Having long COVID, how is your mental health?

I try to expect no improvement. A go to endless doctors, but there’s no magic bullet. I’ve started getting joint pain, but it is what it is. My speech is messed up. People close to me help, especially if my brain is overwhelmed with many people in a room. I find joy in producing music in my basement studio. Nobody enters when I’m in there. It’s like the one place I can be myself and get lost in creating guitar and keyboard recordings . Otherwise, Covid’s always on my mind and there’s not I can do about it.

I have had LC since June 2020, including brain fog that has been to the point that I started looking into what I would need to do to collect disability. This had an enormous effect on my mental health, as would any chronic illness, and I believe that LC also has a direct effect on mental health. For more than two and a half years I had no desire to participate in life.

I am taking the following medications/supplements, each of which I believe has a positive effect on my brain fog and mental health. I now enjoy life again. I'm not 100% but I am probably around 80%. I have reached the point where, if I was told that I would never get any better than this, I’d be ok (which was not the case for those 2.5 years).

I have no idea if any of these will help anyone else, but I thought I should put it out there in case it does. There is information online about these, including studies relating to long covid for most — if you can’t find anything let me know and I’ll dig out my links.

Only the first of these was suggested by one of my doctors/specialists. All the rest I found searching online, or the information was forwarded to me by a friend or family member.

Here are the medications:

Vyvanse. (You could also try any other ADHD stimulant such as Ritalin or Adderall. Vyvanse is more expensive but it works better for me than the others)

Guanfacine and NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) Guanfacine is a non-stimulant ADHD medication that helps with executive functioning.

Famotidine (40mg twice a day. The normal dose of 20mg didn’t have any effect on brain fog). This is also know as Pepcid, and is a stomach acid controller. However, it is also a strong anti inflammatory *and* it is one of the few medications that crosses the barrier into the brain.

It's difficult. I already had PTSD and my depression has worsened with long covid as I grieve the person I was before I got sick in March of 2020. I go to therapy. I try to practice gratitude, but having almost died when I got the original variant, along with having serious ongoing health issues post covid, it can be very difficult to stay positive.

So, interesting. I came to share. I have long Covid or I get it about 9 months afterwards but after 3 bouts, I am wrecked. Even though I have been receiving IVIG for 8 mo. It has definitely saved my life. But on mental health. This crazy shit! So now, I know I have really bad fibromyalgia probably had it forever. I also have a hyper thyroid. I had a doctor in '22 insist on imaging and tapered me and then dropped me as a patient sending me back to my primary who I ended up replacing. I'm dying. I can't get anyone to listen to me. When my thyroid is at certain levels it triggers first me/CFS at .70 and then at .5 I get deathly ill. It's like pouring gasoline on these autoimmune diseases I have accumulated with long Covid (MCAS/HEDS..)
So, my thyroid became hyper again 3-4 weeks ago and it spurred a fibromyalgia flare up and I lost my mind! The anxiety over my broken brain took me straight to suicidal thoughts. They said I have neural inflammation. God help me 🙏 I'm so tired. I'm so sorry for everyone here.
They gave me 10 .25 Xanax it worked they refilled it (immunologist) but then my psychiatrist changed it to clonopine and it doesn't quite work but may keep me from becoming suicidal. So I ran out Friday and was losing my mind. I increased my thyroid medication and within 2 days improved. I also drank some big crazy beer concoction on Friday, just 1 (I don't drink) but omygosh I felt better and slept for 14 hours in peace. Not hungover or anything but just calm. Saturday I drank another when I started bugging out 24 hours later, same thing - I slept well. By Sunday, yesterday my thyroid has slowed down enough that the neural surge is in my body and not my brain. I don't know if they'll let me share this but, hang in there! And I love you!! I really do!

I have had LC since June 2020, including brain fog that has been to the point that I started looking into what I would need to do to collect disability. This had an enormous effect on my mental health, as would any chronic illness, and I believe that LC also has a direct effect on mental health. For more than two and a half years I had no desire to participate in life.

I am taking the following medications/supplements, each of which I believe has a positive effect on my brain fog and mental health. I now enjoy life again. I'm not 100% but I am probably around 80%. I have reached the point where, if I was told that I would never get any better than this, I’d be ok (which was not the case for those 2.5 years).

I have no idea if any of these will help anyone else, but I thought I should put it out there in case it does. There is information online about these, including studies relating to long covid for most — if you can’t find anything let me know and I’ll dig out my links.

Only the first of these was suggested by one of my doctors/specialists. All the rest I found searching online, or the information was forwarded to me by a friend or family member.

Here are the medications:

Vyvanse. (You could also try any other ADHD stimulant such as Ritalin or Adderall. Vyvanse is more expensive but it works better for me than the others)

Guanfacine and NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) Guanfacine is a non-stimulant ADHD medication that helps with executive functioning.

Famotidine (40mg twice a day. The normal dose of 20mg didn’t have any effect on brain fog). This is also know as Pepcid, and is a stomach acid controller. However, it is also a strong anti inflammatory *and* it is one of the few medications that crosses the barrier into the brain.

I have had LC since June 2020, including brain fog that has been to the point that I started looking into what I would need to do to collect disability. This had an enormous effect on my mental health, as would any chronic illness, and I believe that LC also has a direct effect on mental health. For more than two and a half years I had no desire to participate in life.

I am taking the following medications/supplements, each of which I believe has a positive effect on my brain fog and mental health. I now enjoy life again. I'm not 100% but I am probably around 80%. I have reached the point where, if I was told that I would never get any better than this, I’d be ok (which was not the case for those 2.5 years).

I have no idea if any of these will help anyone else, but I thought I should put it out there in case it does. There is information online about these, including studies relating to long covid for most — if you can’t find anything let me know and I’ll dig out my links.

Only the first of these was suggested by one of my doctors/specialists. All the rest I found searching online, or the information was forwarded to me by a friend or family member.

Here are the medications:

Vyvanse. (You could also try any other ADHD stimulant such as Ritalin or Adderall. Vyvanse is more expensive but it works better for me than the others)

Guanfacine and NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) Guanfacine is a non-stimulant ADHD medication that helps with executive functioning.

Famotidine (40mg twice a day. The normal dose of 20mg didn’t have any effect on brain fog). This is also know as Pepcid, and is a stomach acid controller. However, it is also a strong anti inflammatory *and* it is one of the few medications that crosses the barrier into the brain.