People’s Pharmacy: Post-viral symptoms may persist for years
Q. Twenty years ago, after an upper respiratory infection, I suddenly went from being a high-energy person to someone who could not get out of bed. I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow without experiencing PoTS.
The fatigue is better, although my fast heart rate makes it hard to exert myself. The shortness of breath and sleep problems are annoying, but the neurological symptoms are the worst. Besides brain fog, I have neuropathy.
When all this started, I read that neurological symptoms are often part of the profile for chronic fatigue syndrome. I have been wondering if that is what I have, but I haven’t been able to find out anything more. What can you tell me?
A. When you developed an upper respiratory tract infection 20 years ago, most physicians did not recognize that such flu-like illnesses might lead to long-lasting complications. A recent study in Lancet Infectious Diseases, Dec. 14, 2023, reveals that both COVID-19 and influenza can cause neurological symptoms as well as fatigue.
The authors of this study are calling the condition “long flu.”
You mention PoTS – postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. This condition, which is common in both long COVID-19 and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), seems to be a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Heart rate increases rapidly when a person stands up, and they often feel dizzy. Sadly, there is not yet a cure for long COVID-19, long flu or CFS.
Q. I started taking Ozempic once a week about two months ago. Despite constipation and waves of nausea, I’m grateful to have it. I have little appetite and have lost 11 pounds, though I wasn’t obese. My HbA1c has come down to 6.3 after being around 10.
Others I know have been told they can only take this drug for a limited time. Do you know about the time frame? In addition to Ozempic, I’m also on metformin.
A. Semaglutide (Ozempic) is an injectable drug initially approved for treating Type 2 diabetes. The results you report are impressive. Lowering your HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) to 6.3 indicates much better blood sugar control.
Because this drug and its twin, Wegovy, have received so much publicity about weight loss, there have been shortages. We are not aware of any reason to discontinue the drug other than side effects. If you stop taking semaglutide, you will lose both the advantages you have experienced and the adverse reactions.
To learn more about the benefits and risks of both semaglutide and metformin you may wish to consult our “eGuide to Preventing & Treating Diabetes.” This online resource can be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q. I had athlete’s foot and nail fungus that wouldn’t go away. Daily application of a house brand chest rub (with the same ingredients as Vicks VapoRub) cured both. The nail fungus disappeared within about four months. I don’t know if this works for everyone, but it sure works for me.
A. Decades ago, a professional footcare nurse told us that applications of Vicks VapoRub could help against nail fungus. A small study published in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (January-February 2016) reported that “Vicks VapoRub was shown to be an effective and safe treatment of onychomycosis (nail fungus).”
The antifungal activity of some ingredients in your chest rub (thymol, eucalyptus, camphor and menthol) may account for the benefits you have seen.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, Fla., 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.