Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Common Over-The-Counter Drug May Relieve Long COVID Symptoms, Case Report Suggests
https://www.iflscience.com ^ | February 10, 2022 | Rachel Funnell

Posted on 02/10/2022 11:47:07 AM PST by Red Badger

Promising news for people with long COVID may have arrived in a new case report, as two people report that their symptoms were almost completely relieved by taking common over-the-counter antihistamines. Authors of the new paper express that while the evidence thus far is anecdotal and based on a very small sample size, it’s a worthy avenue of investigation considering that – for most people – antihistamines are safe to take on a daily basis.

“Patients tell us they wish more than anything that they could work and do the most basic activities they used to before they got sick with long COVID,” said corresponding author and University of California, Irvine associate professor of nursing, Melissa Pinto, in a statement. “They are desperately searching for something to help them get back on their feet.”

That search led Pinto and colleagues to the cases of two women, details of which they describe in a paper published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Both women were otherwise healthy and ended up taking the antihistamine diphenhydramine, sometimes branded as Benadryl or Nytol, as something of a happy accident.

In the first case, the woman had triggered an existing lactose intolerance by eating cheese so took the antihistamine to manage the subsequent symptoms. The second had run out of her usual allergy medication so switched.

In both instances, the women found daily doses of the antihistamine led to significantly improved quality of life. Their cognition, exercise tolerance, and pain severity – all of which had worsened after SARS-CoV-2 infection – were improved and rashes and lesions associated with long COVID (which has around 203 possible symptoms) went away.

Each woman reports they’ve regained 90 and 95 percent of their pre-illness function under the diphenhydramine antihistamine regime. Their promising outcome potentially demonstrates that this readily available medication could have a big impact on those who feel they have lost much of their quality of life to long COVID.

“Currently, there is no cure for [long COVID], only symptom management,” said Pinto. “A number of options are being tried, with antihistamines being one of them.”

While the women represent a small sample size, with similar characteristics including age, sex, and ethnicity, Pinto maintains that the promise of an afforable medication easing long COVID symptoms is worth further investigation.

“The possibility that an easy-to-access, over-the-counter medication could ease some of the [long COVID] symptoms should offer hope to the estimated 54 million people worldwide who have been in distress for months or even years,” she continued. "The next steps for this research into antihistamine treatment are to conduct broad-based trials in order to evaluate efficacy and to develop dosage schedules for clinical practice guidelines.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; History; Society
KEYWORDS: benadryl; chinavirustreatment; covid; diphenhydramine; longcovid; nytol
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-73 next last
To: NWFree

21 posted on 02/10/2022 12:07:13 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

LOL-—they come out with a vague report about long covid and “viola” there’s a drug for that. This is all about money and control....period! And idiots are buying it up


22 posted on 02/10/2022 12:10:31 PM PST by mikelets456
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: immadashell; steve86

There is that rumor but no current tested proof.


Two years ago, my allergist said to stop taking Benadryl (as a sleep aid) because of the study showing a link to dementia (due to it being anticholinergic). OTOH, a month ago my ENT said that the basis for that association is “very loose” and that consistent lack of sleep is much more likely to contribute to dementia than Benadryl.


23 posted on 02/10/2022 12:11:49 PM PST by Magic Fingers (Political correctness mutates in order to remain virulent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Scarlett156

D3 will prevent all the symptoms you take the drugs for...... at least it does for me


24 posted on 02/10/2022 12:12:40 PM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Promoting Afro Heritage diversity will destroy the democrats)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

So instead of using deadly Remdesivir at $4500 per dose and then putting someone on a ventilator and blowing out their lungs we could have just used Tylenol Cold & Flu to stop coof?

Good thing we had Gubbermint and Big Pharma looking out for us!


25 posted on 02/10/2022 12:17:03 PM PST by MercyFlush (DANGER: You are being conditioned to view your freedom as selfish)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mikey_hates_everything

I purchased 2 600 unit bottles at Costco for about the same.


26 posted on 02/10/2022 12:18:05 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Magic Fingers

There is all kinds of correlational evidence for several classes of anticholinergics — dismiss it if you will with the “not causation” quip, but I will no longer take first-generation antihistamines or other drugs such as antidepressants with anticholinergic characteristics. Take a later antihistamine instead such as cetirizine — a physically larger molecule that doesn’t usually pass the blood-brain barrier — and see if it works for the long-covid mitigation.


27 posted on 02/10/2022 12:19:11 PM PST by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: mikey_hates_everything

It works for allergies and sleep issues; but I think it’s one of the antihistamines that raises blood pressure.


28 posted on 02/10/2022 12:19:20 PM PST by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: moovova

I always heard that storks brought babies and “swallows” brought no babies.


29 posted on 02/10/2022 12:22:35 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

I read somewhere use both diphenhydramine and lactoferrin together in tandem to battle Covid.


30 posted on 02/10/2022 12:24:09 PM PST by tflabo (Truth or tyranny )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: steve86
Meant to say certain antidepressants such as tricyclics, not all ADs.
31 posted on 02/10/2022 12:29:39 PM PST by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

bob sagets death is interesting. He had a positive Covid test. His autopsy is a brain bleed from trauma. Would have died if he didnt have covid? Who knows

https://www.tmz.com/2022/02/10/bob-saget-cause-of-death-blunt-head-trauma-medical-examiner/


32 posted on 02/10/2022 12:30:51 PM PST by RummyChick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
I thought that "long COVID" was mostly a result of Glutathione deficiency, which is allieved with NAC.

-PJ

33 posted on 02/10/2022 12:32:47 PM PST by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RummyChick

Happened to my next door neighbor lady, a few years back, in her late 50’s.

She fell in her livingroom and hit her head on the coffee
table.

She didn’t think much of it, got up and went about her usual business.

She passed out about an hour later with a busted blood vessel in the back of her neck.
Luckily her husband was just home from work and found her on the floor.

She had emergency surgery and recovered after a few weeks, but couldn’t walk for a long time................


34 posted on 02/10/2022 12:36:46 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

thats interesting. do you know which part of the head she hit on the table? I recently hit my head and was very aware I needed to pay attention to any possible repurcussions...thinking of that actress who died skiing.


35 posted on 02/10/2022 12:39:54 PM PST by RummyChick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: RummyChick

The backside of her head.....................


36 posted on 02/10/2022 12:40:36 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: RummyChick

that actress who died skiing................ Liam Neeson’s wife. FELL AND HIT HER HEAD ON A ROCK.............


37 posted on 02/10/2022 12:41:24 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

sounds like perhaps the back of the head is more vulnerable to a brain bleed. Of course any part of your head could do it if you hit it hard enough.


38 posted on 02/10/2022 12:47:03 PM PST by RummyChick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: TribalPrincess2U

It was a game changer for me. If you get covid take it. Benadryl.


39 posted on 02/10/2022 12:48:50 PM PST by enduserindy (Yep. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: RummyChick

Correct.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy


40 posted on 02/10/2022 12:54:38 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-73 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson