Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) Side Effects, Uses Dosages
Side Effects for Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir)
Put a horrible taste in my mouth for the 5 days I took it, but really knocked the covid down. I had covid once before and ended up with pneumonia and in the hospital so that is why I took it this time. I could feel the covid going into my upper respiratory and didn't want pneumonia again. Took it on the evening of day 4- because I was on vacation and just got home and zoom called my doctor. He prescribed and my husband went to get it. Was the quickest I could do it and it was very effective.
strange side effect-- I have a swollen knee that just blew up one day (two years ago) and have been trying different rheumatoid arthritis drugs since then. HCQ, then sulfasalazine. That is what I was taking when I got covid. Had to stop it because it interacts with Paxlovid. So while taking Paxlovid, my knee swelling went completely down! First time anything has worked for that in two years. Arthritis doctor does not think it's causal .... So no one will look into a virus being in my knee.. My primary care doc thinks it's interesting, but of course won't go against the RA doc. So... more immunosuppressants for me. Next stop.... methotrexate.
Bad taste in mouth and on day 3 diarrhea and dizziness
I'm no longer taking this medication.
My update on my experience with this med is based on feelings only, nothing measurable. I have not used it since my last posting. I believe it shortened the duration and maybe the severity, but since I had rebound symptoms it either prolonged my quarantine or it saved me from a more severe illness. I think I would have been better off not taking it and letting the virus run its course. Of course if I had become severely ill I'd be saying I wish I would have taken it. I don't believe I had any long term side effects from it.
I'm no longer taking this medication. Used for 5 days; had a slight metallic tast in my mouth for two days. The drug was a miracle; I was completely better in 2.5 days
The drug brought my 101degree fever to normal. The absolute exhaustion went away and sore throat was gone in 24 hours
I'm no longer taking this medication. i I had terrible acid reflux for months afterward.
Horrible taste in mouth, fatigue, sweating, insomnia, dizziness,anxiety
My Covid symptoms didn't worsen, but these other side effects - not sure it's worth it
I'm sitting up at 5:45 a.m. with racing thoughts, can't sleep-- haven't slept for 36 hours, bad taste in my mouth, horrible dry mouth, have to sip water every few minutes, then pee every 15 minutes, the dirrariah started about 4:00 this morning - after reading the reviews I was so relieved, I thought I was losing it emotionally-- crying, oh, then came the high pitched buzzing in my ears-- I don't know if that's from the covid or the medicine-- it's all too much-- I would NOT RECOMMEND THIS MEDICINE!!!!!
Covid symptoms and positive test
Funky taste in my mouth, but was warned to expect it. Prompted tto drink lots of water and so I did.
I started having symptoms on a weds and took a test Thursday afternoon. I had high fevers (104 ) and severe coughing and headaches. I saw the doctor on Friday and took my first dose Friday evening. Saturday morning I felt amazing! Paxlovid was very effective in my case. My recommendation is don't delay. If you have symptoms, test right away and contact your doctor.
High blood pressure, insomnia, terrible anxiety, "metal"mouth, lack of appetite, and nausea.
I only took this prescription once. Within minutes of taking it I felt a rush through my veins that felt like ice water. This wasfollowed by a non-stop rollercoaster of awful side-effects.
Nausea, sweating and horrible diarrhea which resulted in dehydration requiring iv fluids. Took one dose and stopped. Would definitely not recommend.
Positive Covid test and symptoms
Weakness in my legs to the point I could not stand up. Metal taste in mouth that made me throw up. Luckily, it made me throw up so I got the drug out of my system. After about 10 hours I was able to walk again.
Very bad taste in my mouth. Diarrhea no appetite. After fives Covid test still positive.
It helped me. But coughing a lot short of breath when talking. Dry mouth. Fever went down.
Bitter taste in mouth, stomach discomfort, empty feeling but can't eat, no appetite, constant thirst dry mouth, a little dizzy loss of balance, diarrhea.
I just took the last dose this morning. The fever broke after the first dose so it appears to be effective. Mostly all of the Covid symptoms have cleared up (body aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headache, eye ache, fever) except for extreme fatigue and weakness.
Severe stomach pain and nausea after two doses so discontinued. Now it is two days after taking Paxlovid and still have stomach ache and diarrhea.
I wish I had never taken this medicine. Was doing much better with Covid symptoms than with the side effects of Paxlovid
Horrible taste in mouth is the wrist thing you could imagine. Got so hot like on fire, packed with ice packs that barely helped. My actual body temp was down to 87 degrees but I was still burning hotAlso feeling major anxiety or panicky. I do not have anxiety normallyIs never suggests this. Only took 3 doses.
Horrible taste; dizziness; lightheaded; extremely anxious; racing thoughts
Absolutely horrible. I would rather have Covid.
Guess I was lucky, as my reaction to Paxlovid seems mild compared to the other reviews. Absolutely horrible taste in mouth, and it’s now two months since I took this medicine. Did have mild chest pains and still not back to my sleep routine. Awakened many times with extreme anxiety.
I would not recommend this medication. I know I’m in a high risk group because of my age, but all I had was a severe sore throat when I tested positive. All these other side effects from the Med don’t outweigh the sore throat. Think I could have ridden this out without all these lingering side effect. Thinking the horrible taste was due to sinus infection or teeth, I have been to my ENT, two of my dentists (regular and Endodontics, my regular doctor, and my gastroenterologist, thinking the taste was GERD. This has cost me lots of money, not to mention a lot of stress. Would not recommend this med.
Severe nausea, horrible metallic taste, extreme weakness arms and legs and splittingheadache. I am done with this.
Dont want covid but this is horrible.
to reduce the severity of covid
I had the same side effects others have mentioned, the gut pain, diarrhea, nasty taste in mouth, insomnia, body aches, joint pain. AND depression. I had covid a year ago before paxlovid was an option, and none of this happened then.
I cut the dose back to less than half of what was prescribed--I'm hyper sensitive to medication and often have to go with a half dose. This made most of the side effects manageable, and it still speeded up the departure of covid. Being female and over 65 also often means a person needs a lower dose, but there's no way they've had time to tease all that out yet with this very new medication. My biggest complaint is the emotional effects. I've been off the drug 36 hours now and still feel discouraged, depressed, even close to despair at times. Physically, covid is gone--my body feels well. But I've never had a medication yank my emotions around in this way. It's something to be aware of.
(NIRMATRELVIR; RITONAVIR): The combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir is used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 infection) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kg) who have mild to moderate symptoms and are at risk of severe disease that could result in hospitalization or death. Nirmatrelvir is in a class of medications called antivirals. It works by stopping the virus from spreading in the body. Ritonavir is in a class of medications called pharmacokinetic boosters. It works by increasing the amount of nirmatrelvir available in the body so that the medication will have a greater effect. Was approved in October 2023 after being used under FDA emergency use authorization. (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)
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No energy issues after the first day, or any mood alterations. I think it's ridiculous to read on here that some people are seeking legal advice because this drug interacts badly for them. My advice: if a drug causes severe side effects for you, don't take it. Seems pretty simple to me. If you're lactose intolerant are you going to try to sue dairy farmers or get milk taken off the market? No. That's dumb. Just avoid products that don't work for you. Ask your doctor for a different antibiotic. I'm allergic to several antibiotics. I discovered these by taking them and having adverse reactions. Common sense told me I should not take them again. Pretty cut and dry.If you're not allergic to the z pack it works just fine and it's nice to have 5 days instead of 10 as you would with other medications.
Sleepiness ( usually a couple of hours ) especially if you eat anything at all, a yogurt can knock you out for a while. No eat - no problem.
My bone density was a loss of over 1 point and the doctor wants me to start Fosamax, I will not take that drug.
Dizziness, nauseous,worsening of asthma
Insomnia, blurry vision, brain fog
Took 500 mg nightly and experienced the "sunburn sting" a fewtimes. Increased to 1000 mg with same experience until last night. I can handle the flushing and "hot" feeling but the itching last night was unbearable. Finally fell asleep at 3:30 /- a.m. Fortunately I did not have any surgeries today. I did have Zatarains Red Beans and Rice with a rather late dinner. (spice effect?) I take an enteric coated ASA with the Niaspan, Lipitor, Zetia, MVI, and Synthroid. I'm going to try taking the ASA 1/2 hour before as well as the yogurt suggested elsewhere on this site. I might try the ibuprofen if all else fails. The post re: Slo-Niacin is also interesting and I will Google that as well. Since I worked through the muscle aching with Lipitor which finally resolved I'm willing to work through this. Will post again in about a month. Dr. J. S., M.D.
There is not enough room on this web site to describe the side effects or how dreadful this drug can be for those that do not have a severe depressive disorder or anxiety for which it was developed. To press the boundaries and sell more drugs they have broadened the category of illness that cymbalata helps. Read the one and two stars for side effects plus do some research and you will use this drug with caution.
Worsening of my MS symptoms - numbness, spasticity, and heaviness of feet and legs. The numbness became unbearable within 36 h. I could not sleep, sit, anything.
A little depressed and grumpy for no reason.
Continuous headache. Occasional sickness. Tingling in feet and hands. Confusion. Pressure behind my eyes