Long Covid and Doxycycline: Inflammation Theory
I was given doxycycline and azithromycin last November for Covid/Pneumonia. I was quite ill with sore throat, cough, fever etc. I was also given Paxlovid. A week later I felt much better and then a week after that I felt worse. I stopped the doxycycline after 20 days due to stomach upset, but did take the full course of other drugs. I now suffer from heart palpitations all the time, extreme fatigue, in and out sense of smell and taste, brain fog, and muscle pain. My energy is not even half of what I used to enjoy.
I decided to take the rest of the doxycycline which is about 10 tablets, one each day. Doxy has been proven to help with inflammation and my primary doc said the virus causes inflammation and that is what I am suffering from based on my symptoms. My primary doc who did nothing but talk to me, my cardiologist who tested me with a 7 day Zio heart monitor, Urgent Care team when I went back for a final x-ray, all had this advice: "wait it out, it could take two months or two years." I am a 75 year old female college professor and I am not going to sit around and watch muscle loss, suffer exhaustion, have poor memory, etc. without trying SOMETHING. So, I am taking the remainder of the Doxy that was prescribed for me in November 2023. I am taking it for the anti-inflammatory benefits. Has anyone else tried Doxycycline for long Covid symptoms?
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.
So sorry for your suffering. I got the Delta variant and then long covid back when there was still a fair amount of denial in the medical community that long covid even existed. I started reading research as it came out from reputable research institutions and something many of them noted was low folate and seratonin levels in people with long covid. I also noticed that my symptoms eased when I was taking ibuprofen for back pain. Increasing magnesium and b complex and taking anti inflammatories eased the symptoms. This past summer I got Lyme disease and took a 28 day course of doxycycline. When I was done almost all the long covid symptoms were gone. Losing the brain fog has given me a life back. I can live without a sense of taste.
Last week I had some mild returning symptoms....6 months seems to be common in long covid remission. My primary physician has prescribed another round of doxy. My hope is that this will control the symptoms going forward.
I know everyone has a different experience. Hopefully if we keep sharing we'll all find something that works for each of us. Hang in there.