TA1 stimulates the immune system quite a bit and I got a similar reaction to supplementing with selenium.”
— Sandpiper 53110 Show 6 moreShow fewer
“Too much potassium really messes me up”
— Dew 68600 “a selenomethionine supplement made my heart worse”
— Island 16417 “I think the combination of these nutrients perhaps even made things worse for me.”
— Meadow 23537 “so i continued 100-200mcg and it totally fked my health just within 4 weeks of starting it.”
— Puffin 86305 “I tried taking Selenium some time back and it made my chest pains immediately worse so I stopped”
— Glade 81247 “When I started the selenium I felt immediately worse, because I was so deficient.”
— Fjord 49666 Gut side effects
4 people“I tried a lot of Vitamin C, Selenium and Quercetin which I got from this reddit and those made my digestion worse.”
— Pebble 25311 “I've tried a kelp supplement and it gave me severe diarrhea”
— Island 16417 Show 2 moreShow fewer
“my stomach started hurting pretty bad and i pretty much had to live near the bathroom.”
— Maple 42526 “within 3 days started having really bad stomach pains and stomach issues.”
— jmd82 Side effects
10 people“I had reactions to all of them except selenium and had to start with very low doses and try different forms.”
— Pond 26875 “Copper and the nicotinic acid irritate though!”
— Horizon 16724 Show 8 moreShow fewer
“I did try selenium awhile back though and all it did was give me ear pain.”
— Lagoon 98904 “many selenium formulations cause intense headaches for me and titrating dosing did not help”
— Kestrel 63297 “Coq10, selenium, yeast, vit E too much of these makes my prostate or bladder crazy”
— Stone 30737 “This approach triggered more copper being released from my liver into my blood. I got symptoms of too much copper ... from a LOW copper approach.”
— Sequoia 53349 “even 10mg of magnesium would paralyze my body totally, when magnesium used to help me a lot before selenium.”
— Puffin 86305 “When I started the selenium, I felt TERRIBLE for a week.”
— Fjord 49666 “I noticed some increased fatigue on just the 3 minerals.”
— Tern 91218 “I myself for example will get irritability side effects from 800 mcg of selenium”
— Hip Other
1 person“I almost died of selenium poisoning thanks to supplements that were prescribed to me.”
— Swan 55291
Only what people tied to this treatment, in their own words, grouped by kind. Some described more than one kind, so the counts by kind add up to 30.
All posts · not split by condition
How often it comes up
Posts that mention Selenium, per 1,000 posts each month. Hover or tap a point for the count.
Show as a table
| Month | Posts mentioning it | All posts | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2009 | 0 | 105 | 0 |
| Jan 2010 | 0 | 141 | 0 |
| Feb 2010 | 0 | 113 | 0 |
| Jun 2011 | 0 | 109 | 0 |
| Nov 2011 | 1 | 124 | 8.1 |
| Dec 2011 | 1 | 199 | 5.0 |
| Jan 2012 | 2 | 232 | 8.6 |
| Feb 2012 | 0 | 103 | 0 |
| Mar 2012 | 0 | 190 | 0 |
| Apr 2012 | 0 | 162 | 0 |
| May 2012 | 0 | 375 | 0 |
| Jun 2012 | 0 | 238 | 0 |
| Jul 2012 | 0 | 240 | 0 |
| Aug 2012 | 0 | 485 | 0 |
| Sep 2012 | 0 | 561 | 0 |
| Oct 2012 | 0 | 526 | 0 |
| Nov 2012 | 1 | 514 | 1.9 |
| Dec 2012 | 0 | 699 | 0 |
| Jan 2013 | 4 | 533 | 7.5 |
| Feb 2013 | 2 | 447 | 4.5 |
| Mar 2013 | 1 | 429 | 2.3 |
| Apr 2013 | 2 | 499 | 4.0 |
| May 2013 | 0 | 606 | 0 |
| Jun 2013 | 3 | 609 | 4.9 |
| Jul 2013 | 1 | 616 | 1.6 |
| Aug 2013 | 0 | 577 | 0 |
| Sep 2013 | 0 | 364 | 0 |
| Oct 2013 | 1 | 536 | 1.9 |
| Nov 2013 | 1 | 385 | 2.6 |
| Dec 2013 | 0 | 519 | 0 |
| Jan 2014 | 35 | 944 | 37.1 |
| Feb 2014 | 3 | 821 | 3.7 |
| Mar 2014 | 5 | 425 | 11.8 |
| Apr 2014 | 0 | 361 | 0 |
| May 2014 | 2 | 617 | 3.2 |
| Jun 2014 | 5 | 489 | 10.2 |
| Jul 2014 | 1 | 444 | 2.3 |
| Aug 2014 | 11 | 622 | 17.7 |
| Sep 2014 | 15 | 507 | 29.6 |
| Oct 2014 | 2 | 678 | 2.9 |
| Nov 2014 | 8 | 567 | 14.1 |
| Dec 2014 | 0 | 629 | 0 |
| Jan 2015 | 4 | 760 | 5.3 |
| Feb 2015 | 2 | 873 | 2.3 |
| Mar 2015 | 4 | 1,276 | 3.1 |
| Apr 2015 | 0 | 984 | 0 |
| May 2015 | 2 | 1,496 | 1.3 |
| Jun 2015 | 2 | 1,046 | 1.9 |
| Jul 2015 | 2 | 1,211 | 1.7 |
| Aug 2015 | 2 | 998 | 2.0 |
| Sep 2015 | 1 | 1,060 | 0.94 |
| Oct 2015 | 0 | 1,255 | 0 |
| Nov 2015 | 0 | 1,246 | 0 |
| Dec 2015 | 4 | 924 | 4.3 |
| Jan 2016 | 0 | 1,282 | 0 |
| Feb 2016 | 7 | 1,051 | 6.7 |
| Mar 2016 | 0 | 1,002 | 0 |
| Apr 2016 | 5 | 998 | 5.0 |
| May 2016 | 1 | 1,045 | 0.96 |
| Jun 2016 | 1 | 1,230 | 0.81 |
| Jul 2016 | 2 | 1,619 | 1.2 |
| Aug 2016 | 1 | 1,729 | 0.58 |
| Sep 2016 | 0 | 1,785 | 0 |
| Oct 2016 | 5 | 1,220 | 4.1 |
| Nov 2016 | 6 | 1,092 | 5.5 |
| Dec 2016 | 0 | 1,211 | 0 |
| Jan 2017 | 4 | 1,660 | 2.4 |
| Feb 2017 | 5 | 1,988 | 2.5 |
| Mar 2017 | 2 | 2,078 | 0.96 |
| Apr 2017 | 0 | 2,133 | 0 |
| May 2017 | 3 | 2,370 | 1.3 |
| Jun 2017 | 5 | 2,194 | 2.3 |
| Jul 2017 | 2 | 2,183 | 0.92 |
| Aug 2017 | 5 | 2,466 | 2.0 |
| Sep 2017 | 1 | 2,189 | 0.46 |
| Oct 2017 | 6 | 3,042 | 2.0 |
| Nov 2017 | 3 | 1,976 | 1.5 |
| Dec 2017 | 0 | 2,112 | 0 |
| Jan 2018 | 2 | 2,620 | 0.76 |
| Feb 2018 | 5 | 2,155 | 2.3 |
| Mar 2018 | 6 | 2,613 | 2.3 |
| Apr 2018 | 2 | 2,251 | 0.89 |
| May 2018 | 1 | 2,828 | 0.35 |
| Jun 2018 | 5 | 3,871 | 1.3 |
| Jul 2018 | 1 | 3,067 | 0.33 |
| Aug 2018 | 2 | 3,757 | 0.53 |
| Sep 2018 | 3 | 3,512 | 0.85 |
| Oct 2018 | 3 | 3,261 | 0.92 |
| Nov 2018 | 1 | 2,861 | 0.35 |
| Dec 2018 | 0 | 2,754 | 0 |
| Jan 2019 | 10 | 3,672 | 2.7 |
| Feb 2019 | 10 | 2,715 | 3.7 |
| Mar 2019 | 3 | 3,317 | 0.90 |
| Apr 2019 | 2 | 3,141 | 0.64 |
| May 2019 | 3 | 3,855 | 0.78 |
| Jun 2019 | 1 | 3,392 | 0.29 |
| Jul 2019 | 7 | 3,312 | 2.1 |
| Aug 2019 | 3 | 3,943 | 0.76 |
| Sep 2019 | 2 | 4,035 | 0.50 |
| Oct 2019 | 1 | 3,922 | 0.25 |
| Nov 2019 | 3 | 3,508 | 0.86 |
| Dec 2019 | 1 | 3,659 | 0.27 |
| Jan 2020 | 5 | 4,650 | 1.1 |
| Feb 2020 | 10 | 4,374 | 2.3 |
| Mar 2020 | 2 | 4,475 | 0.45 |
| Apr 2020 | 2 | 3,690 | 0.54 |
| May 2020 | 7 | 4,543 | 1.5 |
| Jun 2020 | 3 | 5,701 | 0.53 |
| Jul 2020 | 3 | 6,104 | 0.49 |
| Aug 2020 | 12 | 10,333 | 1.2 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 11,958 | 0 |
| Oct 2020 | 4 | 14,568 | 0.27 |
| Nov 2020 | 29 | 16,546 | 1.8 |
| Dec 2020 | 46 | 20,764 | 2.2 |
| Jan 2021 | 28 | 24,562 | 1.1 |
| Feb 2021 | 25 | 24,672 | 1.0 |
| Mar 2021 | 37 | 29,476 | 1.3 |
| Apr 2021 | 23 | 28,509 | 0.81 |
| May 2021 | 21 | 25,791 | 0.81 |
| Jun 2021 | 26 | 27,871 | 0.93 |
| Jul 2021 | 9 | 27,220 | 0.33 |
| Aug 2021 | 10 | 30,808 | 0.32 |
| Sep 2021 | 12 | 30,074 | 0.40 |
| Oct 2021 | 8 | 22,132 | 0.36 |
| Nov 2021 | 15 | 27,722 | 0.54 |
| Dec 2021 | 22 | 31,872 | 0.69 |
| Jan 2022 | 51 | 42,317 | 1.2 |
| Feb 2022 | 35 | 38,697 | 0.90 |
| Mar 2022 | 28 | 44,305 | 0.63 |
| Apr 2022 | 22 | 44,333 | 0.50 |
| May 2022 | 32 | 50,594 | 0.63 |
| Jun 2022 | 26 | 49,058 | 0.53 |
| Jul 2022 | 23 | 53,485 | 0.43 |
| Aug 2022 | 20 | 54,455 | 0.37 |
| Sep 2022 | 43 | 56,936 | 0.76 |
| Oct 2022 | 30 | 58,511 | 0.51 |
| Nov 2022 | 11 | 59,198 | 0.19 |
| Dec 2022 | 25 | 61,576 | 0.41 |
| Jan 2023 | 23 | 61,004 | 0.38 |
| Feb 2023 | 23 | 50,133 | 0.46 |
| Mar 2023 | 14 | 59,925 | 0.23 |
| Apr 2023 | 44 | 54,251 | 0.81 |
| May 2023 | 35 | 57,768 | 0.61 |
| Jun 2023 | 23 | 52,679 | 0.44 |
| Jul 2023 | 20 | 56,401 | 0.35 |
| Aug 2023 | 27 | 65,435 | 0.41 |
| Sep 2023 | 34 | 61,835 | 0.55 |
| Oct 2023 | 25 | 58,419 | 0.43 |
| Nov 2023 | 27 | 53,662 | 0.50 |
| Dec 2023 | 43 | 60,643 | 0.71 |
| Jan 2024 | 25 | 71,818 | 0.35 |
| Feb 2024 | 26 | 70,045 | 0.37 |
| Mar 2024 | 29 | 68,261 | 0.42 |
| Apr 2024 | 11 | 64,374 | 0.17 |
| May 2024 | 20 | 67,698 | 0.30 |
| Jun 2024 | 32 | 64,720 | 0.49 |
| Jul 2024 | 22 | 65,335 | 0.34 |
| Aug 2024 | 36 | 68,517 | 0.53 |
| Sep 2024 | 25 | 70,168 | 0.36 |
| Oct 2024 | 32 | 72,607 | 0.44 |
| Nov 2024 | 22 | 71,802 | 0.31 |
| Dec 2024 | 22 | 74,401 | 0.30 |
| Jan 2025 | 18 | 77,909 | 0.23 |
| Feb 2025 | 26 | 65,110 | 0.40 |
| Mar 2025 | 18 | 69,905 | 0.26 |
| Apr 2025 | 47 | 61,606 | 0.76 |
| May 2025 | 27 | 65,733 | 0.41 |
| Jun 2025 | 28 | 60,540 | 0.46 |
| Jul 2025 | 38 | 62,105 | 0.61 |
| Aug 2025 | 21 | 64,578 | 0.33 |
| Sep 2025 | 25 | 61,704 | 0.41 |
| Oct 2025 | 21 | 59,204 | 0.35 |
| Nov 2025 | 19 | 58,944 | 0.32 |
| Dec 2025 | 13 | 62,830 | 0.21 |
| Jan 2026 | 20 | 63,321 | 0.32 |
| Feb 2026 | 15 | 53,085 | 0.28 |
| Mar 2026 | 17 | 59,208 | 0.29 |
| Apr 2026 | 18 | 53,989 | 0.33 |
| May 2026 | 9 | 57,541 | 0.16 |
| Jun 2026 | 11 | 55,301 | 0.20 |
| Jul 2026 | 21 | 56,391 | 0.37 |
| Aug 2026 | 11 | 56,825 | 0.19 |
| Sep 2026 | 9 | 57,143 | 0.16 |
Forum and Reddit posts, 4,007,898 in all, counted per month. A mention means the post names the treatment, not that the writer took it. All trends
Everyone · 398 people
20 of the 398 people who tried it
See all 398 stories-
Bedbound with severe ME/CFS, now nearly back to normal on protocol and strict rest
Bedbound and unable to tolerate light or sound for six of her 8.5 years of severe ME/CFS, she improved gradually over about six years on a personalized biochemical protocol built by her physician husband (minerals, amino acids, phospholipids, mitochondrial…
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Long COVID brain fog and POTS, somewhat better; phosphatidylcholine helped brain fog
A Reddit user with long COVID described POTS, brain fog, migraines and small fibre neuropathy. Phosphatidylcholine taken several times a day was the only thing that helped their brain fog. B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and selenium also helped, and they called…
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Housebound or bedbound with long COVID, now much better with rapamycin and rest
After an acute COVID infection Stone 61523 was housebound or bedbound for many months with headaches, brain fog, heat intolerance, palpitations and PEM. Two six-month courses of rapamycin, with radical rest, pacing and supplements, brought steady gains in…
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Housebound with ME/CFS for five years, somewhat better after ashwagandha and metformin
A Canadian woman ill with ME/CFS for about 11 years, plus fibromyalgia, POTS, SIBO and MCAS, who declined from moderate to severe after COVID vaccinations and has been housebound for about five years, lying down most of the day. Ashwagandha, holy basil,…
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Partly bedbound with long COVID, now much better after low-histamine diet and supplements
Long COVID began in December 2023 after a mild infection, with constant depersonalisation, panic attacks, insomnia and breathlessness; at worst suicidal; partly bedbound from PEM. A strict low-histamine diet, cold showers, breathing work, yoga nidra and…
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Long COVID, barely walking at worst, now much better with pacing and gluten-free diet
She caught COVID in May 2020 and had years of relapsing fatigue, brain fog, depression and insomnia, at worst barely able to manage stairs or walk in a straight line while still working from home. Vaccines gave gains that faded; pacing and a gluten-free diet…
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Unable to stand or walk across the room with ME/CFS, now much better on supplements and NaturDAO
Tulip 50673's ME/CFS came from latent EBV after some 30 years of wear, with MCAS and histamine intolerance on top. They retired early, unable to stand or walk across the room. Supplements and NaturDAO brought a night-and-day change; they now do yard work and…
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Housebound and mostly in bed with ME/CFS, Abilify helped then relapse
A US software engineer who fell ill in 2010 at age 30 went from mild to severe after pushing himself while preparing to change jobs in 2017, ending up housebound and mostly in bed. Low-dose Abilify lifted him from severe to mild within weeks in 2020, but the…
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ME/CFS very severe and bedbound, still extremely severe; lorazepam, magnesium helped sleep
After two years of mild symptoms only after sport, Hill 82091 declined from mild to very severe over about five months after starting a job in late 2025. A chiropractic neck adjustment in February 2026 took them from moderate to severe. They became fully…
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Severe ME/CFS, housebound and often bedbound; walking better after physio, then relapsed
Pebble 29054, in the UK, has suspected ME/CFS and describes a decline from mild to severe after NHS GET/CBT and exercise, now housebound and often bedbound with crashes, sleep disruption, headaches, dizziness, GI/IBS and electrolyte problems. A private…
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Long COVID too faint to walk or drive, now good most days at about 80-85%
A woman who fell ill with long COVID in August 2023 was too faint to walk around much or drive, with brain fog, breathlessness and anxiety. Quitting her job and resting six months, plus supplements, brought her to about 90% by mid-2024, but a January 2025…
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Bedbound 18 months with long COVID, now much better after sleep and salted water
Puffin 90449 caught Covid in 2022 and was bedbound for 18 months with long COVID, unable to stand for more than 13-18 minutes. Recovery began only after sleeping 16-20 hours a day for nearly two years, alongside salted water for POTS, antihistamines, iodine…
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Bedbound in a dark room with long COVID, now much better with LDN and supplements
Petrel 90473 got COVID at the end of 2023 and was severe, bed bound in a dark room for months at a time, with dementia-like brain fog, PEM, POTS, joint pain and lost smell and taste. From mid-July 2026 she improved quickly, crediting LDN mainly and taking a…
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Nearly bedbound and housebound with ME/CFS, now much better after T4/T3 and diet changes
Quail 70138 had CFS and hypothyroidism and was nearly bedbound/housebound before a decade-long improvement to moderate-mild. Treating subclinical hypothyroidism with T4/T3, plus diet changes, hydrocortisone, amino acids and PQQ with ubiquinol, helped: she…
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Five-month ME/CFS crash with light and sound intolerance, now much better with pacing
She fell ill with COVID-19 in April 2022 and developed long COVID, ME/CFS and orthostatic tachycardia. After worsening overall in the first year and a half, she had a five-month crash in early 2024 when she could barely do things and could not tolerate light…
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Long COVID with years of fatigue and brain fog, now much better after nicotine patches
Petrel 84910 caught COVID in December 2019 and had cyclical fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness, tinnitus and anxiety for years, episodes becoming more frequent with a ten-week crash in early 2025. Nicotine patches, LDN, cetirizine and electrolyte drinks…
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Almost bedbound with long COVID, now much better with LDN and low-dose aripiprazole
A man in Germany developed post-viral fatigue, PEM, small-fibre neuropathy, POTS and food intolerances after a Covid infection in May 2025. He crashed to almost bedbound after overexertion, then improved with pacing and time, and credits LDN and low-dose…
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Severe, housebound ME/CFS, still severe with no lasting benefit
Trail 91180 has had long COVID with the ME/CFS pattern since mid 2022, severe and housebound with PEM and insomnia; a wisdom tooth extraction made things worse. Ivermectin helped early but stopped working and, at 36 mg, left heart discomfort when lying on…
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Severe, mostly housebound ME/CFS, now somewhat better with beta blockers and pacing
Pebble 99135, a US voice teacher, probably had ME/CFS since mono at 16 and spent three decades mild to moderate, mostly undiagnosed. Two COVID infections made her severe and mostly housebound. From 2025 beta blockers, amitriptyline and pacing, with sodium…
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Long COVID pain and pooling at six years, somewhat better with pentoxifylline and kratom
Six years into long COVID, with a pain- and pooling-dominated neurovascular subtype, they tried many drugs, supplements, diets and therapies without luck. Pentoxifylline and the hepatitis C antiviral Ledifos helped pain and pooling, and kratom further cut…
These are the newest 8 of the 155 who credit Selenium for their improvement, then the newest 12 of the 243 who tried it without crediting it, in about the same proportion as the full list.
Long COVID · 260 people
20 of the 260 people who tried it
See all 260 stories-
Long COVID brain fog and POTS, somewhat better; phosphatidylcholine helped brain fog
A Reddit user with long COVID described POTS, brain fog, migraines and small fibre neuropathy. Phosphatidylcholine taken several times a day was the only thing that helped their brain fog. B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and selenium also helped, and they called…
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Housebound or bedbound with long COVID, now much better with rapamycin and rest
After an acute COVID infection Stone 61523 was housebound or bedbound for many months with headaches, brain fog, heat intolerance, palpitations and PEM. Two six-month courses of rapamycin, with radical rest, pacing and supplements, brought steady gains in…
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Partly bedbound with long COVID, now much better after low-histamine diet and supplements
Long COVID began in December 2023 after a mild infection, with constant depersonalisation, panic attacks, insomnia and breathlessness; at worst suicidal; partly bedbound from PEM. A strict low-histamine diet, cold showers, breathing work, yoga nidra and…
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Long COVID, barely walking at worst, now much better with pacing and gluten-free diet
She caught COVID in May 2020 and had years of relapsing fatigue, brain fog, depression and insomnia, at worst barely able to manage stairs or walk in a straight line while still working from home. Vaccines gave gains that faded; pacing and a gluten-free diet…
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Long COVID, at worst walking only 100 m, now much better with nattokinase and serrapeptase
A Swedish endurance athlete, he got long COVID after a COVID infection in March 2020 and at his worst could walk only about 100 m. He credited nattokinase and serrapeptase, vitamin K2, Q10 and selenium, glutathione and NAC, iron for anaemia, a low-histamine…
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Daily nerve pain and brain fog with long COVID, much better after deficiencies corrected
Alpine 75964, a 25-year-old woman, fell ill with COVID in July 2024 and was in pain daily, with nerve pain, brain fog, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Correcting deficiencies, antihistamines, aspirin, probiotics and other supplements improved her step by…
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Long COVID with pain, dizziness and fatigue, somewhat better on a lab-guided plan
Sequoia 10834 had almost three years of long COVID symptoms, though only diagnosed recently: pain from thighs to neck, dizziness, headaches, fatigue and cognitive trouble. A lab-guided plan of two antidepressants, an antihistamine, B vitamins, magnesium,…
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Housebound with long COVID, now much better with ketogenic diet and magnesium
Horizon 16724, a powerlifter in northern Europe, fell ill with long COVID around 2020 and was housebound for a couple of months in 2021/2022 with brain fog, insomnia and gut dysbiosis. A low-calorie bean diet with zone-2 cardio gave a brief full remission in…
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Long COVID too faint to walk or drive, now good most days at about 80-85%
A woman who fell ill with long COVID in August 2023 was too faint to walk around much or drive, with brain fog, breathlessness and anxiety. Quitting her job and resting six months, plus supplements, brought her to about 90% by mid-2024, but a January 2025…
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Bedbound 18 months with long COVID, now much better after sleep and salted water
Puffin 90449 caught Covid in 2022 and was bedbound for 18 months with long COVID, unable to stand for more than 13-18 minutes. Recovery began only after sleeping 16-20 hours a day for nearly two years, alongside salted water for POTS, antihistamines, iodine…
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Bedbound in a dark room with long COVID, now much better with LDN and supplements
Petrel 90473 got COVID at the end of 2023 and was severe, bed bound in a dark room for months at a time, with dementia-like brain fog, PEM, POTS, joint pain and lost smell and taste. From mid-July 2026 she improved quickly, crediting LDN mainly and taking a…
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Long COVID with years of fatigue and brain fog, now much better after nicotine patches
Petrel 84910 caught COVID in December 2019 and had cyclical fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness, tinnitus and anxiety for years, episodes becoming more frequent with a ten-week crash in early 2025. Nicotine patches, LDN, cetirizine and electrolyte drinks…
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Almost bedbound with long COVID, now much better with LDN and low-dose aripiprazole
A man in Germany developed post-viral fatigue, PEM, small-fibre neuropathy, POTS and food intolerances after a Covid infection in May 2025. He crashed to almost bedbound after overexertion, then improved with pacing and time, and credits LDN and low-dose…
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Long COVID pain and pooling at six years, somewhat better with pentoxifylline and kratom
Six years into long COVID, with a pain- and pooling-dominated neurovascular subtype, they tried many drugs, supplements, diets and therapies without luck. Pentoxifylline and the hepatitis C antiviral Ledifos helped pain and pooling, and kratom further cut…
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Breathlessness, panic attacks and gut stasis, now near normal after K-PHOS and B1
Dune 40577 fell ill after a stomach bug in November 2023 with breathlessness, panic attacks, gut stasis, tachycardia and limbs they could not control. A fourth ER visit found low phosphorus and thyroid, and prescription K-PHOS with benfotamine B1 helped…
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Long COVID brain fog and fatigue, much better after antihistamines and low-histamine diet
They got long COVID from a 2022 COVID infection, with migraine, brain fog, aphasia, body pain and fatigue that kept them in bed for days. Over three years they improved by treating histamine intolerance with antihistamines and a low-histamine AIP diet,…
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Long COVID with yellow stools and pain after eating, somewhat better on carnivore diet
In Germany, Gull 13843 developed yellow stools in March 2024 and soon could not digest vegetables or fibre, losing 8 kg in three months and doubling over with pain after eating. Carnivore eating from May 2025 helped their digestion and initially cleared…
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Long COVID with muscle weakness, now somewhat better with methylene blue and amino acids
Otter 63176 has long COVID with MCAS, PEM, brain fog and muscle weakness, and was at their worst for about 18 months. An amino acid stack of D-aspartic acid and L-ornithine gave same-day relief that faded within days; a parasite cleanse with methylene blue,…
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Bedbound with long COVID for about a year, now much better with diet and supplements
Dusk 97438 developed long COVID with gut dysbiosis, endotoxaemia and mitochondrial problems and was bedbound for about a year, unable to walk more than ten minutes. A whole-food, low-histamine, low-FODMAP diet with fibre, herbals, probiotics, peptides and…
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Long COVID: stopped work at worst, improved then relapsed, mostly bedbound; credited sauna
Cove 38035, a UK woman in her early 30s, developed long COVID in 2020 and has been ill for about five and a half years. She was at her worst around 2022, relapsed and stopped working in 2023 to mid-2024, then was about 65-70% recovered in early 2025, working…
These are the newest 8 of the 102 who credit Selenium for their improvement, then the newest 12 of the 158 who tried it without crediting it, in about the same proportion as the full list.
ME/CFS · 138 people
20 of the 138 people who tried it
See all 138 stories-
Bedbound with severe ME/CFS, now nearly back to normal on protocol and strict rest
Bedbound and unable to tolerate light or sound for six of her 8.5 years of severe ME/CFS, she improved gradually over about six years on a personalized biochemical protocol built by her physician husband (minerals, amino acids, phospholipids, mitochondrial…
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Housebound with ME/CFS for five years, somewhat better after ashwagandha and metformin
A Canadian woman ill with ME/CFS for about 11 years, plus fibromyalgia, POTS, SIBO and MCAS, who declined from moderate to severe after COVID vaccinations and has been housebound for about five years, lying down most of the day. Ashwagandha, holy basil,…
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Unable to stand or walk across the room with ME/CFS, now much better on supplements and NaturDAO
Tulip 50673's ME/CFS came from latent EBV after some 30 years of wear, with MCAS and histamine intolerance on top. They retired early, unable to stand or walk across the room. Supplements and NaturDAO brought a night-and-day change; they now do yard work and…
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Housebound and mostly in bed with ME/CFS, Abilify helped then relapse
A US software engineer who fell ill in 2010 at age 30 went from mild to severe after pushing himself while preparing to change jobs in 2017, ending up housebound and mostly in bed. Low-dose Abilify lifted him from severe to mild within weeks in 2020, but the…
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ME/CFS with PEM and gut issues, now nearly back to normal after diet and Sarno's lecture
Pond 26875 developed long COVID with gut problems, muscle weakness, cognitive trouble and PEM that left them feeling poisoned for days after exertion. Antibiotics for a tooth infection made them much worse for months. A low-histamine diet, micronutrient…
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Mild ME/CFS with unrefreshing sleep, somewhat better on citalopram and low-carb diet
They have had ME/CFS since 2016, with POTS, small fibre neuropathy, air hunger early on and unrefreshing sleep, and describe themselves as mild despite reacting to most medicines. Citalopram 7-10 mg, a low-carb diet and supplements such as selenium helped a…
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Bedbound with ME/CFS, now mostly housebound after strict PEM avoidance and supplements
Fell ill around 2019 and spent four years barely leaving the house, mostly in bed. A two-week valacyclovir course gave a remission that ended in a month-long crash when the prescription stopped; a second COVID vaccination gave two near-normal weeks before…
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ME/CFS insomnia and fatigue improved with antihistamines and diet, then relapsed
An Australian with long COVID had seven COVID infections; insomnia worsened over roughly 18 months to two years, then the seventh infection triggered MCAS and fatigue, with POTS diagnosed later. Trigger avoidance, mast cell stabilisers and antihistamines,…
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ME/CFS very severe and bedbound, still extremely severe; lorazepam, magnesium helped sleep
After two years of mild symptoms only after sport, Hill 82091 declined from mild to very severe over about five months after starting a job in late 2025. A chiropractic neck adjustment in February 2026 took them from moderate to severe. They became fully…
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Severe ME/CFS, housebound and often bedbound; walking better after physio, then relapsed
Pebble 29054, in the UK, has suspected ME/CFS and describes a decline from mild to severe after NHS GET/CBT and exercise, now housebound and often bedbound with crashes, sleep disruption, headaches, dizziness, GI/IBS and electrolyte problems. A private…
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Nearly bedbound and housebound with ME/CFS, now much better after T4/T3 and diet changes
Quail 70138 had CFS and hypothyroidism and was nearly bedbound/housebound before a decade-long improvement to moderate-mild. Treating subclinical hypothyroidism with T4/T3, plus diet changes, hydrocortisone, amino acids and PQQ with ubiquinol, helped: she…
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Five-month ME/CFS crash with light and sound intolerance, now much better with pacing
She fell ill with COVID-19 in April 2022 and developed long COVID, ME/CFS and orthostatic tachycardia. After worsening overall in the first year and a half, she had a five-month crash in early 2024 when she could barely do things and could not tolerate light…
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Severe, housebound ME/CFS, still severe with no lasting benefit
Trail 91180 has had long COVID with the ME/CFS pattern since mid 2022, severe and housebound with PEM and insomnia; a wisdom tooth extraction made things worse. Ivermectin helped early but stopped working and, at 36 mg, left heart discomfort when lying on…
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Severe, mostly housebound ME/CFS, now somewhat better with beta blockers and pacing
Pebble 99135, a US voice teacher, probably had ME/CFS since mono at 16 and spent three decades mild to moderate, mostly undiagnosed. Two COVID infections made her severe and mostly housebound. From 2025 beta blockers, amitriptyline and pacing, with sodium…
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ME/CFS for two decades with a bedbound crash, now vastly improved on nicotine patches
They were unwell for about two decades with ME/CFS, including a months-long bedbound crash. Nicotine patches brought marked improvement over months, and rapamycin caused initial worsening followed by a few weeks of large gains before a virus led to a…
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Housebound with ME/CFS after COVID; LDN and propranolol helped, then relapse
Kite 18700 fell very ill after a COVID infection in 2021, with high blood pressure rushes, fatigue, brain fog and later POTS. Alprazolam calmed the rushes and they nearly reached their old baseline of running and 10,000+ steps, but without pacing they…
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Unable to work or read easily with ME/CFS, no improvement from treatments tried
Has had ME/CFS and fibromyalgia since about 2014, worsening from a student who pushed through to someone unable to work and struggling to read or keep themselves entertained. Modafinil for narcolepsy, SSRIs, stimulants and LDN all caused side effects; LDN…
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Bedbound with long COVID, crashing after showers, somewhat better with physio and cortisol
Cardinal 34410 caught COVID in October 2020 and developed long COVID, which worsened after a severe reaction to a single dose of sertraline. Chest physiotherapy and cortisol replacement helped for a while, but a 2024 reinfection left them bedbound and still…
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ME/CFS after COVID: low ATP showed systemic problem; testing helped, NADH and CoQ10 tried
A Reddit user who had a post-COVID checkup had extensive blood tests, partly at Berlin's Charité, which showed little intracellular ATP left and gave proof of a systemic problem; the testing was the only thing that really helped. They were on NADH and CoQ10…
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Mild ME/CFS for ten years, now nearly back to normal with pacing and LDN
Otter 63635, a 45-year-old man in Scotland, was mild for about ten years, working full time but needing two naps a day and constant crashes. Pacing with the Visible armband, supplements and a big increase in protein helped, and low-dose naltrexone 4.5 mg…
These are the newest 8 of the 53 who credit Selenium for their improvement, then the newest 12 of the 85 who tried it without crediting it, in about the same proportion as the full list.