Anyone using Nicotine patches for Long Covid?

I have found relief since January2025 using the patches, however, after about a month and a 1/2 I had to up the dose, I started at 3 and a 1/2 milligrams. I then went to 7 milligrams. I can tell when it's time to change to a higher patch because it feels like I'm not using a patch at all.The symptoms just start coming back.After about another month the symptoms came back again. Two days ago, felt like not using a patch, headaches and brain fog so i started using fourteen milligrams patches with some relief. Each time I switched the milligrams.It takes several days for the symptoms to disappear.However, they never totally disappear.There's always some bit of it. It doesn't take care of the tiredness.The sleepless problems, the cough ringing in the ears shortness of breath All it takes care of the brainfog and severe headaches. Wish I knew what the next step was.I tried several times to go without a patch for a day or two to see if i can wean myself off but no luck. Brain fog comes back and a immensely painful headaches. I went to 3 doctors, a neurologist, had MRI, MRA, cats cans of my brain. No answers from doctors, just injections, more and more pills.
Finally a neighbor told me his sister had same symptoms, she used the patchs, and it was called long covid. I weaned myself off all the headache pills and monthly injections. Started the patches.
Had covid 5 times the first time it started in Jan 2020. Never got the vaccine.
All these symptoms started in July 2024. January of 2024 quit smoking. Now I'm on nicotine. That sucks.

All the posts are very interesting. We have determined my husband has Long Covid. After a year and a half of dealing with symptoms, and doctor visits with every test possible including have a heart monitor placed in his chest and $145,000 in medical bills (thankful we have insurance) and no answers from the medical professionals, I started researching long covid/ long vax and the symptoms he has are right on track for LC/LV. Ugh We found the YouTtube video regarding 7mg nicotine for 7 days and asked is doctor about trying this method. She said it wouldn't hurt to try - so he did.
The main symptoms he has is extreme fatigue (napping for up to two hours a day) phlegm in his throat which changes his voice and he has to spit out the phlegm several times an hour, major brain fog to the point he couldn't figure out a simple tape measure and why he was measuring something he had been working on, slow gait, confusion during conversations, to very light headed and fainting once (which lead to the year long testing of his heart and having the monitor placed in his chest), MRI, CAT, X-Rays, ER visits, etc.
The first time he tried the nicotine patch for 7 days was a huge improvement but after the 7 days the symptoms returned in about a week and a half. So he did another dose in about a month after the first dose and again things improved greatly. Now it has been a couple months and the symptoms have returned. He is starting a third dose of the patches. I think after reading the posts above, he may stay on this for 14 days and/or start with some low dose gum and see if that helps.
This LC/LV is awful and my heart goes out to all with terrible symptoms. I truly hope all of you find relief and am praying this 3rd try will eliminate the symptoms for my husband.

It is really great to hear that your husband is finally getting some relief.
It is such a shame to note the ignorance of some of the medical field making unhelpful comments especially when they share their unfounded personal thoughts of what didn't cause these very real debilitating symptoms.
The long Covid clinic specialists have mentioned research on the possible benefits of the use of nicotine patches with some post long covid symptoms .
It would be helpful to find and share that research. All the best for everyone

My doctor who has long COVID said he has tried nicotine patches and found them minimally helpful. However, he said they might work differently for me and he was willing to prescribe.
I am going to try low dose naltrexone for which there is a growing body of research showing it helps many people. LDN is one of things my doc personally takes and finds useful.

I take 2mg nicotine lozenges 2x/day and seems to help with energy and brain fog.

I am new here and wanted to share my story for maybe some help or guidance. Prior to having covid in December of 2020 I was a 1/2 marathon runner. After having covid for the first time I was diagnosed for the first time in my entire life with asthma. I now have inhalers and a nebulizer and a pulmonologist. I get winded just walking around the halls at the school where I teach or up my stairs at my home from my basement. I have never experience this before. I have always been fit and active. I was a health/wellness coach. I used to wear a an oxygen deprivation mask to deprive my lung of oxygen to help me train to get to higher elevation level for mountain trail running. None of this makes sense to me and just frustrates me. Exercise has always been my outlet for mental health and clarity and to challenge myself. Then I got the 2 vaccines, to only get covid two more times. I then got the booster and two months after receiving the booster, I got out of the shower to notice I had no arm hair, my eyebrow hair was almost all gone and I had a round spot on my head where my hair was gone. As time passed (weeks) the spot on my head got bigger and more started to show up. My PCP sent me to a coupe dermatologist to only be diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. I ended up losing over 80%-85% of my hair on my head. They had told me that I wasn't the first case they had seen this happen to after the booster. Unfortunately, there is no research or evidence to back it so they are just diagnosing people who were going through the similar situation I was with different types of Alopecia depending on the severity of hair loss. I have other things going on and I am not sure if they are covid related, but it is frustrating to have no answers and to go to specialist that just tell me I need therapy. I was almost convinced that I was losing my mind with the other health issues. Thankfully, I have a PCP that listens, but when you have no other doctors that do what am I supposed to do?

So sorry for this loss of good health. I've had hair loss all my life, and have alopecia. This was exacerbated by Covid for me.
My body doesn't handle stress very well, thus hair loss.
I use hair growth vitamins, biotin 10k, minoxidil, they help, but it's not the way it was.

Why is this posted in a thread about nicotine patches?

I in fact tried nicotine in gum form--4mg.--and it really didn't have any effect. I was surprised since I've never used nicotine and thought I'd be quite sensitive to it, but no...
I also tried LDN, at different dosages up to 4.5 mg., but unfortunately it started to make me feel a bit worse, if anything.
I'm considering asking my PCP to prescribe something like Adderall or Ritalin, since my problem is nearly exclusively chronic fatigue.

Thanks for responding and providing additional information. The articles I've read indicated about 50% positive to LDN. I'll find out which 50% I'm in in th next couple of months.
Discussed Adderall with my doc . He wasn't opposed, but suggested I give the LDN try first. My psychiatrist also suggested i might try modafinal or a related drug armodafinil which are used for shift workers to help them overcome fatigue and stay alertstay awake. Would be interested to hear how the Adderall or Ritalin work out.