![]() Ivabradine “has been a game changer” for long COVID patients with POTS, Kuon said. These medications are being studied as a treatment for long COVID patients who develop postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, a condition that results in dizziness and a very fast heartbeat when a person stands. Ivabradine and beta blockers are different drugs that regulate the heartbeat, slowing it to allow more blood to be pumped with each contraction. Those trials will be needed to establish its benefits more clearly, he said. But he cautioned that because naltrexone is available as a cheap generic drug, there’s less financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to fund research into its use as a long COVID treatment. Hector Bonilla, the co-director of Stanford University’s long COVID clinic, said he also has observed positive results from naltrexone treatment among his patients. “I personally, as a clinician, have used naltrexone in many patients with success.”ĭr. “Low-dose naltrexone also has general anti-inflammation effects on the body, and we know inflammation is a big driver of the symptoms of long COVID,” Kuon said. It does so by regulating the activity of glial cells, which help maintain neurons but can cause inflammation when they’re activated. The drug works by reducing inflammation in the nervous system caused by COVID infection, Kuon said. Carla Kuon, the co-director of UCSF’s post-COVID clinic. At a low dose, it has shown promise as a treatment for the chronic fatigue that so many long COVID patients experience, according to Dr. Naltrexone, known more commonly by its brand names Vivitrol and Revia, is a drug made to treat abuse of drugs and alcohol by reducing their effects on the brain. These medications are largely being studied as treatments for specific symptoms of long COVID, rather than for the disease as a whole.Īnd while it could be a year or more before clinical trials lead to the regulatory approval of a medication to treat long COVID symptoms, researchers - including one who is a long COVID patient - told The Chronicle that they’re excited about treatments in the pipeline that tackle the illness in a variety of ways. “Recovery is a process … There are many many specialists that need to be at the table for someone to get back to living the life that they want to after a devastating illness or injury regardless of whether or not you were hospitalized.For now, research into treatments for long COVID is focused on repurposing drugs that are already on the market for other ailments. They might not think that they need help,” she said. “A lot of people who have brain fog were never actually hospitalized and had a mild case. But it is important to seek professional guidance if brain fog is slowing one down. ![]() But the therapists will help people improve their memory, organize their thinking and help the person reach their goals. It might feel “a little bit like school” with people performing tasks with paper and pencil. ![]() But generally speaking for COVID-related brain fog, we're going to start with some of the therapies.” “Sometimes a medication can come into play depending on what the person’s presenting issues are. “We're actually working on things like memory strategies,” she said. If it’s attention that’s related to exhaustion, for example, she is going to recommend improved sleep hygiene and stress-reducing measures.Ĭognitive therapists also recommend various tricks to help. When Madathil determines where the problem happens, she can provide tailored solutions to help. One first has to pay attention, then encode that information, then store it and finally retrieve it. “I'm going to try to break down the steps to memory formation and take a magnifying glass to each of those steps and see where the breakdown is.” “When we look at memory issues as rehabilitation specialists we have to figure out where the breakdown is occurring,” Madathil said. Often a patient’s goals drive the treatments. ![]() Cognitive therapists, who are often neuropsychologists, try to determine where the problem starts through a thorough assessment. “Your PCP can take it from there and start targeting a plan to manage some of those issues.” What’s cognitive therapy?įor people who still feel as if medication and behavior changes aren’t improving their thinking, cognitive therapy can help. “You can go to your PCP and say, ‘I’ve been journaling … These are the patterns I have noticed,’” Madathil said. ![]()
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