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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

#61

Post by veidr »

latch wrote: post #55
ofjcihen wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

HN used to show vote count. In the past, you'd see something like your GP having a vote count of 14, and your parent (the correction) having a vote count of 53. It was super useful and helped to combat misinformation.

You're right, and I just now realized the crux of why I was so miffed by that change. It indeed helped me better understand (while skimming)... but only for those topics that I don't enough about to make my own judgements.

I undersand the reasons to do it, also, but I think you clearly elucidate what was lost... (T_T)

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

#62

Post by cosmojg »

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

I've been off them for a while, but in addition to permanently worsened tinnitus, I've also been left with reduced "tingly" sensations like those experienced during ASMR and orgasms. I experienced no benefit from the half dozen that I tried. It really, really, really sucks, and if I could go back, I would have never taken them. Ironically, they were prescribed to me because my doctor was too afraid to prescribe anything else for fear of side effects.

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

#63

Post by local_crmdgeon »

zero_shift wrote: post #22
ETH_start wrote: post #2

For the vast majority of cases, a long COVID diagnosis is extremely short on rigor. The best evidence available suggests most cases of "long COVID" are misattribution: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...

Is it that we over-diagnose long COVID? Or that we under-diagnose post viral fatigue more generally? I remember a close family member having a nasty viral infection aged 32/33 - not exactly old and frail - and they left it a very different person in terms of energy and general health. It really did take a year or so to clear up.

We over diagnose. It's taboo to discuss the fact that population is tumblr/twitter types, and not people that are well adjusted. It's a contagion, but it's not spread by a virus. Most people with Long COVID recover through increased exercise and improved diet. They're just depressed, which is of course a real illness, but it's more to do with burn out from social media hysteria.

Any mention of this on HN results in immediate downvote brigade.

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

#64

Post by xeromal »

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?

Because humans can't exist in a state of panic forever. We eventually fall into a new normal even if it's detrimental for us.

> See: People having tea during during a long, drawn out war.

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

#65

Post by NickM »

BjoernKW wrote: post #48
bruce343434 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

To add to this, a tiny one-sentence note about post-SSRI sexual dysfunction is actually buried in the prescribing information for Prozac. It’s not just something on Wikipedia, it’s a known issue in the mainstream medical community (albeit maybe not as widely known or discussed as it should be).

Source: https://pi.lilly.com/us/prozac.pdf

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

#66

Post by catskul2 »

BjoernKW wrote: post #48
bruce343434 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Half of the side effects are also the side effects of abating depressions.

It's theorized that the suicide risk from most anti-depressants are from transitioning from so depressed that you have no motivation to do anything, to having enough motivation, but still feeling the related pain from depression.

Likewise with weight-gain. For many depressed people they have a suppression of appetite, and relieving the depression causes return of appetite.

AFAIK, neither the sexual side effects nor the withdraw symptoms are generally considered to be long term much less permanent.

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

#67

Post by local_crmdgeon »

user568439 wrote: post #58
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

So are you saying that my wife got depressed 2 weeks after having Covid? That she just all of the sudden started to be breathless with oximeter showing levels below 80% due to a depression? She was in her best moment in life, earning a 6 figures salary, reading 50 books a year, learning a 5th language and studying a 2nd master degree. After 2 years, she is now unable to leave home and read a single book of course thi…

To be fair literally every single symptom here is a symptom of depression. Has she tried SSRIs? People get depressed from disease all the time, being sick is depressing.

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

#68

Post by throwaway6977 »

dmix wrote: post #30
ETH_start wrote: post #2

For the vast majority of cases, a long COVID diagnosis is extremely short on rigor. The best evidence available suggests most cases of "long COVID" are misattribution: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...

I’ve seen it compared to the gulf war syndrome which happened to returning soldiers, a similar thing they spent forever looking for a cause (gas attacks etc) and never finding a physical cause. They determined it’s something that happens to people after a widespread traumatic event. Like a minor version of PTSD. I’d love to see a study that took long COVID people and got them to do daily cardio exercise, go outside i…

This sentiment (which is unfortunately rampant) is incredibly ignorant of the actual disease and infantilizes it's victims. I'd LOVE to see people who espouse this idea- go and do some more research about the disease they clearly don't have, and have not experienced first-hand.

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

#69

Post by wahnfrieden »

xeromal wrote: post #64
wahnfrieden wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do we now treat it like regular flu then?

Because humans can't exist in a state of panic forever. We eventually fall into a new normal even if it's detrimental for us. > See: People having tea during during a long, drawn out war.

What's panic have to do with taking safety measures?
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