GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic, etc.) to treat long-COVID?

@jgk177 thanks so much. My fatigue not related to food. Worse in AM and better by afternoon. Seems like getting more rest helps more than anything.

@floridalinda YES! I have given myself permission to get extra rest as I need it. Mine usually hits in the mid afternoon, although I can be anytime when it's related to food. Hoping for the best for you!!

@jgk177 Thank you so that information; I could probably get it prescribed for the weight gain than for LC. I have had two surgeries in past 3 years for tendon ruptures; one for Achilles and one for quadriceps. Still recovering from quadriceps done four months ago. My orthopedist now believes in LC; not so much my internist. Recover TLC sponsors clinical trials; plan to have one using GLP -1 but not presently enrolling. Best to you fighting this disease for so long and to the many others.

@lkirnbauer I have long Covid and started taking Wegovy. IT HELPS. There are days when it doesn't seem to do as much, but I am easily 80% better than I was before I started taking it. I take it on Friday night. Feel tired Saturday, then Sunday I could run a marathon, Monday a half marathon, Tuesday and Wednesday I feel normal (like before long covid) Thursday and Friday I feel it wearing off.. one of my "symptoms" is my teeth hurt.. when I take a shot Friday night, they don't usually hurt till Thursday. It reduces inflammation which is at the root of what most of us are experiencing. You can get coupons for it online.

@jgk177 Interesting that your teeth hurt from the Wegovy injection! I have just joined Dr. Daniel Pompa’s Program and will be following his protocol. I don’t want to just take a drug that’s going to eliminate fat from my body, that’s just me. I am learning what foods to eat to alleviate body inflammation and how to do it in a healthy way. I know that the Wegovy works as my husband is on it, but he still eats poorly but continues to loose weight. I’d rather find out the foods that bother me and eliminate them instead of taking the drug. It’s a lifestyle change that we need.

@lkirnbauer My teeth DON'T hurt when I take the Wegovy.. sorry if that was confusing the way I originally wrote it. My teeth started hurting in February of this year. Very randomly. My lower front 4 teeth. Out of no where. Had them x-rayed and checked and the dentist found nothing.. it was the latest of a LONG list of annoying symptoms. Chills, sensitive skin, fatigue, gas, bloating, nausea, wheezing, intense pelvic and lower back pain, burning urination, insomnia.. As soon as I started Wegovy, my teeth stopped hurting, and most of the other symtoms were either completely or mostly relieved. I had changed my diet in a serious way 3 times over 2 years. I did complete overhauls. Working with an RD, first i did low Fodmap, then I did zero processed (which I didn't eat much of to begin with) and low carb, and then I did low histamine. It got to a point where I changed all the supplements I was taking and even stopped using a splash of vinegar in my salads.. it became overwhelming. Trust when I say, I tried and tried.. nothing worked. I got to a point where I was limiting almost everything and eating maybe a dozen things. that's not sustainable and it's very unhealthy. The Wegovy reduces the systemic inflammation which in turn stops the bloating, the pelvic and low back pain, knee pain, thumb pain, tooth pain, gas, etc. I am very careful about what I eat and certainly the amount of food I consume over all is less so I am even more mindful that it's mostly whole food, a good variety, BUT I still look out for low histamine items because the MCAS is not controlled by the Wegovy when it comes to fatigue. I'm the first to say we are all different and whatever one person has going on is usually significantly different from the next, AND GLP's aren't for everyone. I resisted for over a year and then decided I've tried so many ways to get some relief with lifestyle changes and supplements, when the suggestion was made, I decided to try for a month and see how I felt. In my case, after the initial dose and my body being blindsided by it, the relief was astounding and I am a believer. Which is still hard to believe because up until now, aside from a few rounds of antibiotics in 2023, I have never in my life been on a prescription medication for more than a week. I simply wasn't willing to suffer anymore.. and it was needless suffering. Because this medication relieves 85-90% of what was bothering me on a daily basis. I don't know what will come next because obviously I can't stay on this forever, but I'm not suffering all day everyday anymore. I'm going to go on a trip, for the first time in 4 years I'm not anxious about what I will do when I get "sick" on the trip.. last time I went away I was fighting the symptoms every minute and anxious about eating the "wrong thing" that might trigger a "flare". I feel free now, which I am going to enjoy for as long as it lasts. 🙂

@jgk177 that’s so interesting that your teeth hurt. Mine do too! I thought I had major dental problems (still might) but maybe it’s bc of lc.

@kstrand1 The way I knew, even before my dentist confirmed that I did not have a dental problem (per say) Is the pain came and went. Obviously you want to be checked by a dentist to confirm but in general, tooth pain does not "go" once it comes. What I have is not like cavity, or root canal tooth pain. It's my actual teeth.. not the nerves that are below them.. it's not my jaw or gums.. and it's only the bottom 4 front teeth. It comes and goes. When I had covid the first time, it was concentrated in my head (in terms of discomfort) INCLUDING all my teeth aching. My throat was where is started and I ended up with the worst sore throat I've ever had. It was on fire. And the headache from hell. I had some body aches from a high fever, was left with daily headaches (4PM same time every day) for about 2 months, and then all these other digestive symptoms started.. followed by fatigue, then pelvic pain (I did not associate it with eating for a long time, but eventually I figured it out) and the pelvic pain would lead to very intense low back pain. Then constant chills, then bloodshot eyes, and one by one these weird symptoms kept showing up.. they would come and go but they ruined my life in the process. This started in 2022.. my teeth did not start to bother me until February of this year. It's like my body was screaming at me to do something and when I didn't, it would find a new body part to send me pain messages. I eventually started telling my doctors I felt like I had an alien inside my body. That did not do much for my credibility but by then, I no longer cared because no one had been willing to do more than repeat blood tests and or MRI's/scans. Working with an RD for 2 years provided me with the structure of keeping track and noticing that certain foods caused pelvic pain, which would then set off a cascade of other symptoms. She was the one who brought up MCAS. I had never even heard of it. My son-in-law who is a veterinarian was the one who suggested Claritan, Pepsid, and a GLP-1. I started the Pepsid and Claritan on my own, asked the dr for a GLP-1 and for the first time since 2022 don't feel like I am housing an alien in my torso, am losing weight that I gained since this all started and most all the pain I had is gone, with the tooth sensitivity only returning when I'm 1 or 2 days away from needing another weekly shot. I realize GLP's aren't for everyone and some folks here frown upon them.. as many people do in general. All fair enough, BUT the meds have helped me make progress in a battle I've been fighting for 4 years with no measurable success until I started taking them. SO I'm fully committed to staying with this protocol until something better comes along. My body was screaming at me almost every time I ate anything, and often when i didn't eat anything. I was unable to relax, sleep, and fully participate in life without constant worry about what was going to make me sick or feel like I had just been run over by a truck. This is no cop out on my part. This is relief after 4 solid years of daily suffering. It's not perfect by it's hugely better than before!!

@jgk177 thank you for this! I’m going to see a dentist about my tooth pain. The term “feeling like there’s an alien in your body” is one I can relate to. I’ve often said, “I feel poisoned”. I too have lots of bloating and weight gain that makes no sense. I’m going to look into a glp. I like the idea of Claritin to keep the histamines down in your body. Lots of good ideas. Thank you!

@kstrand1 wishing you good luck!! My gastro doctor told me I can take more Claritin if I feel I need to. I take one a day first thing in the morning - but there have been days I've taken another a little later after lunch before dinner. The GLP-1 has an anti-inflammatory effect which is why I believe it works so well. There are studies on this.. https://www.autoimmuneinstitute.org/covid_timeline/glp-1-drugs-enter-formal-testing-for-long-covid-treatment/
I really hope you find some relief.