Is that medical advice? Are we allowed to answer that?
Provisional generalized advice has been regularly dispensed on this forum, with the caveat that we are not their doctor, etc. Similar to how generalized legal advice is frequently given.
@Velocity , here’s some reading from Britain’s National Health Service about ibuprofen and COVID. While this page was updated a month ago, the advice will be familiar to those in the U.S. who received COVID vaccinations in early 2021.
There is currently no strong evidence that ibuprofen can make coronavirus (COVID-19) worse.
But until we have more information, take paracetamol (=acetaminophen in the U.S. - b) to treat the symptoms of coronavirus, unless your doctor has told you paracetamol is not suitable for you.
If you are already taking ibuprofen or another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) on the advice of a doctor, do not stop taking it without checking first.
Call your doctor. First, because you need to ask whether you should be taking treatment specifically against covid, and if so which treatment, and to get the prescription (you should do this even if you’re not all that sick at the moment, some treatments only work if you start them early enough.)
While you’re at it, ask them whether you in particular in your particular medical state should take ibuprofen/acetaminophen.
Yes. It is pretty well established here that any responses you receive to any medical questions are purely the opinions of some random folks on the internet, and should not be taken as the equivalent of professional medical advice. As with all things medical, it is always best to consult a real-life professional.
That said, if someone asks a question like “what works better” we prefer answers that have some sort of citable basis, like the cite that @bordelond provided. We don’t want to be spreading conspiracy theory type nonsense. After all, we are all about fighting ignorance, not spreading it.
This says that Tylenol is preferred, but nsaids (like Advil) are okay.
Symptom management and recovery expectation — Symptomatic treatment includes antipyretics and analgesics for fever, myalgias, and headaches. We generally prefer acetaminophen; however, we inform patients that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) use is acceptable if symptoms do not respond to acetaminophen. (See [“COVID-19: Management in hospitalized adults”, section on ‘NSAID use’](UpToDate
It doesn’t speak to whether it’s better to tough it out, though.
Thanks. I’m pretty much 95% recovered now. Is there any sort of post-Covid check-up thing that is advised? (ie, getting lung Xray or blood sugar or something done?) I feel like it’s harder for me to breathe deeply these days post-Covid. I was also still eating sugary foods during Covid, unwisely, which may have made the inflammation worse.
Anecdote time! I went to dinner with a good friend of mine Monday evening. After I took her home, she texted saying she didn’t feel good and was going to bed early. The next day she got up feeling like crap - full on flu like symptoms. I suggested that she take a rapid test, and it came back positive.
(She’s finally turned the corner, and woke up symptom free today)
Me? I haven’t had any symptoms, and the just-in-case test I took yesterday was negative. Most people I know who have gotten COVID recently had about a 3 day incubation period, and right now I’m a full four days after my exposure. I’ll take another one tomorrow, and if it’s also negative, I’ll be feeling good about it, but I’m going to continue to lie low for a few days, just in case.
We had the same immunization history until October. We both had our two shot initial series and initial booster. And we both had COVID last July. This October, I got the bivalent booster, and she didn’t.
I’m hoping that the booster gave me that much extra protection. It seems very unlikely that she wasn’t contagious at dinner, and we were sitting directly across from each other.
We are in Florida right now - where masks appear to be virtually illegal. We’ve spent much of the day around a hospital - and unlike VA, there are no signs requiring masks in medical buildi gs; the vast majority of the staff was unmasked.
But down in the hospice wing, there are signs demanding that everyone wear a mask inside the room, or risk losing visiting privileges.
WTF??? Are they afraid we’ll give Grampa COVID and off the old coot or something?
I attended a major super-spreader Petri-dish event last night, so I have some questions about timing. I’ve gone three years without contracting Covid, mostly through diligent avoidance of anything like this party (indoors, loud music so everyone screamed in every else’s face for three hours, nobody masked) but my streak may well have ended so I’m wondering about timing:
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what is the current thinking on the best moment to start testing. This party (a cousin’s 90th birthday, with relatives I haven’t seen in decades flying in from all across the country, btw) was held on Saturday night from 7 to 10 PM, so I should take my first at-home test when?
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I understand the at-home test are less reliable than the ones I can get at the local CVS drugstore (antigen vs PCR) so when do I need to schedule a drive-in test to verify the at-home result? They usually have a slight wait so I can schedule it before the at-home antigen results are in.
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If I test positive at-home, should I arrange for a Paxlovid Rx immediately? I can do a televisit with my PCP and get a prescription. Is there any need for a confirming PCR test if I test positive at home?
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Should I cancel my routine doctor’s visit this upcoming Tuesday, or keep it?
This was a violation of all the principles I hold dear, and not something I’m likely to do again, but I decided to attend this thing because I’m fully vaxed and because Paxlovid is available. Still and all, I hope I don’t end up regretting immersing myself in this petri dish. If I avoid covid after this, I’ve got a charmed life.
You just learned someone at the party had covid? Bummer.
Are you testing because:
- You don’t want to infect others?
- You are worried about your own health?
For the latter, i think you can wait for the first inkling of symptoms (scratchy throat, sniffle, cough) and not test at all if you have no symptoms. Then, if it’s negative, test again the next day and the day after. I know several people who had symptoms a day or two before testing positive. Also, i think you can get paxlovid from a pharmacy now, without seeing a doctor. But it couldn’t hurt to reach out and ask you doctor for a prescription now. You don’t have to take it if you don’t get sick.
I wouldn’t bother with pcr testing unless you are very vulnerable and your doctor suggests it. If you are immune compromised, talk to your doctor ASAP.
For the former, start wearing a mask now when you are with others, like when you go to the drugstore to pick up that paxlovid. Even even a surgical mask provides good source control, but if your have a stash of N95s, this would be a good time to use them. If you live with others who are vulnerable, now is when to isolate from them, and their odds of not catching it from you are excellent. If you have no symptoms and test negative, you can probably come out in a week. If you live with someone at extreme risk, one of you might want to move out for a week or two.
It looks like the incubation period is shorter with omicron than it was with the original covid. The link below says an average of 3.42 days. Anecdotally, that’s about how long it took my friends who recently had covid, so i suspect most people do have an incubation time of 3-4 days, and that’s not just the average of a hugely spread curve.
No, I haven’t learned that anyone actually had Covid. I’m going on probabilities: I was just in close proximity with dozens of strangers screaming in others’ faces over the loud music, unmasked, for three hours. Indoors. In Florida.
I’m both concerned about infecting others and my own health. I live alone, but I’m certainly not going to see my girlfriend until I’ve tested negative–my question was when does taking the first Covid test make sense? I don’t want to test too early for fear of a false negative, but I do want to test as soon as the virus would show up on a test.
It sounds like three days would be the earliest it makes sense to test, so Wednesday morning.
I assume that I should avoid people for the next three days just because if I got C-19 at the party, I’m a walking talking spreader of the virus without any symptoms.
My brother just had his first experience with COVID. Last week he woke up feeling like crap. He assumed he just had a cold, but had a fever and felt worse than a typical cold.
He tested positive, and anticipated feeling worse, but he never did. By day three he was much improved. Day four he felt fine, but continued to test positive.
Vaccines work! He never had and lower airway involvement and was only sick for 48 hours.
I went to a similar event a few weeks ago. My nephew’s engagement party. But being paranoid, i wore a mask at the party. I went out dancing three days later, but i both tested negative before i went and also wore an N95 mask. And i ended up not catching covid at that party, although i might have picked up something else. The three of us who went all felt gassy and under the weather for a few days later that week. I considered myself out of the woods for covid after a week.
This was similar to my experiences. I started to feel sick, and then later that day I was indeed sick and huddled under the covers in bed for about 30 hours, and then started feeling better. Within a few days I was pretty good.
Then I got COVID a second time, though I didn’t bother testing to confirm. Felt exactly the same, did the same sleep in bed deal but for only 22 hours this time, and again recovered mostly within a couple days and then fully within a week.
Both times I traced back the most likely place I got it to 4 days before showing symptoms. Both times I isolated for a week and then continued to mask for another week or two after that.
I have covid now. I’m afraid I’ve also given it to my cat, poor thing. (Indoor only, so it won’t go beyond the household.)
What I’m surprised at is how difficult it is to find a good list of what to expect with symptom progression, or what to do for poor kitty. I’m just starting Day 5 and feel a bit better; some more energy (though nowhere near normal) and very mild congestion with the occasional cough. Cat seems to be sneezing a bit and is extra clingy but doesn’t seem unhappy or in pain: purring, sleeping, and hopping onto the bed pose no difficulties.
One symptom I hadn’t read about was loss of appetite. I have full taste & smell, but just… no real desire to eat. Hunger comes in short flashes, but is offset by very light nausea. Not “I’m going to throw up” but “I’d rather lie back down.” I had breakfast yesterday and will probably have breakfast & dinner today, and I’d guess normal meals tomorrow.
IANAvet. but if the cat’s not eating and drinking normally try to make sure they get enough fluids – try tuna liquid and similar things. In a pinch you can squirt water into the mouth from an eyedropper – wash the eyedropper well first.
I often feel that way when I’m sick. With,… pretty much anything.
Thanks. I’ll keep an eye on her: Dr Internet says that housecats in general experience only mild symptoms, but I’ll watch for dehydration. We’ll see how dinner goes tonight.
Republicans in Idaho have introduced a bill to make it a crime to administer a Covid vaccine.
Meanwhile, a good double blind randomized, placebo controlled study of the use of ivermectin shows it does nothing.
Americans are just hopelessly stupid.
I brought this up elsewhere, but it fits here too.
I live in rural Yavapai county, Arizona aka the stupid capital of a stupid state. I have taken up Tai-chi. Currently the classes are inside and knowing that folks are pretty anti-vax out here, I let it be known that I have had FIVE Covid shots. Now 2 other ladies and myself work out in one side of the room and the other 10-12 are all crowded into the other side of the room to avoid my vaccine cooties.
Half of the country is deliberately stupid.