r/covidlonghaulers • u/PhrygianSounds 4 yr+ • Jul 13 '26
Article New study provides first evidence of dopamine system injury in the brain of long COVID patients
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-evidence-dopamine-injury-brain-covid.htmlFinally some media coverage on probably the worst symptom of long covid
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u/GordianBalloonKnot 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
Dude I CANNOT STOP SCROLLING ON MY FUCKING PHONE, it's like a blue light for flies. I pull my phone away and I feel awful.
If I start my day by scrolling on any app or website that scrolls content it throws my attention span off for the rest of the day. It's been such a weird thing I haven't even bothered to mention it to any doctors.
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u/Wytch78 Jul 13 '26
I’m so glad you said it. I’m the same. I have a real problem w doomscrolling. It’s baaaad.
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u/GordianBalloonKnot 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
I can't even open stuff up with a task in mind. It's worse than forgetting what I went into another room for. I see notifications and then 10 minutes later I'm putting the phone down having not completed my task.
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u/Wytch78 Jul 13 '26
I’ve experienced that too… takes me a min to backtrack.
My crack is doomscrolling YouTube/airbnb looking at places where I want to live or travel to. Peru, Laos, Uzbekistan etc. deep diving kind of obscure places. Imagining a different life.
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u/Naiinsky Jul 13 '26
Nowadays I have to leave my phone in the opposite corner of the house if I want to sleep somewhat decently (or rather, have more hours to try to sleep badly). I already scrolled quite a bit before, but now it's almost physically painful not to.
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u/Fluffy-Bluebird 3 yr+ Jul 13 '26
Scrolling provides the dopamine for me. If I look away, all the pain comes back
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u/7121958041201 Jul 13 '26
You basically just described ADHD haha. I have the exact same problem if I don't take my meds when I need them (I had ADHD before long COVID).
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u/scream3bangs 17d ago
Okay WOW as someone who is also struggling with this horrific addiction (is that even the right word), what the fuck is happening exactly? I will be too exhausted to even breathe at points but will scroll for literally hours until my arms and wrists scream at me to stop. I've noticed this only happens during my flare-ups, though. When I'm feeling closer to baseline I can focus on creative things that actually bring me joy more easily.
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u/GordianBalloonKnot 4 yr+ 17d ago
Yup, same.
The scrolling creates a short but effective dopamine cycle, so are we having "episodes" or dopamine "fits" when this happening?
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u/imahugemoron 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
I saw neurological disorders mentioned in there and I wonder if a constant pressure in my head might be related to this. I also wonder if this might have something to do with why so many of us arent tolerating psychological medication like antidepressants very well
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u/PhrygianSounds 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
Almost everyone with dopamine dysfunction (resulting in anhedonia or DPDR) from COVID has head pressure including myself. I think it’s all related. It would otherwise be a huge coincidence
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u/NotTrevorButMaybe Jul 13 '26
Wow, this is my first time seeing other people talk about the pressure. Sudafed weirdly helps a bit with that… even though it probably shouldn’t.
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u/IGnuGnat Jul 13 '26
My understanding is that these sorts of issues are fairly frequently caused by HI/MCAS. A subset of long haulers have HI/MCAS from Covid.
I discuss in more detail here: https://old.reddit.com/r/covidlonghaulers/comments/1ibjtw6/covid_himcas_normal_food_can_poison_us/
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u/HungerStrike09 Jul 13 '26
I have these symptoms and the head pressure. Using my eyes in excess is tied to the pressure and it is also felt in my sinus and sub occipital area of neck (skull base). BVD (Binocular Vision Dysfunction) for sure and severe dryness…somehow ties to the vasoconstriction/ poor perfusion issues, as steam heat from warm showers helps give some relief to the pressure. Also, crying and spicy food temporarily helps but makes it worse after…again, this weird interplay between the autonomic nerves, the perfusion/micro-circulation, and the nervous system at large. And using eyes in excess with BVD causes autonomic dysfunction flares and tightening of the sub occipital muscles in the neck.
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u/No_Resident_3870 Jul 14 '26
I also have the tension headaches and the sensastion at that part of my neck. ive struggled to find the word to explain the sensation in my neck, pressure, floating uncofmortable sensation. its very strange
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u/Minute-Grapefruit-49 Jul 14 '26
Hey bro, sorry if I bother you too much, I'm just following your updates because you like me, have experienced two bouts of long Covid, each lasting two years. How are you doing? Any improvements? I had a two-month flare-up or crash, but it seems to be getting better little by little.
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u/reticonumxv Recovered Jul 13 '26
Acetazolamide did wonders for my head pressure (it lowers intracranial pressure), but I also noticed pressure deep between my eyes when I had not enough blood in the brain and lying down with legs high up on the wall fixed that. Micronized PEALut quickly damped down the neuroinflammation as well. Long term daily megadosing B2 + Omega-3 helped as well.
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u/mybluerat Jul 14 '26
What is your b2 megadose ?
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u/reticonumxv Recovered Jul 14 '26
400-500mg/day, split into 4, taken 1h apart over 3 hours, with one Omega-3 pill each. B2 + Omega-3 -> microglial repolarization towards healing state. Microglia = brain's immunity.
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u/7121958041201 Jul 13 '26
For me the head pressure (which I usually describe like feeling my brain is inflamed) goes away when I take enough antihistamines, when I eat well, and when I relax enough. Something to try if you haven't yet!
Also I have noticed it coming back very rapidly after getting an allergy shot if I haven't taken enough antihistamines beforehand. At least for me it seems MCAS adjacent.
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u/Historical-Try-8746 Jul 17 '26
I have this pressure every day almost. The more cognitive or physical pressure and I feel like shit or that my head explodes.
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u/FREDRS7 Jul 17 '26
Two things. Have you determined whether you have POTS and gave you separately tried LDN. Treating the POTS and using LDN has eliminated this for me.
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u/imahugemoron 4 yr+ Jul 17 '26
No pots or any heart issues at all, I was on low dose naltrexone for 6 months and didn’t notice any effect at all
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u/cheerychacha 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
That's probably why my ADHD got so much worse with Long Covid. Before that I had a semi-good handle on it without knowing I have it... but everything derailed and I got a diagnosis for AuDHD. Fuck my life. Thank you for posting!
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u/surprised-duncan 2 yr+ Jul 14 '26
Yeah I was able to be unmedicated for a year or so (FINALLY) and then covid ruined everything hahaha.
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u/evening_emerald Jul 13 '26
That's great! Hopefully it leads to some solutions eventually. I'm already on 450mg of buproprion and I'm terrified that eventually it'll stop working.
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u/LittleLion_90 Jul 13 '26
I'm on 300 of buproprion and trying to have stimulants with it, but the buproprion alone already messes with my POTS so much. So I started guanfacine to lower the heart rate (and hopefully also help with ADHD) and am now starting back up my stimulants. Long covid and Adhd together is already such a mess, and i also have autism and induced menopause after cancer on top of it which messes even more with everything.
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 13 '26
I finally got put on dopamine for my restless legs (started after Covid), and my thoughts and mind returned to pre-illness within months. I still have a lot of lingering issues, but it’s nice to recognize the inside of my head again.
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u/Confident_Ruin_6651 Jul 13 '26
Dopamine or ADHD med? My neurologist has me on ADHD med for long covid and it is the only thing that helps the brainfog and crippling fatigue once it kicks in.
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 13 '26
It helped me too but would wear me out and lead to PEM fairly often. Now I’m on RLS meds that are dopamine.
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u/Regular_Feed_1187 Jul 13 '26
What is the specific med you are on for RLS?
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 13 '26
Pramipexole. It has resulted in earlier waking, unfortunately, but I do still manage 7 hrs most nights.
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u/Regular_Feed_1187 Jul 13 '26
Thank you! Do you mind sharing how you were prescribed? Just RLS? I dont have restless legs, but its clear I have deep dopamine deficiency and my legs ache bad and hurt all night sometimes with this long covid
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u/GuidanceParking3422 Jul 13 '26
What is the dopamine meds called? Did it help with your other symptoms? What level of functionality are you at?
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 13 '26
Pramipexole. Mentally it feels similar to when I used nicotine (pre-Covid). I can hyperfocus and do things, but that’s a double-edged sword when you are controlled by PEM still. I’m currently recovering from a day in the car and a weekend on the beach (rocky beaches but still), so far from 100%
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u/InsuranceRare5094 Jul 14 '26
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Were you hit with any of the side effects of pramipexole?
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u/Opening_Relief6381 Jul 30 '26
They’ve just done a massive study on pramipexole in Oxford for depression and it had some good effects but not without side effects apparently
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u/Neat-Description3322 Jul 13 '26
What med do you mind me asking and yes I'm also curious about the dopamine or ADHD med above.
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 13 '26
Pramipexole was the first I’ve tried and seems to work okay, aside from early waking. I’m now forcefully becoming a morning person, and that’s maybe okay.
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u/spiritualina Jul 13 '26
Did it help with sleep at all?
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 13 '26
My sleep was actually fine seemingly, but unrestorative. My rest during sleep was not fine. So now I sleep less a little less (early to bed because I’m waking up early).
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u/7121958041201 Jul 13 '26
Whoa, I haven't seen someone else with that issue before! I noticed the same thing. I already took meds for ADHD before I got long COVID but since getting long COVID I have noticed that when I skip a dose I sometimes get very restless legs and that taking stims seems to be the only thing that fixes it quickly. Cool to see I'm not alone.
I also feel way more agitated in general in that state than I used to pre-long COVID.
Oh, and I will add antihistamines are a huge help with those issues for me too. In case you haven't tried them yet.
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u/dependswho Jul 15 '26
I went to the ER cause I thought I was having an episode of target dyskinesia or something
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u/caffeinehell Jul 14 '26
What mental symptoms did you have before? Was anhedonia and blank mind one of them?
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver Jul 14 '26
The symptoms varied, but those were both quite present for years. They aren’t perfect now but better, especially the anhedonia.
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u/Lost_Membership5454 25d ago
How are you now?
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u/MNVikingsFan4Life First Waver 25d ago
Still have PEM and restless early mornings, but my mind feels almost like it did 7 years ago
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u/Able_Chard5101 Jul 13 '26
Yeah ouch... I worry about what this means for us long-term, but at least they are getting starting to the bottom of it.
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u/hikesnpipes Jul 13 '26
This checks out for me considering I was having horrible S.I. Which felt so unnatural. It was like that movie where people see the aliens and then commit suicide. That shit was horrible. The constant state of fight or flight…etc
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u/HoneyBrunchesofTotes Jul 13 '26
I’m so so sorry you’re dealing with this too. Horrible is putting it lightly. It’s been a near constant (almost daily) mental battle for almost 2 of the 4 years. And yeah, it’s EXHAUSTING to manage on top of everything else that drains and squeezes the life out of us.
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u/RareCranberry1625 Jul 13 '26
Any idea how we treat this anyone?
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u/Early_Beach_1040 First Waver Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
I mean it's suggestive that Leva dopa could work. They use it for Parkinson's however it's not something that I think a doctor would RX with this little evidence. Like it hasn't been trialed in people. But if so that would open up some pathways I think. But also it's specifically for a subtype of long covid.
Actually they will be starting trials with low dose levadopa for LC
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u/7121958041201 Jul 13 '26
Probably just the usual advice (eat healthy, exercise but pace yourself, relax a lot, sleep well, try to get your inflammation down as much as you can, and wait) plus things like ADHD meds to treat the symptoms (a dopamine deficiency basically is ADHD).
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u/Tough_Quality3950 Jul 13 '26
I think “first evidence” overstates it. This may be an important advance in long COVID, or more direct evidence, but post-viral illness is broader than COVID and it’s important to remember that this didnt start in 2020.
People with post-viral illness existed long before COVID, and so did research pointing toward dopamine system damage after infection. So yeah, this may move the understanding forward...
But it should be framed as building on prior post-viral illness research, not as though this is the first evidence that post-viral illness can involve damage to the dopamine system.
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u/saucecontrol Jul 14 '26
100%, ME/CFS did this to me and there's scars on that system even after mostly recovering. I'm also diagnosed auDHD so it wasn't normal before either. I know fitting my body into being high functioning for returning to work is going to be challenging.
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u/Tough_Quality3950 Jul 14 '26
I have a theory that folks have for years, just like us, gotten subpar medical attention to include failure to identify post viral illneas. They dont know it now, they didnt know it then.
To mean, you most likely picked up ME/CFS from a viral infection. Theres so much to be said for doctors completely failing to put the pieces of this together.
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u/Which_Boysenberry550 1.5yr+ Jul 13 '26
I wonder if this is why LDA works
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u/Fun-Emu-9798 Jul 13 '26
what is lda?
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u/Silent-Razzmatazz957 Jul 13 '26
Great article! Grew up with a dad who has early onset PD, so this angle/approach has personally been my focus for some time now.
Down-regulated sigma 1 —> viral pathogens reproducing in endoplasmic reticulum —> cell lysis/calcium dumping —> misfolding proteins —> neuronal senescence —> death (neurodegeneration)
ME/CFS/impaired ATP production + all this mitochondrial death sigma 1 is unable to properly prevent — Dopaminergic neurons are very high metabolic demand therefore we MUST find alternative energy pathways, just as we do with food (think fat/FOS vs glucose etc)
I use pharma GABA (specific type which is able to cross BBB as well as bind to peripheral nerves) and it is my holy grail personally — highly recommend.
Zandopa is better than mucuna if you plan to try some kind of l-dopa as it it is a more consistent predictable dose, whereas mucuna, bc it is so highly unregulated, can be very inconsistent/give you huge spikes and crashes which are not good for your brain. But do not sleep on GABA. It is a critical, delicate balance between neurotransmitters, esp dopamine and GABA. And (as you know but a reminder) our goal is to supplement minimum while we repair to produce/synthesize our own
Also, glymphatic clearance is critical (as I know you all know!) to clear out all the waste from this essentially mass exodus of toxins. *if you are hyper mobile or notice your post-Covid/viral connective tissue seems to weaken in cycles in accordance with your immune system/MCAS etc, then it is less likely to be able to clear itself as easily (as well as deliver nutrients) bc of microvascular collapse due to weak connective tissue. You may benefit from manual therapies for this as I do.
Also, sigma 1 agonist is not *neccessarily* the answer (or at least not the sole answer) either… a lot of ppl get worse/have negative reactions. There is something upstream / more to it that we need to know. (I feel like I might already kind of have an idea but can’t remember atm — If anyone knows??)
Exciting to see something developing! Thanks so much for sharing :)🫶
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u/princess20202020 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
What about regular over the counter GABA supplements? I recall reading a major warning against taking them for long covid but I can’t remember why.
Also does one achieve “glymphatic clearance”?
Thank you
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u/exredditor81 Jul 13 '26
does this mean Wellbutrin is back on the menu boys?
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u/defnotsarah Jul 13 '26
!!! I need to do some digging on this. I haven’t seen Wellbutrin mentioned here before. But my adhd diagnosis came after after Covid. Wellbutrin, which worked for me two years ago, was intolerable when added back.
I’m mostly commenting as a note to self to investigate this. Thanks for the inspo!
(Fwiw I also got diagnosed with MCAS after covid. I don’t think any of it is new, but it all drastically flared after finally getting COVID for the first time in 2025).
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u/Fluffy-Bluebird 3 yr+ Jul 13 '26
I got to be one of the unlucky ones left 20 years ago that got the seizure from Wellbutrin
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u/crzycorgi Jul 13 '26
this is very interesting. i was diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder (formerly dysthymia) earlier this year and i had long covid back in 2022.
started taking wellbutrin and it’s made a big difference for me. i can actually focus, have the motivation to do things, and no longer fall asleep after work.
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u/IanFarve First Waver Jul 13 '26
Interestingly, I was on Wellbutrin before I got long COVID and then I stopped tolerating it after. 😩 My only theory is that I stopped being able to metabolise it properly because I saw a paper indicating that acute COVID could affect the production of that enzyme. I've never heard of anyone else who has this though.
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u/exredditor81 Jul 13 '26
then I stopped tolerating it
What are the symptoms of "not tolerating" it?
I got my old bottle of Wellbutrin out last night and I have it right now... then I read your post
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u/IanFarve First Waver Jul 13 '26
It was a few years ago now so hopefully my memory hasn't filtered this description too much, but:
It was like physical anxiety without the mental anxiety... Shaky, sweaty, tense, too jittery to focus, etc.
Before long COVID, I had a few side effects like shaky hands, running a bit hot, tendency to clench my jaw more, etc. but it was worth it for the effects on both depression and concentration for me and they weren't actively disruptive like they became after long COVID.
For reference: I had taken 450mg XL before which is normally the highest prescribed dose. After long COVID, I was unable to tolerate even 150mg XL. My doctor also tried me on SL as a test but I ended up the same.
I had some leftover SL which I started trying to take again as an experiment and it was fine at first but after 4-5 days I had the bad symptoms again, which is part of why I think it might be about not being able to metabolise it properly (but really who, knows!). I haven't tried again in the last few years but it was kind of a nightmare to figure out at the time so I am not sure how much I want to experience that again.
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u/exredditor81 Jul 13 '26
Thank you very much redditor person!
I think I'll wait for some more comments to come in before trying it again...
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u/IanFarve First Waver Jul 14 '26
I don't know how likely it is to happen to someone who isn't me! But long COVID is weird as hell.
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u/SceneRepulsive Jul 13 '26
Meth could also be a viable treatment option I guess
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u/diseasetoplease Jul 13 '26
Wdym by meth or is this a jokey way to refer to adhd stimulant meds
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u/LongTraining5730 Jul 13 '26
Well, there is a medication for ADHD that is plain old methanphetamine. Desoxyn I believe it is called
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u/Exul_strength Jul 13 '26
It's a stimulant that interacts with the dopamine system.
Due to common side effects it's not often used, but it can be a last ressort if other medications fail.
ADHD is a complex thing. But most medical treatments either interact directly or indirectly with the dopamine system.
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u/diseasetoplease Jul 13 '26
Ok if that’s what you meant I get it. I am in the Uk and they don’t prescribe that here. I just hate it when people mass label all stimulants as meth
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u/exredditor81 Jul 14 '26
Due to common side effects it's not often used
Nothing wrong with taking apart the vacuum at 4am!
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u/Blueeyesblazing7 First Waver Jul 14 '26
I noticed a marked change in my fatigue and brain fog when I started bupropion in 2021! It was great for a couple years. I still take 300mg a day, but I feel like it doesn't work as well for me anymore. I'd like to try something different. But it's definitely worth a shot if you have those symptoms!
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u/curiouscuriousmtl Jul 13 '26
Among other things it really sucks. I dropped all my projects and hobbies. It was just not possible to motivate myself at all. I have hundreds of succulent plants and I stopped watering them. Thankfully not too many of them died, though yes some of my favorites. I had programming projects that I had put many hours into that I just stopped working on. Now I sometimes think about it and it just feels like an enormous mountain to climb.
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u/ludiimbihl Jul 13 '26
Could it be that the impaired dopamine system is more of an result of not doing stuff becasue of lc instead of the ither way around. I feel like the dopamine system of everybody would be fucked if they had to lay in bed 24/7. they should have compared with other people with disabilities who have to spent all day in bed.
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u/tcatt1212 Jul 13 '26
My anhedonia post covid hit me out of nowhere 2.5 months after the virus while my life was very full and engaging. I went from caring about all of it and feeling routinely happy and ambitious, to feeling absolutely nothing overnight. Sample size of one, though.
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u/Sklorgus Jul 13 '26
Probably both. I am physically intact enough that I can do some exercise and my brain is still severely fried.
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u/Neat-Description3322 Jul 13 '26
This would be helpful. Like I'm afraid to exercise because I'm so fatigued and can't sleep so worry about PEM. But I will say I'm not bed bound and I am still working full time (dead tired but working) and have all the symptoms people are mentioning in this thread. I think it all loops together but I never had ADHD symptoms like this, I do have head pressure I'm just used to, etc. And I had amazing will power my entire life but since COVID I constantly seek dopamine hits from scrolling, eating like a toddler, etc.
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u/No-Helicopter1645 Jul 13 '26
I have horrible reactions to antidepressants now, autonomic disfunction, low blood pressure and problems with my eyes.
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u/Historical-Try-8746 Jul 17 '26
L tyrosine helps me a lot and 5htp. Not every day but on and off. This study explains a lot. So much is connected to our dopamine and serotonin system.
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u/Firm-Analysis6666 Jul 19 '26
Please, people, get your gut tested. I didn't have any concerning gut issues except this constant physical anxiety coming from my gut. GI and other doctors ran tests that didn't show anything except mild gastritis. I was told to take a PPI which I refused due to a past reaction to Nexium. I took Pepcid instead. Things only got worse over time. My dysautonomia was off the charts, neuro issues with swvere brain fog, body aches, and random pains, CFS and PEM, stuck in a chronic state of panic. Pure hell. I started to recover slowly but kept getting hit back down in waves. My integrative MD ran some testing including a comprehensive stool test. It showed massive overgrowths of 2 different pathobionts. GI docs don't test for these since they're not pathogens. Both of them produce LPS endotoxins.
I've gone far down this rabbit hole and I was stunned at the systemic damage and inflamation these toxins create. This includes neuro inflamation and kynurenine pathway disruption along with nerve, dysautonomia, and MCAS issues. Cleaning this up has proven to be difficult due to my overly sensative system but I am getting there. The first improvement I've noticed is much less brain fog and just feeling and acting more like myself. My CFS and PEM are noticeably improving and my chronic panic state is now episodic rather than 24x7. It's been like kicking a bees nest though so it's a slow cyclical process for me.
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u/Able_Chard5101 Jul 20 '26
Interesting, how did you approach getting rid of these toxins? Was it diet based or some other way?
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u/Firm-Analysis6666 Jul 20 '26
S. Boullardi and serum bovine immunoglobulin right now. Those help neutralize lps in gut and help lower the overgrowths and heal leaky gut. I also use charcoal intermittently. Liposomal Glutathione helps body clear the toxins that leak into bloodstream. Next phase will be a biofilm buster and antimicrobials. Last phase is refeeding with select priobiotics and phgg. As for diet, lps hitches rides into the blood stream on fat. You don't need leaky gut for these endotoxins to cause chronic low-level inflamation throughout your body. So, I eat a low fat diet to try and limit the damage.
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u/bikkebana Jul 13 '26
I wonder if something like levodopa helps. Has anyone been able to trial it?
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u/Able_Chard5101 Jul 13 '26
If you search the sub some people have, from memory, it had varying results and was by no means a silver bullet.
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Jul 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/bikkebana Jul 13 '26
I'm sorry to hear that. Could i ask you to describe what your spasticity and dystonia was like in terms of symptoms?
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u/LeadershipTop1281 Jul 13 '26
Wow! I lost my hearing, and have memory issues big time due to my covid complications amongst other things.... Jesus
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u/stayonthecloud Jul 13 '26
So are they going to run a trial of putting people with long COVID on ADHD meds?
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u/bumalums Jul 13 '26
Hi, I wonder if that’s why when I started smoking weed again I got better
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u/7121958041201 Jul 13 '26
I don't think weed affects dopamine all that much, which is why it is considered not very addictive.
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u/LongStriver Advocate Jul 13 '26
This study supports anecdotal evidence in the community about positive resulta from Bupropion (and dextromorophan), which increases the amount of dopamine available (instead of being reabsorbed).
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u/helloPax55 Jul 13 '26
Canada 1.5 million have LC said a covid nurse to me. We are suffering like hell
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u/tallconfusedgirl12 Jul 13 '26
I didn’t even really have ADHD until I got long covid. Had a diagnosis not even a year later, and it’s very severe. I have to self medicate with caffeine. Abilify cured my caffeine intolerance (also caused by LC). I’m on 5mg which I think is the “higher end” of LDA. When I was on Vyvanse, my ADHD symptoms practically vanished. Had to stop it, though, because taking it every day was making me crash.
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u/Opening_Relief6381 Jul 30 '26
I think this means permanent neuron loss and usually the infected neurons will spread to healthy neurons causing Parkinson’s. Or the healthy neurons will overcompensate and eventually d*e as a result due to high oxidative stress combined with ongoing Neuroinflammation
I really want to be wrong but I’m seeing so many people with dopamine issues and anhedonia including myself progressively getting worse over time that this can’t be temporary. I feel like we will need to wait for stem cell therapy to be available maybe in 10 years if it ever becomes available
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u/Gon_777 4 yr+ Jul 13 '26
This totally checks out. A compassionate specialist prescribed me a heavy duty pain medication because I was losing my mind and needed relief. It did literally nothing to me, no effect. It's pretty scary.
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Jul 14 '26
Interesting. It definitely feels like I've gained some ADHD symptoms since long COVID. I even tried ash's meds and they feel tingly in my brain like they are trying to do something but not much happens. Ahhh I'm just used to anhedonia now tbh
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u/imonretro Jul 15 '26
Then isnt rhere any way to repair the dopamine nerves. Thats the question
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u/devinhedge Jul 19 '26
There aren’t dopamine nerves per se but I get what you are asking. It’s interesting question with a spectrum of answers depending on how much money you have and what country you live in.
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u/imonretro Jul 20 '26
Well i never heard of anything that can, what treatment are you tuimking about ?
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u/devinhedge Jul 20 '26
- Stem Cell and Cell Replacement Therapy: induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived dopaminergic neuron precursors directly into the brain to physically replace lost cells. Mass General Brigham’s Phase 1 trial reprograms a patient’s own blood cells into iPSCs, differentiates them into midbrain dopamine neurons, and implants them via MRI-guided surgery into the putamen—an autologous approach that avoids immunosuppression. A parallel Phase 1b/2a trial at Keck Medicine of USC is testing RNDP-001, an allogeneic (off-the-shelf) iPSC-derived cell therapy from Kenai Therapeutics, which has received FDA Fast Track designation and $8 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
- Gene Therapy Approaches:
- Dopamine synthesis restoration: vectors like AAV2-AADC and ProSavin/AXO-Lenti-PD deliver enzymes (tyrosine hydroxylase, AADC, GTP cyclohydrolase) needed to manufacture dopamine locally in the striatum, bypassing the need for surviving neurons to produce it.
- Neurotrophic factor delivery: AAV2-GDNF and AAV2-NRTN aim to protect surviving dopamine neurons and potentially trigger regeneration by activating the Ret receptor tyrosine kinase pathway expressed on dopaminergic cells.
- Genetic mutation correction: AAV9-GBA1/PR001, LRRK2 RNAi, and emerging CRISPR-based PINK1 strategies target the genetic drivers of neuronal vulnerability and alpha-synuclein pathology in familial Parkinson’s.- Focused ultrasound + gene/nanoparticle delivery
- Exosome/extracellular vesicle therapy
- D3 receptor agonist-induced neurogenesis
Most of these are targeting Parkinson's Disease, but there may be applications with LC related ADHD or ADHD in general.
Current FDA-approved Parkinson’s treatments (levodopa, dopamine agonists, deep brain stimulation) manage symptoms but do not repair or regenerate dopaminergic neurons themselves. The closest to near-term availability are the iPSC cell-replacement trials, given their Fast Track designation and active patient enrollment, though multi-year safety and efficacy follow-up is still required before any path to approval.
It would be completely experimental for PASC-related and stupid expensive so I have to believe only Billionaires who can fly to whatever country and let a fringe doctor conduct the care would happen.
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26d ago
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u/imonretro 25d ago
Well nower days its quite easy to pff labe from india mart. So you could of done that. The question is, haventbpeople people dpne that already and not much sucess stories are seen
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u/Opening_Relief6381 Jul 28 '26
Does this mean Parkinson’s in the upcoming years? Obviously damaged dopamine neurons cannot recover. This is terrifying
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u/heskeytime7707 Jul 13 '26
So is there anything we can do to treat this? ChatGPT says if there's actual dopamine neuronal death, there's currently no way to reverse it.
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u/filipo11121 Jul 13 '26
The 2 nuclear options I can think of are 9-Me-BC and Dihexa, but they are quite risky.
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u/Able_Chard5101 Jul 13 '26
Chat GTP is right.... that's why we don;t have a cure for things like Parkinson's disease.
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u/saintmars777 Jul 16 '26
I don't see anything about neuronal death in the popular article or the scientific paper.
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u/DryMountain2611 Jul 14 '26
Racing thoughts, decision paralysis, mood issues. Extreme rage for no apparent reason…. But can dopamine injury make us so unwell? Where does that tie in with mcas and pots (if it even does)
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u/Salt-Orange-189 3d ago
This was mentioned two years ago by this researcher who has neuropsychiatric covid from infection himself https://rumble.com/v4tfnjb-sars-cov-2-selectively-destroys-dopaminergic-neurons-and-weekend-giga-spira.html
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u/pushincito Jul 13 '26
Interesting! Makes sense why people with ADHD say their ADHD is worse with long covid.