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A comment on Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes.

Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by thenerdhead on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @09:59AM (#37928786)
For people who are obviously ignorant of long covid in this thread, go read these publications and watch these videos:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3...

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-023-01601-2

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06651-y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z189Z7tS1w4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYNMzaZk_iU

The researchers here have a specific hypothesis:

> Our animal models demonstrate that serotonin levels can be restored and memory impairment reversed by precursor supplementation or SSRI treatment. While the effectiveness of SSRIs in acute COVID-19 has been a subject of debate,69,70,71,72,73,74 no systematic exploration of SSRIs in individuals with PASC has been performed to date. Our study, together with recent findings linking depression with cognitive impairment in Long COVID75 and the effect of SSRIs on vagus nerve activity,67 call for the assessment of targeting serotonin signaling for the prevention or treatment of neurocognitive manifestations.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)01034-6

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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by thesid on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @10:32AM (#37929236)
doesn't make a fake disease real. symptoms might be real but they are not because of "long covid"
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by PrayagBhakar on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @10:41AM (#37929387)
I’m confused why folks think long covid isn’t real? Most disease have long lasting effects. Why not covid?
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by CWuestefeld on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:08AM (#37929781)
why folks think long covid isn’t real? Most disease have long lasting effects. Why not covid?

Without endorsing this one way or another: that's precisely the argument. There does exist a general "post viral syndrome". Since that is already known, why jump to the conclusion that a separate post-covid syndrome exists, as opposed to this just being another example of the same?

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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by thenerdhead on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:23AM (#37929972)
Because there are different pathogens at play…
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by CWuestefeld on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:53AM (#37930492)
That might turn out to be a pivotal argument. But as it is, it proves too much: it denies the existence of a general post-viral syndrome. Since we do know that viruses, as a general phenomenon, can lead to effects like what are being reported, the default assumption ought to be that this is just one more such example. From there, researchers could attempt to show that this is (or is not) qualitatively different.

Skipping a known likely cause to search for something more specific seems like a potentially much more difficult path, and by pursuing it this way it also seems likely to miss out on the possibility of helping those suffering from post-viral syndrome that's not connected to covid.

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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by thenerdhead on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @12:09PM (#37930759)
Let's back up.

Post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS) is an umbrella term. Many fall under this. Long flu(not new, but new research suggests the phenomenon based on long covid research), long rsv(not new, just more recognized when kids get it and develop asthma later in life), long covid, etc. Larger list here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01810-6/tables/1

Researchers are actively pursuing PAIS and the research being done for long covid is making breakthroughs in PAIS and PAIS populations like ME/CFS. It has become so prevalent that this year there have been multiple centers focusing on it. EX:

https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/post-acute-infection-...

Nobody is skipping likely causes, if anything we are driving forward today on hypotheses that could help all PAIS (i.e. viral persistence, autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, reactivation of latent viruses).

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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by ChrisRR on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:02AM (#37929708)
Just ignore them. These nutjobs are made not believing in covid the entire personality so that they could feel smart, and now they have to cling to that belief instead of accepting reality
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by Manuel_D on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @12:42PM (#37931225)
There's a vast difference between denying the very existence of COVID-19 and skepticism of long-COVID. Nobody doubts the existence of Lyme disease. The existence of Chronic Lyme disease is generally rejected.
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by psychlops on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:07AM (#37929766)
There will always be people out there that will never believe in things that seem rational. Covid has been the subject of misinformation on all sides for years and will take decades to clear up, if ever.
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by orwin on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:07AM (#37929763)
What's puzzling is that everyone know that influenza can have long lasting effect.

Even the 'no mask, no vaccine' crowd agree that Covid is at least an aggressive and more contagious influenza (and some even agree that the first variants were worse)

You will still have people denying long-lasting covid damage.

I mean. Viruses cause lasting damages to a small percentage of people. Covid-19 is a virus.

The next step is easy.

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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by k9unit on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:07AM (#37929775)
Well I got COVID over a year ago and still have negative effects every day. Went to the doctor multiple times and they said I'm ok, I don't think they tested enough or looked at the right things. It's one of the worst things that's happened to me. I'm only in my 20s.
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by Krssst on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:21AM (#37929946)
What fake disease? CDC does not say it's fake.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/...

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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by btheunissen on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:39AM (#37930264)
I’d been suffering from some “depression lite” symptoms, mostly generalized anxiety since 2020, maybe long covid, who knows, and a reasonably small prescription of Xoloft has had a huge change in my mood/life.
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by swah on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @12:21PM (#37930938)
That's interesting - did the psychiatrist explained it like that ? I feel the same way for so many months, but also wouldn't call depressed. Just always anxious, never rested, always in a mood... I attribute to work and other stresses though.
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by interactivecode on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @12:54PM (#37931404)
Im curious to learn more. Was that with a one time prescription of xoloft or are you taking it regularly?
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by rubatuga on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @11:53AM (#37930500)
I think it's quite unfair to automatically believe or not believe people based on demographic.
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Re:Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid sympto... by marsupial on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @12:04PM (#37930657)
I think it makes a lot of sense tbh if one demographic lies more often. But if I know more about them than demographic, I use that info too. For example,

There was a study on this by okcupid where they found 80% of white women who claimed they were bisexual only matched with one sex. The percentage was lower for other races.

It's astrology (the white woman "science") all over again, except this time for mental illnesses.

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