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Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

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Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#41

Post by bruce343434 »

BjoernKW wrote: post #35
francisofascii wrote: post #5

My gut reaction (pun intended) or guess on what causes Long Covid is a viral reservoir, possibly in the gut, that the immune system cannot fully clear. Low serotonin is then a downstream effect from the chronic stress on the body. Approx. 90% of serotonin found in the human body is located in the (GI) tract. So people and doctors will throw SSRIs at the problem, and maybe that will relieve some symptoms, but will not…

> [...] is a viral reservoir, possibly in the gut In that case, a gastrointestinal lavage (as applied before a colonoscopy) could be a potential remedy. It's a long shot, but since the process doesn't have any side effects (other than the inconvenience of having to change your diet for a few days), it'd be worth a try. > So people and doctors will throw SSRIs at the problem, and maybe that will relieve some symptoms,…

I can't find anything about permanent side effects of SSRIs

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#42

Post by BjoernKW »

seydor wrote: post #3

Elder friend of mine got the fatigue two weeks after covid. after everything else was ruled out she was given ssris for anxiety, and indeed she could walk again a few weeks later. If this turns out to be as interesting as it sounds, well buy SSRI maker stocks

I'd be very careful with SSRIs. This might very well turn out to be a case of the cure being worse than the disease.

> If this turns out to be as interesting as it sounds, well buy SSRI maker stocks

Unfortunately, that suggestion on the other hand might be spot-on. Not because SSRIs truly are the cure-all they're often marketed as, but rather because manufacturers have managed to sell them as such.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#43

Post by thenerdhead »

mg wrote: post #27

I'm surprised there is no randomized controlled trial of the effect of Vitamin D on Long Covid. When I browse through Pubmed and read studies (a/b-tests) of Vitamin D intake and respiratory tract infections (including Covid), many large studies found a positive effect.

Vitamin D is preventative in nature. Also there are trials here...look them up on clincialtrials.gov

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05633472

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05356936

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05630339

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04536298

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#44

Post by seydor »

zero_shift wrote: post #19
seydor wrote: post #3

Elder friend of mine got the fatigue two weeks after covid. after everything else was ruled out she was given ssris for anxiety, and indeed she could walk again a few weeks later. If this turns out to be as interesting as it sounds, well buy SSRI maker stocks

This is interesting to me, I'm recovering from COVID right now and the fatigue hit me - you guessed it - two weeks after the initial infection. I don't take an SSRI but perhaps it could indeed help.

dont do it just because. in our case we pretty much did every kind of medical exam possible, she did display multiple anxiety symptoms that seemed like panic attacks and the fatigue was clearly related to it.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#45

Post by ThrowawayTestr »

TeaDrunk wrote: post #28
bluehorizon2 wrote: post #15

So basically most long covid is a form of depression. It makes sense given the fact that most self reported long covid was white middle aged females over any other demographic

The greatest demographic to report long covid symptoms are actually hispanic and black people trans people earning less than 25000 a year. [0] 0. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/long-covid-19...

"Women were more likely than men to say they suffered long-lasting symptoms."

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#46

Post by marginalia_nu »

francisofascii wrote: post #5

My gut reaction (pun intended) or guess on what causes Long Covid is a viral reservoir, possibly in the gut, that the immune system cannot fully clear. Low serotonin is then a downstream effect from the chronic stress on the body. Approx. 90% of serotonin found in the human body is located in the (GI) tract. So people and doctors will throw SSRIs at the problem, and maybe that will relieve some symptoms, but will not…

It also seems likely that at least some of the cases of depressive symptoms and lack of fitness is due to covid isolation, which entailed a precipitous decline in both physical and social activity for a lot of people.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#47

Post by micromacrofoot »

wahnfrieden wrote: post #40
saiya-jin wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard this, that and also blood clots forming in the brain. Maybe much more, we will see in upcoming years. Nasty disease

Why do we now treat it like regular flu then?

the economy

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#48

Post by BjoernKW »

bruce343434 wrote: post #41
BjoernKW wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [...] is a viral reservoir, possibly in the gut In that case, a gastrointestinal lavage (as applied before a colonoscopy) could be a potential remedy. It's a long shot, but since the process doesn't have any side effects (other than the inconvenience of having to change your diet for a few days), it'd be worth a try. > So people and doctors will throw SSRIs at the problem, and maybe that will relieve some symptoms,…

I can't find anything about permanent side effects of SSRIs

Sexual dysfunction, for one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_i...

Additional potential long-term side effects include, but are not limited to, weight gain, feeling emotionally numb, and an increased suicided risk. Furthermore, there's the SSRI discontinuation syndrome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation...

SSRIs are truly fun stuff.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#50

Post by ludston »

ofjcihen wrote: post #29
RohMin wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While most of the body’s serotonin is indeed in the gut, the serotonin that impacts our mood, sleep, and other cognitive functions is exclusively produced and used in the brain.

Was going to say this. My one gripe with HN is that people say incorrect things with complete confidence pretty regularly and you can only Detect it if you know the subject matter.

To be fair, this person clearly said it was a "gut" feeling, and it is also ok to be wrong about things, since being corrected on saying a wrong thing is a wonderful way to learn.
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