COVID, Paxlovid and other treatments for COVID

In fact, I got the list of drugs that interact with Paxlovid from the Pfizer Internet site. I too am on Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 80mg. I asked another Cardiologist on 5/13/22 what to do and he said I could interrupt the Atorvastain/Lipitor during the Paxlovid treatment if I should need to take it because I catch Covid. My understanding is that Paxlovid is not intended for all individuals, but just for individuals at a higher risk for serious disease. In February I took Merck's antiviral Molnupiravir, and it helped. I was recovering from lung surgery one month before, and my cough became very congested. Also, my recovery seemed to be slowing. Mulnupiravir is also a five day dose. It helped immediately for my cough. Fortunately, I had mild case of Covid (I had 2 first shots and one booster of Pfizer four months before I tested positive)

Many thanks for the information. I’m glad the Mulnupiravi helped you.

I completed my five day dose and still have a cough but feel much better with a little foginess along with fatigue. I also was boosted and vaccinated so this was a break thru case while visiting disney.

Quick update: Paxlovid can cause body yeast infections (oral thrush, facial fungal rash, vaginal yeast infection, rash pattern on legs and arms, etc.). I got this and luckily my dr caught it so we got it resolved but be sure to pay attention to your body and if you are able to and your dr agrees take probiotics or prebiotics etc to help your body adjust when taking meds. Wanted to share as I wish I had paid more attention to this earlier before the fungal skin infection went all over my body and face.

I think I need to stop taking paxlovid. I'm so nauseated. It is almost unbearable. I'd rather have the sore throat. I took one dose last night and woke up nauseated then I took it this AM and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

Hi @ophelia137, welcome. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion:
- COVID, Paxlovid and other treatments for COVID https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-and-paxlovid/

I did this so you can connect with members like @dmbteach222 @windyt @tiredmommy and others who also have experience with Paxlovid and dealing with GI symptoms like nausea etc.

Ophelia, did you share your side effects with your care team? Might they offer you alternative?

Thank you so much for connecting me. I messaged my doctor but she hasn't responded yet. I was finally able to get up and let the dogs out. If paxlovid has a half life of 6 to 8 hours maybe it is getting out of my system. I'm going to go with my gut, pun intended, and discontinue use.

Yes, don’t take paxlovid in empty stomach and keep taking it if your dr agrees. It’s the only thing to reduce severity of symptoms that works and can still hold up against all variants.
My stomach settled down afterwards, so yes taste is bad but a few tips I wish I had thought about:

— drink lots of fluids
—eat food before taking each dose; not just a bite of something but real food
—take probiotics as it’s an antiviral and you can get yeast infection or skin fungal infection if you aren’t doing some sort of probiotic. I wish I hadn’t stopped my probiotics while dealing with Covid.
—consider low histamine foods to help reduce inflammation in gut. Avoid dairy and gluten, if possible.

Big wishes for speedy recovery. Talk with your dr and here’s to strong healing. 🥰

Thank you very much for your reply. You may be right about eating before the dose even though the directions say it doesn't matter. I have had no appetite so only been eating saltine crackers, which you also mentioned about gluten. Did your stomach settle after a few days?

Thank you for being so thoughtful. Stay healthy.

Yes it did settle. Covid rips through the gut so I think it could really be Covid vs paxlovid regarding stomach pains. My kids all had stomach pains with Covid and my husband. None took paxlovid. Also Covid doesn’t feel bad at first. Then it kicks in. I’m thankful for paxlovid. It kept me out of serious issues and staying overnight in hospital. Despite the taste, I’d take again. And now drs can prescribe more often to do extended timeframe (10 vs 5 days), so the rebound shouldn’t happen that made the news in May. Of course, consult with dr if you can.

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