from LONG COVID ESSENTIALS
a resources series by The Sick Times x Long COVID Justice
Though there is no cure for Long COVID, many over-the-counter treatments have helped patients find some relief from their symptoms. Keep in mind that Long COVID affects many systems, and that treatment is individualized — so something that works for one person may not work for someone else. And any one supplement or medication is unlikely to address all symptoms.
Though the following medications and supplements are evidence-based, they still need larger studies to back them up. You should speak with a healthcare provider and research potential interactions and side effects thoroughly before taking them. Make sure to ask about the best brands and recommended doses: some are higher quality and others may have additives that could cause some people to react poorly to them.
Lastly, be sure to try just one or two new treatments at once and decide how you will assess if it is effective. A typical trial period is about four weeks to determine if something is helping. If you take multiple supplements, carefully read the ingredients of each to make sure you don’t take too much of certain things. Some vitamins or additives can be harmful if taken in excess.
The following over-the-counter medications and supplements can help with the Long Covid symptoms listed below. This is not a comprehensive list. Prescription medications that may be useful are listed in this fact sheet.
Over-the-counter medications and supplements:
- Acetyl L-carnitine (for fatigue, neuropathy)
- Antihistamines (for allergy symptoms, mast cell activation syndrome, and/or histamine sensitivity)
- Low-dose Aspirin (to prevent or treat potential clotting, though unlikely to break up microclots on its own)
- Body work like massage and acupuncture (can help with fatigue, body aches, circulation, inflammation – start out gently as it can trigger PEM in some)
- B vitamins (fatigue, neuropathy, dysautonomia)
- CBD/THC (for muscle cramps and general pain)
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) (for fatigue, brain fog, muscle cramps and pain)
- Compression leggings, tights, and other garments (for dysautonomia, microclots, energy, and body aches)
- Creatine (for fatigue, body aches, brain fog, breathing issues, loss of taste)
- Cromolyn nasal spray (Nasalcrom) (for allergy symptoms, mast cell activation syndrome, and/or histamine sensitivity)
- D vitamins (allergic symptoms, neuropathy, brain fog)
- D-ribose (for fatigue)
- DAO supplements before meals (for allergy symptoms, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and/or histamine sensitivity)
- Electrolytes with salt content, like LMNT and Saltstick (for dysautonomia)
- Ginseng (for fatigue)
- Hydroxytyrosol (for fatigue)
- Ketotifen fumarate eye drops (Zaditor) (for allergy symptoms, mast cell activation syndrome, and/or histamine sensitivity)
- L-arginine (for inflammation)
- L-theanine (for brain fog)
- Lipoic acid (for neuropathy)
- Low histamine diet (for allergy symptoms, mast cell activation syndrome, and/or histamine sensitivity)
- Magnesium (especially Magnesium Threonate for brain fog, Magnesium citrate for constipation)
- N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) (for inflammation)
- NAD+ (for fatigue)
- Nattokinase and Lumbrokinase (microclots)
- Omega-3 (for brain fog, muscle cramps and pain)
- Pepcid (famotidine) (for MCAS, allergic symptoms, and brain fog)
- Probiotics (for stomach upset, fatigue, brain fog, allergic symptoms – but be sure to choose one with low-histamine ingredients if you may be sensitive to histamine)
- Quercetin (for allergy symptoms, MCAS, and/or histamine sensitivity)
- Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators (for muscle cramps and general pain)
- Vitamin C (for allergy symptoms, mast cell activation syndrome, and/or histamine sensitivity, inflammation)
- Zinc (for fatigue, allergic symptoms)
Resources
- Long COVID and supplements — Bateman Horne Center
- Dietary supplements in the time of COVID-19 – National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- A patient/pharmacist-led survey on supplements — PharmMD
- Drug interaction checker — Drugs.com
Writer: Laura Weiss • Editor: Miles Griffis • Medical reviewer: Dr. Michael Brode
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Notes
- This series was published in fall 2024; some information may be subject to change.
- Although each topic has been reviewed by medical professionals, they are informational resources, not medical advice. Always talk to your medical providers before trying treatments or symptom management strategies.
- Each resource page offers brief information and is not comprehensive. We know there is much more information on each topic we cover, and that there are additional topics not yet addressed in this series.