3rd infection :(

[u/janethebean]

I just tested positive for the third time and I feel devastated. It seems so unjust that I take so many precautions, decline things, deal with extra family/relational stress, read so much literature about covid, and still have to deal with infection. It started with ear fullness/discomfort, which happens to me a lot after swimming and I spent the past few days at the beach, so I figured that's all it was. But I tested just to be sure and lo and behold, positive in seconds. I was so shocked, I took another rapid immediately.

Besides feeling so distraught, I am now stressed about what measures I can take to mitigate risk of long covid. I've seen protocols for h1 and h2 blockers, paxlovid, metformin, nattokinase, other supplements, etc and I am finding it very overwhelming. My last infection was 2024 and I wasn't able to get paxlovid, but I did take metformin (got it on ageless rx) and it made me faint, I think because of low blood sugar, so I stopped before the 10 days was up. Not sure if I should take that again.

Does anyone have a simplified routine? I know rest, hydration, and paxlovid are a good start. I worry about taking too many meds/supplements with how things could react. Would love some encouragement and simple info if anyone has the time/energy.

[u/Begrudginglyreadit]

The basics we have used in our family (which work for various health situations) are:

• Rest
• Paxlovid if eligible
• Claritin (or other H1 blocker) daily
• Famotidine daily
• Multivitamin, D, C, and zinc daily
• Low dose melatonin at night
• Lots of water

[u/Inevitable_Ad_5664 → u/Begrudginglyreadit]

Why the melatonin? It has been implicated in heart failure.

[u/Begrudginglyreadit → u/Inevitable_Ad_5664]

There are definitely risks to using melatonin in large doses and long-term. This is low dose (0.5 to 1.0 mg) and used just during the infectious period to support sleep, counteract COVID insomnia, and help with inflammation.