I tested positive for COVID over Christmas and received 5 days of Paxlovid. I am now testing negative. I understand that once you receive Paxlovid a rebound is possible. I am therefore interested in others that have been down this route and can share their experiences.
Can you receive Paxlovid for a rebound?
Following Paxlovid are the COVID symptoms similar the second time around?
BTW, other household members are still testing positive.
Hi Robert yes I had rebound after Paxlovid I was negative for 7 days then tested positive again .. not as bad second time round although has zapped my energy
I am 70 and had a my first taste of ciovid 6 months ago.I checked all the boxes as the doctor said and being healthy he put me on PAXLOVID. I came out with a loss of taste now in my 6 months this week. It is Crazy not being able to taste and has me down 20 lbs but still optimistic that it will come back. As I tell my bride of 50 years its hard to explain eating spicy jalapeños/Bloody Mary mix etc with zero taste…..I have tried everything spicy and hot.
Yes, I received Paxlovid for the second time when I 'rebounded' in July ... the symptoms were mild second time around
ygtgo
My Specialist says no need for retreatment. I just have to fasten my seatbelt and ride it out. Some days I feel ok and think this is it and then the next day not so good. I have tiredness and chills one day and another day the sweats, I do not have a fever and am not real sick. Today is day 28.
Bill
I did very well on the medicine, my Covid was super mild, I only tested because my brother had it. Only thing I didn’t like, was the pill having your mouth taste like metal..
Hi Rob- I had a horror experience - I took pax and was feeling I was on the mend BUT at day 7 I had the rebound which was bad - I just stayed sick for 3 weeks then got Pnemonia and admitted to hospital - 10 days of heavy antibiotics then went home - it took 10 weeks to get back to my normal self
hang in there. 2023 will be better !
hello! My Oncologist Dr told me it was not suggested to take Paxlovid for the rebound. My symptoms were relatively mild. I lost my taste on the rebound. Between getting Covid, rebound and isolation I was basically the month of August out of commission! Grateful for Paxlovid though, I never had to go to Dr/Hospital and was able to stay home for the duration
Hang in there 💪🏻.
Hello Robert. Hope you are keeping well and recovered. I too had COVID early November and took 5 days of Paxlovid and tested negative after 5 days. A bit of a lingering cough remains. My systematic treatments have resumed and I do have fatigue after 2-3 days. Should I test positive again I will have the prescription ready again. How are you doing? Wishing you a happy new year with good health at the front.
Thank you and a happy new year. I too still have a cough and lack of energy, but keeping going.
I had a rebound infection from Paxlovid-twice!
Hi,
I just tested positive for the third time in the past month - been on Paxlovid twice already. Did you take Paxlovid multiple times?
Thank you,
Rick
Hi Robert I tested positive on 27th Dec got 5 days of Paxlovid which I’ve finished today. I spoke to the NHS COVID nurse at Oxford who told me Paxlovid is only given again after 3 months. It may be an Oxfordshire ruling. I’m feeling so much better I am hopeful I don’t get the rebound. Hope you do ok as well 🤞
Thanks for letting me know. I am OK at present, but wanted to know what my options were going forward.
rebounded 5 days after paxlovid and testing neg . Was told to quarantine again for 5 days and then mask for another 5 days if symptoms were gone. Still tested positive on day 22 with just a lingering cough. Rebound symptoms were mild, but still had me in be with serious fatigue. Thankful for not having to be hospitalized, but Covid is a kicker!!!! Don’t want it again anytime soon
I received a second Rx for a rebound. You can read about it in one of the previous posts. My 1st Covid came back with a vengeance so I started a second round of Paxlovid 2 days after finishing the first Paxlovid.
My 2nd Covid was wiped clean with a single Rx of Paxlovid.
I think it is good to take the path of lesser symptoms, and less chance of serious illness.
Hi Robert,
I tested positive for Covid and was administered antibodies and Paxlovid. As told at the time, sometimes those who take paxlovid get a rebound infection. Of course, I got the rebound infection. They did not administer paxlovid again. The second infection was more mild than the first, but I was definitely sick.
I was not hospitalized and made it through. Apparently, that is considered mild. In hindsight, I would take it again.
Best,
Sandy
Good to hear that the second infection was less.
I was positive on Dec 14 & began Paxlovid on the same day. I retested when I was symptom-free about a week later & I was negative. It's been 19 days & no rebound so far. If the symptoms return & I test positive, I will ask my dr at MDA for a refill on the Paxlovid. My temp maxed at 101.8F (38.8C) but after 2 days on Paxlovid it was only low-grade.
Wishing you the best ...
LynnB
Hey Lynn
I'm so glad I'm reading every reply. Yours was the first that said they have not yet had a rebound, so I was beginning to get worried. I just took the Morning dose of the two doses a day for five days. At least its free here in the US; I don't know if it is free elsewhere. I actually have a second five day box to use if I need it, because the doctor actually called it into the pharmacy i no longer use first. I caught that mistake at the urgent care and had him send it to my current pharmacy. Both filled it, so I picked it up at both. Now I'm wondering if the second dose should be used. I guess I'll message my CLL Specialist and ask her opinion.
Carl
I am hopeful that I do not have a rebound, buy still coughing a lot.
I also had a rebound five days after testing negative. My rebound (and I did test positive again) was much milder, no fever, and lasted two days. Following standard CDC guidance, I isolated for five days again. I did not ask to take Paxlovid again, but I understand that in the US, it is not given for rebound cases. Don't neglect to do simple things like drink a lot of water, tea, etc. to help your system flush out the virus. I also used typical cold remedies like Emergen-C and took NyQuil to sleep better.
Robert
The only thing I can add to this post, is that I too tested positive on New Years Eve. I was in Manhattan (NYC) with my wife to celebrate New Years with a four night stay. We flew home as planned the next day, but got home near Midnight. So today I went to an Urgent Care place and got an Rx for Paxlovid. I took my first dose this morning. I'm praying it works.
Carl
I hope it works well for you.
Epidemiologist Michael Mina suggests that ppl are taking Paxlovid too soon for their bodies' immune system to kick in, which may be why many have rebound cases. (But I thought we needed to take it asap?) Here's a twitter thread where he discusses some of this: twitter.com/michaelmina_lab...
Two other articles that looked interesting to me:
Paxlovid May Help Reduce Risk of Long COVID: healthline.com/health-news/...
Covid-19 rebound may be more common in people who take Paxlovid, early study suggests: cnn.com/2022/11/16/health/p...
Hoping you are on a swift road to recovery--however you get there.
Thanks for your links. I'm curious about your reference to Michael Mina suggesting that people are taking Paxlovid too soon - I didn't find anything on the twitter thread you included in which he stated that. What I have read is that some doctors think that the 5 day treatment is too short.
In the last week, there have been a number of articles in the US papers about how paxlovid is being under-utilized. The statistics on its effectiveness on keeping patients out of the hospital are quite compelling. And the rebound effect is overblown by the media, due in part to the high profile people who rebounded like President Biden and Anthony Fauci. People who rebound generally have very mild symptoms. And there are some early studies suggesting Paxlovid may reduce long Covid. So, I hope no one out there is turning down Paxlovid because of worry about the rebound effect - the benefits are far more important.
As someone who had Covid for at least a month, everything I read suggests that the issue might be that people aren't taking Paxlovid for long enough. As in, there's not enough drug in that 5 day course to reduce load enough to keep it from starting to replicate again after stopping. Interestingly, I had a bit of an experimental course because of my difficulty clearing the virus. I had 4 days of Remdesivir IV, followed by 5 days of Paxlovid. So far (knock on wood), it seems like it may have worked. time will tell.
My apologies HB. It looks like I linked to the 4th part of his thread and missed the part that gave it context. He didn't suggest that anyone should skip Paxlovid, only that ppl's immune system may need a day or 2 to kick in before starting Paxlovid. Here's the correct link: twitter.com/michaelmina_lab...
I agree that the media keeps overblowing stuff (and IMO sensationalizing certain aspects of news for clickbait). It's why I try follow scientists on Twitter instead of getting a news agency's interpretation. Still, Dr. Mina's post was from last May and he has since gone to work for eMed, a company that sells covid tests. In my meager defense, I did reference the article about Paxlovid's efficacy in reducing long covid. 😛 These days I follow Dr. Eric Topol. twitter.com/EricTopol
Hi Robert, tested positive - interestingly first RAT negative, Covid 10 days before Christmas straight onto anti-virals just very tired but no other problems. GP said many people said they had a metallic taste after drugs so suggested eat first drugs after. I was surprised by number of drugs contra indicated too but strangely not alcohol. Happy 2023.
I too had the metal taste, disappeared within 24 hours of stopping the Paxlovid.
I had a rebound case. The symptoms were mild and only lasted 3-4 days. I did not take Paxlovid for the rebound case.
I contracted Covid on 29th november on a cruise ( after 3 years of dodging the bullet, having home schooled 3 grandchildren who got covid, having shopped, gone to the theatre, attended a wedding where every on our table got covid except my hubbie and I, having visited my CLL specialist during those years in hospital clinics and we all know that if you want to get sick just walk around a hospital where the microbes are partying!!!! and yet as careful as I was on the ship, wearing N 95 masks everywhere, doing the stairs not the crowded elevators, even wiping menus, covid caught up with me. So on 30 November I started paxlovid , compliments of the cruise line and though I was not very ill to start with by day 4 on the antivirals I was already negative. I have not relapsed but if I did I would not hesitate to take paxlovid again. As a retired pharmacist I reason the following. If we need antibiotics for a chest infection we take it. If we are unfortunate to get another chest infection we take another course of antibiotice and so on so I cannot see a reason why one cannot take another course of anti virals and the doctor who said just ride it out ( in one of the replies) is not very wise in my opinion because covid reactions can change and though most get a milder form on the rebound no scientist can guarantee that a second or third relapse in some cases will not cause serious illness. In the case of people who unfortunately get afflicted with herpes zoster they are given anti virals ( a different formulation of course) which eradicates the virus but if they relapse they will get a second lot of anti virals so logic tells me the same should apply with paxlovid etc.
Where are the folks who got a second script for Paxlovid located.? I can't seem to get it for my rebound Covid here in the US,
Paxlovid or not?
Paxlovid and Ibrutinib
Covid - Paxlovid and Ibrutinib 
