It's been nearly four weeks since the whole family (and a few friends) all tested positive within a day or two of each other. Nothing severe for any of us. We all had "the usual" few days of fever, fatigue, body aches, cough, etc. But I'm the only one feeling lingering effects that include: weakness and fatigue, no stamina when attempting exercise, minor brain fog and concentration problems, insomnia, depressed mood, minor joint pain, and --last but not least -- loose and runny stools w/ occasional intestinal discomfort and altered appetite. (Seems to be "Post Viral Fatigue.")
I realize that a depressed mood might simply be a by-product of feeling crappy physically, but my new off and on feelings of sadness and depression are "abnormal" even relative to my usual down-in-the-dumps episodes. I feel like the five pounds I lost in the first few days of COVID were all brain cells!
As I hope to get closer to normal with each passing day, but don't, it occurs to me that all the symptoms are likely related to inflammation pathways and changes in gut biome. Aside from pursuit of a generally anti-inflammatory diet with probiotics/prebiotics (whether in food or supplement form), what meds or supplements might be geared specifically to post-COVID inflammation and gut dysbiosis? Berberine, anthocyanin, or? I am looking for things that would not likely interfere with Lu-177 efficacy, and hopefully things that might even help potentiate it! All thoughts are welcome.
Written by
noahware
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I’m sorry to hear this noahware! As one unvaccinated ,I’m dodging it ! Get well soon amigo? It’s not like you didn’t have enough already with dammed pc . Get stronger! 🙏
Thanks for all the links! I guess I wasn't explicit in the post, but the reason I am looking for things that would not likely interfere with Lu-177 efficacy is because I am currently undergoing Lu-177. So already currently on Lupron (after failing bicalutamide, then Zytiga).
Your links all seem to deal with efforts to treat or prevent serious COVID that might require hospitalization. But the topic here is, how to treat less serious post-COVID symptoms, which seem to be a lingering excessive immune response.
So I had a minor, short-duration bout of COVID and am healthy enough to go to work, to start doing my job, but NOT healthy enough to do a good job doing that job. I grade myself a D, easily the worst worker in my work group. Fortunately, my coworkers are more patient with me than I am with myself. Not so sure about my managers.
My thoughts are, the spike protein has activated inflammatory responses that have remained activated... let's say, for example, the TLR4 signaling pathway. So in that example, I would want to inhibit that pathway, as is done in some treatments for autoimmune disorders. So in that example that is why I ask... Berberine, anthocyanin, or?
There doesn't seem to be any consensus in the mainstream medical community for post-COVID care other than non-systemic symptom treatment, i.e. take a sleeping pill for your insomnia, take an NSAID for your headache, etc.
Dang bud …. I hope you can pull out of that Covid crap and get back to messing just with the elephant in the room lol. Seems like “ stuff “ can pile on our plates sometimes … just awful. My oncologist tells me , although I’ve kept to more natural remedies , that there are a whole boat load of great new meds for Debbie downer - depression.
Yeah, I was the same way when the pandemic first started... need to figure how to 1) reduce odds of getting it, and if I do get it, 2) reduce odds of dying or going to hospital. So I loaded up on D3, zinc and was happy to be on an anti-androgen.
But by the beginning of this summer with the newer variants I was less and less worried, as we ALL will end up getting some variant sooner or later as it becomes endemic, and I have hopefully reduced severe risk by being vaccinated. But the "long COVID' was still in the back of my mind. It's pretty much front and center now!
Prior to this summer, I had been taking anywhere from 5-10k a day for several years. Maybe a single cold that entire time!
In late spring when I began the Lu177 trial, the doc and nurse said they'd prefer I stuck with a more standard dose. I decided in May that I would simply dose with the midday sun, as I was getting plenty of that.
Impossible to prove that counterfactual, but I bet I never would have gotten COVID if I stuck to the 10k. (I must admit too, that the week prior to us all getting it was a vaca week with lots of long, late nights involving adult beverages and grilled animal products, so systems were compromised that way as well.)
EDIT: Forgot to add, on the day I tested positive I took 20k and have worked back to 5k since. Also take K2 and Mg. My personal belief is that D3 is of more use in prevention than treatment, but who knows.
All of this is my opinion, but yeah if it was me what I would do is I’d get some blood work done and look at your ng/ml level. Different people have different responses to IU levels. So 10K for you may give me a different blood concentration. Personally I’d certainly aim to have higher than 50ng/ml. But that’s something to discuss with your doctor. He needs to monitor your calcium in your urine. Don’t think that will be an issue around 10K mind. I was taking 20k for a long time and had no issues. But everyone is different. I’m not recommending you take that much. But your body is capable of making that amount daily if you had the right sun exposure. You need to agree some blood level with your med team. From what you said though they don’t sound like they’ll be happy about that.
There’s also the option of a UVB health lamp. If you create D3 in this way, you’re basically protected against toxicity if that’s their concern. I’d ask why your doctor is unhappy about it and see if that’s an option.
If you supplement D3 I would supplement at the highest daily frequency. So say for a 10K dose, I believe that x2 5K doses would give you more benefits because your cells will use the parent vitamin D3 that you supplement with before it gets conveyed to 25 hydroxy by your liver and 1,25 hydroxy by your kidneys. The original parent D3 you take has a relatively short life wrt 25 hydroxy which is the one they measure. So it’s used up quickly but your blood work will not reflect that.
Also should be the same for 600IUs. I’d take them 3 times a day rather than 1 dose.
Replenishing that frequently is probably a good idea since that should be the one your cells are using. The 25 and 1,25 will be used primarily for bone.
Just my opinion of course and never take anyones advice blindly, including mine. But see what your med team says about it. It’s far better have them aware of what you are doing than doing it blind.
Thinking about your current covid viral load; are your symptoms due to the virus hiding in some places? So, is your body recovering from the covid attack but the virus itself is gone ? I still take ionic zinc drops each morning, ever since it was discussed at HU. at the beginning of the epidemic. Possibly helps as I didn’t get covid even when my wife got it a while ago. And I usually get any bug around, especially respiratory. But this new strain is elusive re immune system, so boosting immune system perhaps could work. Maybe consider getting test of your immune system to see what condition it’s in. I test my b12 and vit d levels regularly. I assume your thyroid levels are ok.
Since I have an unused bottle of dutasteride kicking around (I was about to add it to Zytiga when that failed) I did a quick google search. Got one result of a research group convinced it could be repurposed as an anti-inflammatory for certain pathways that promote neuro-inflammation. So it's on my list of possibilities!
I had covid recently and did not have the reaction you did, much less. I was back to normal, other than an annoying cough after 10 days. I did find that taking Vit B12 made me feel much better. That said I assume your already taking it and like the reason we're here, we are all different.
My cough also returned around day 10 and was worse through probably day 14, mostly at night right when I laid down. Still not gone completely, but now next to nothing.
I do not do B12, as I get a sufficient amount from diet. As it relates to PC, some on this forum have written that vitamin B12 level is one in which slight deficiency may be protective.
EDIT: I have read about how low levels relate to more severe COVID, but not about use of supplements to treat post-COVID... do you have any info on that?
No sorry, the only post issue I have which may not even have to with coivd is a issue with peripheral vision. I just noticed how taking my spray B12 literally made me feel better. May have been because like you I dropped about 5 pounds of weight from not eating for the first few days.
Out of interest when you had Covid were you prescribed Paxlovid? I was lucky enough to be prescribed this in the U.K. within 5 days of getting Covid because I was classified as vulnerable because I had radiotherapy within 6 months of catching Covid. It was like having the cavalry coming to the rescue really cleared it up. Not sure if you can get or have post Covid. It’s made by Pfizer.
Yes, my wife and I both took Paxlovid within a day or two of testing positive. After a few days we both had some intestinal issues, and in week-2 both had some congestion and coughing return. By day 14 she was pretty much back to normal... her fatigue was limited.
Ok sorry that it did not work out as well for you. It sorted me within 3 days so tested negative from day 5. I don’t have any further suggestions I am afraid. Like you I was well dosed on D3 too which I believe may help with Covid and ordinary flu
Long Covid is a new frontier without a lot of solid science yet because it is so variable and seems to change a bit with the variant. I think your best bet is to find a solid long Covid clinic that has experience dealing with symptoms like you have. They are most likely to listen to you, and to have all the research currently available at their disposal. You might even have an opportunity to add to our knowledge by participating in research.
Addressing your specific question: I agree that maximizing gut microbiome composition and supporting its functions in activating and metabolizing antioxidant and anti inflammatory roles as well as protecting against “leaky gut “ allowing harmful chemicals into the body can only be helpful, if not essential. I have recently posted about this and up-leveled my own gut microbiome regimen. In addition to high potency and high quality probiotics with diverse beneficial species, either enteric coated or refrigerated live preparations. I also take prebiotic FOS and inulin (currently Jarrow Prebiotic Inulin-FOS) plus Psyllium powder, one tsp each blended with my whey protein.
Additionally, I have added back in Resveratrol supplement (800 mg) on top of my ongoing Quercetin. Having learned how these are both very active in protecting the gut where they are actually metabolized into even more active and absorbable intermediates by microbiome metabolism. (and thus also helping with their bioavailability limitations.) win-win.
How this may or may not help with your long COVID syndrome remains to be seen. When I am on the castrate/ADT periods of my BAT program, I find a low dose estradiol patch to be beneficial for side effects including fatigue and brain fog. And that should in no way compromise your PSMA expression for Lu treatments, IMO.
Thanks... I'm a bit hesitant on the inulin. Had a bad experience with it a few years back, caused me digestive distress. Not sure if I took too much or if I am over-sensitive to it. Any good alternatives? (Never had a problem with psyllium even with a big dose.)
Already added back the low-dose E2, and Quercetin. What, if anything, do you know about Bilberry extract?
Totally off of your subject but how are you doing otherwise. You have had total of 2 Plutivco infusions? After first your PSA and ALP went down but new mets were noted on scans it seems.
Well, thank you for asking... there will be quite the post coming very soon, after I get the final bone scan report that my MO says is still "preliminary." [Spoiler alert: while the metastatic disease is "pretty much stable" there are some new areas of uptake that are "really tiny" in the MO's words. PSA and ALP both up, so bottom line is, not good news.]
My MO is concerned only with my cancer. Not much input on the COVID, other than "try to stay active." But to me, the cancer is still an intellectual abstraction, since nothing physical tells me it exists (other than peeing a lot at night). My prior focus was on the symptoms related to treatment, like hot flashes, but presently I only care about lifting the sleepy fog I am living in, so I can get my QoL back and enjoy the rest of the summer!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Morning after Orchiectomy...life in the slow lane.
Cantabiline, Metformin, Berberine – Combine the three, go with one, or what?
Systemic Inflammatory Syndrome (SIS) in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Wim Hof method to counteract some of the effects from ADT
