Thoughts on Paxlovid?

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kristinmarie
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Thoughts on Paxlovid?

Post by kristinmarie »

Hello! I tried searching to see if this has been discussed but couldn’t find anything. I’m so sorry if I missed it!

I am 40F, 4/4. Covid finally got me. My doctor prescribed me Paxlovid but I’m not sure if I should start it because I’m starting to feel better. I’m on day five so if I’m going to start, it has to be today. Anyway, wondering if anyone has strong feeling on Paxlovid and whether taking it might benefit (or not) 4/4s? Any insight would be much appreciated!
NF52
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Re: Thoughts on Paxlovid?

Post by NF52 »

kristinmarie wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 8:48 am Hello! I tried searching to see if this has been discussed but couldn’t find anything. I’m so sorry if I missed it!

I am 40F, 4/4. Covid finally got me. My doctor prescribed me Paxlovid but I’m not sure if I should start it because I’m starting to feel better. I’m on day five so if I’m going to start, it has to be today. Anyway, wondering if anyone has strong feeling on Paxlovid and whether taking it might benefit (or not) 4/4s? Any insight would be much appreciated!
Hi Kristin! I am also an ApoE 4/4, age 70 and recently had COVID, so probably an Omicron 4/5 variant like you. Like you, I started to feel better by Day 5, although I did develop a fairly mild bronchitis (which I tend to get once each winter with a regular cold), so ended up using an inhaler and some prednisone for that. My primary care provider, who I saw after going to urgent care on a Sunday, said he thought that was the right call, and that he has seen very few people with a need for hospitalization with the latest variant.

You may have specific issues that led your doctor to prescribe this at age 40, so take those, if any, into account. Paxlovid seems safe by report, and my husband, who had a monoclonal antibody infusion on Day 5 (he wasn't eligible for Paxlovid) did show a quick improvement in symptoms of severe fatigue, low appetite and low-grade fever after treatment.

Either way, hope you know that you now will have some great antibodies to this variant on top of any other shots and boosters you had--always helps to try to find that silver lining!

Nancy
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Brian4
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Re: Thoughts on Paxlovid?

Post by Brian4 »

Hi Kristin-Marie-

From everything I've read, paxlovid is safe. Also from everything I've read, SARS-CoV-2 is not safe, esp. not for the brain. Even mild cases of COVID-19 are associated with damage, possibly permanent, to many organs, including the brain. No study has been done, that I'm aware of, looking at risk to the brain from SARS-CoV-2 based on APOE status (though studies have shown an increased risk of severe COVID for epsilon-4 carriers, which could mean the brain is at greater risk even with mild COVID), but I would imagine the risk is great for epsilon-4 carriers, and that the risk is "variant dose dependent" (homozygotes having more risk than heterozygotes). I always travel with a 10 days' supply of paxlovid, and plan to start taking it the instant I get COVID-19, and keep taking it until I test negative (which typically, even with paxlovid, takes more than five days).

The five-day cut-off for paxlovid timing is a bit arbitrary. If you're still testing positive, paxlovid will help kick the virus out. But if you don't want to take paxlovid now, take a look at:

https://brinkzone.com/life-saving-strat ... lications/

which contains some good ideas about supplement support for a brain that's exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

I hope you get 100% well soon!
Brian
ε4/ε4 (for now).
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