So I have long COVID

[Rootbeer]

Mostly brain fog. Sometimes I can't come up with words.

I've been experimenting with nicotine treatment. I chew a piece of 2mg gum every evening for ten days. Stop for two weeks and see if there is a change. I'm on my third round of this pattern and I notice a difference being on nicotine. If any of you suffer long covid symptoms, you might consider trying it.

I know 2mg is almost nothing but it makes me loopy and often causes violent, rapid onset diarrhea. I'm a wuss when it comes to drug use.

#TMI

[Diego in Seattle]

Students have been show to perform better on tests with caffeine. Have you tried a similar experiment with coffee?

[Rootbeer]

No coffee. Multiple reasons but speaking specifically about biology I am extremely sensitive to caffeine. Makes my heart race and I can feel it hammering in my chest. I can sip on a few brands of energy drink but for the most part I can only handle Coke or Dr Pepper levels of concentration.

I remember hearing somewhere that Stephen King attributed a lot of his creativity to cigarette use. When he quit chain smoking his creative flow was noticably diminished. Might be an internet rumor though. Somebody fact check that.

[Screw_Michigan]

I remember hearing somewhere that Stephen King attributed a lot of his creativity to cigarette use. When he quit chain smoking his creative flow was noticably diminished. Might be an internet rumor though. Somebody fact check that.

I'm sorry to hear about your condition and wish you a speedy recovery, but anyone claiming nicotine use affected their creativity might be the silliest thing I have ever heard. Nicotine has not one positive quality. Not one.

[Rootbeer]

I decided to try nicotine treatment after reading several studies on the subject.

Although not without controversy, it was shown that a protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds to a receptor called nAChR (nicotinic acetylcholine receptor). This bond could compromise interneural communication, meaning communication between cells of the nervous system (neurons). A disturbance in interneural communication can lead to cognitive and neuromuscular symptoms that align with Long COVID symptoms. nAChRs are named after their affinity to nicotine. This gave researchers the idea to saturate the receptors with nicotine from patches developed for smokers to inhibit binding of SARS-CoV-2.

A recent case study tested nicotine patches in four patients with Long COVID. The study included one woman and three men between the ages of 19 and 52 who suffered from numerous Long COVID symptoms after a PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with a mild course. The patients were instructed to apply one nicotine patch with the lowest dose (7.5 mg) every morning. One patient purchased the wrong patches and applied a patch with a higher dose (15 mg). All four patients improved noticeably and quickly on the regimen.

[Mikey]

Mostly brain fog. Sometimes I can't come up with words.

I've never had COVID, but this has been happening to me since about the time I turned 60. Also going to the kitchen and not remembering why I'm there. Or not remembering where I put my iPhone down. Lots of stuff like that.

I can remember all the acid (and mushroom and peyote) trips from the 70s pretty well, though.

How old are you again?

[Sudden Sam]

Mostly brain fog. Sometimes I can't come up with words.

I've never had COVID, but this has been happening to me since about the time I turned 60. Also going to the kitchen and not remembering why I'm there. Or not remembering where I put my iPhone down. Lots of stuff like that.

I can remember all the acid (and mushroom and peyote) trips from the 70s pretty well, though.

How old are you again?

We have a lot in common.

[The Seer]

Yeah, the '70's do (and should) get some credit for boomer brain fog. Hard to get out of the way of those nice white lines mellowed with championship levels of alcohol growing up in SoCal. Add the usual recreational suspects and there you go.

Don't know if the arguments with GF are a result of my not remembering what she said minutes ago or me just tuning her out....Obviously, the former results in a tad less noise.

I think Covid gave me a visit a couple years ago and didn't spend much time with me, choosing to find more fertile, less plundered ground.

[Rootbeer]

I'm still in my 40's. I've never touched drugs or hit my head on anything. My family his no history of cognition problems before old age (80's). This brain fog came on suddenly and I'm blaming the 'Vid.

I do not enjoy the feeling of being high or loopy but I'm interested in a guided psilocybin or DMT journey. I hear some DMT studies are seeking guys like me with no history of drug use.

[Smackie Chan]

I have long COVID

Yeah, sounds like you're overcompensating.

[mvscal]

Not really sure what shrooms are supposed to do for long covid and they would be pretty far down the list of home remedies for brain fog, imo.

They are fun when camping, though.

[FiatLux]

I'm still in my 40's. I've never touched drugs

Well, there's your problem.

[Mikey]

Not really sure what shrooms are supposed to do for long covid and they would be pretty far down the list of home remedies for brain fog, imo.

They are fun when camping, though.

Peyote too. Once you get past the initial nausea.

[FiatLux]

Not really sure what shrooms are supposed to do for long covid and they would be pretty far down the list of home remedies for brain fog, imo.

They are fun when camping, though.

Peyote too. Once you get past the initial nausea.

Once you puke that's when the real trip starts.

I was flying on a magic carpet over China.

Still don't remember how I got home.

[Mikey]

Not really sure what shrooms are supposed to do for long covid and they would be pretty far down the list of home remedies for brain fog, imo.

They are fun when camping, though.

Peyote too. Once you get past the initial nausea.

Once you puke that's when the real trip starts.

I was flying on a magic carpet over China.

Still don't remember how I got home.

I can remember standing on the cliffs at Black’s Beach with some of my friends watching in fascination as the rest of our group drew huge pictures in the sand while running around naked 300 feet below. It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t decide at the time that I was closely related to the crows.

[smackaholic]

I remember hearing somewhere that Stephen King attributed a lot of his creativity to cigarette use. When he quit chain smoking his creative flow was noticably diminished. Might be an internet rumor though. Somebody fact check that.

I'm sorry to hear about your condition and wish you a speedy recovery, but anyone claiming nicotine use affected their creativity might be the silliest thing I have ever heard. Nicotine has not one positive quality. Not one.

What do you base this claim on?

I abhor cigarette smoking, but to claim it couldn’t possibly have any benefits is idiotic.


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[smackaholic]

You mentioned drinking coke and energy drinks.

Stop it.

Sugar is poison.

Have you ever tried intermittent fasting?

16 hours without calories causes a noticeable improvement in sharpness. Most weekdays I do somewhere between 20-24 hours.

As for when I noticed losing something off my cognitive fastball, I’d say probably mid to late 40s.


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[Screw_Michigan]

What do you base this claim on?

I abhor cigarette smoking, but to claim it couldn’t possibly have any benefits is idiotic.

Not having my head shoved up my ass? Please, Suckaholic, educate us on the benefits of cigarette smoking.

[smackaholic]

What do you base this claim on?

I abhor cigarette smoking, but to claim it couldn’t possibly have any benefits is idiotic.

Not having my head shoved up my ass? Please, Suckaholic, educate us on the benefits of cigarette smoking.

I'm not the one claiming to be an expert on the subject, but since you asked.....

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1859921/

[Screw_Michigan]

I stand corrected....to Rootbeer. There are apparently benefits to nicotine. Not cigarette smoking, as you, Suckaholic, inferred.

You remain braindead.

[Mikey]

‘holic gets runnd by the very first sentence in his own link. Classic.

Makes me want to start smoking and intermittent fasting.

[Screw_Michigan]

‘holic gets runnd by the very first sentence in his own link. Classic.

Are you not entertained?

[smackaholic]

I stand corrected....to Rootbeer. There are apparently benefits to nicotine. Not cigarette smoking, as you, Suckaholic, inferred.

You remain braindead.

And what does cigarettes have in them?

They have nicotine.

And since we can all agree that nicotine does provide a number of benefits, we can conclude that your statement which was cigarettes have no benefits, not one, is incorrect.

If you want to make the statement that cigarettes are bad for you, I will agree 100%.

If you want to make the argument that cigarettes are not the optimal nicotine delivery method, I would agree with that as well.


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[smackaholic]

So now that we all agree that smoking is a bad idea, as its negatives outweigh its positives, how about a discussion on what is currently killing wayyyyy more people.

Ultra processed food in general and sugar in particular.

Obesity and diabetes are at epidemic levels. The SAD (standard American diet) makes cigarettes look like a piker in body counts.

There’s an argument to be made that for some, smoking might be less harmful than the obesity that results when some give up smokes.

I also read something about a study that said there are populations that actually may benefit from smoking when combined with a certain diet. Don’t recall exactly where it was, I think might have been Sardinia or some other Mediterranean Island where longevity is a thing despite their fondness for smoking.

I believe the hypothesis was that high levels of smoking AND a shitty diet high in processed garbage was the problem and that a diet high in good veggies/meats helped keep cancer at bay, so they benefited from the nicotine.


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[smackaholic]

‘holic gets runnd by the very first sentence in his own link. Classic.

Makes me want to start smoking and intermittent fasting.

No I didn’t fat boy.

My opening sentence said smoking was bad, IMO, but to say it provided no benefits is silly.

Cigarettes have nicotine.

Nicotine provides some benefits.

Therefore cigarettes provide some benefit.

Had you been smoking Marlboros rather than everything else, apparently, back in your younger days, maybe you’d be thinner.

And that is a benefit.


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[Screw_Michigan]

[smackaholic]

So you got nothing.

I should know better than to attempt to debate a moron.


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[Mikey]

Ultra processed food in general and sugar in particular.

Obesity and diabetes are at epidemic levels. The SAD (standard American diet) makes cigarettes look like a piker in body counts.

And you just recently came to this conclusion? Not surprising coming from someone who cited an abstract from 1991 positing that nicotine might have some benefits and, basically warrants more research. There were doctors in the 1950s proclaiming all sorts of benefits from smoking.

Have you got anything from, say, this century that expands on those benefits?

Geez there's a whole lot to unpack here considering your usual excruciatingly twisted logic.

BTW...there are a lot fewer people dying now from smoking related causes because there are a lot fewer smokers.

And what does cigarettes have in them?

They have nicotine.

And since we can all agree that nicotine does provide a number of benefits, we can conclude that your statement which was cigarettes have no benefits, not one, is incorrect.

No, I don't think we all agree with that.

There’s an argument to be made that for some, smoking might be less harmful than the obesity that results when some give up smokes.

Not by anyone with half a functioning brain cell.

I also read something about a study that said there are populations that actually may benefit from smoking when combined with a certain diet. Don’t recall exactly where it was, I think might have been Sardinia or some other Mediterranean Island where longevity is a thing despite their fondness for smoking.

You think? Seriously? That would be a first. If that study actually exists, let's see it.

I believe the hypothesis was that high levels of smoking AND a shitty diet high in processed garbage was the problem and that a diet high in good veggies/meats helped keep cancer at bay, so they benefited from the nicotine.

Quite a stretch there. You're saying here that giving up a shitty diet and continuing with the smoking is better than giving up both? Like I said, some twisted logic.

My opening sentence said smoking was bad, IMO, but to say it provided no benefits is silly.

Cigarettes have nicotine.

Nicotine provides some benefits.

Therefore cigarettes provide some benefit.

This is like saying smoking crack laced with fentanyl is bad, but fentanyl does have some benefits when used properly in the right setting.
Therefore smoking crack laced with fentanyl does provide some benefit.

The self-owning here is palpable.

[Diego in Seattle]

'holic is the Marge Schott of the medical world.

[smackaholic]

Not at all. I think smoking is a terrible idea. I don’t think anyone should.

This does not mean it does not provide any benefits to anyone.

If smoking prevents a diabetic fat fukk from stuffing another Boston crème in his face, that is a benefit.

And these days donuts are killing more people than Marlboros.


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[Screw_Michigan]

If smoking prevents a diabetic fat fukk from stuffing another Boston crème in his face, that is a benefit.

And these days donuts are killing more people than Marlboros.

Only because smoking is down dramatically. It is not a benefit of smoking that fat fukks like yourself stuff fewer donuts in their pieholes. Fukk you are stupid.

[Mikey]

Not at all. I think smoking is a terrible idea. I don’t think anyone should.

This does not mean it does not provide any benefits to anyone.

If smoking prevents a diabetic fat fukk from stuffing another Boston crème in his face, that is a benefit.

And these days donuts are killing more people than Marlboros.

You still haven't described what benefits, if any, are provided by smoking, except maybe appetite suppression but there are a lot of other ways to accomplish that. And are these potential benefits enough to offset the danger of smoking? Doubtful, but possibly debatable.

No argument that an unhealthy diet contributes to a lot of deaths. Donuts specifically? Not sure how many actually die from donuts. And it's not just an unhealthy diet, but a generally unhealthy lifestyle, including lack of exercise, that contributes to this.

But you're really comparing apples with oranges here. As I said, on balance I doubt that the so-called "benefits" could outweigh the negative effects of smoking. Eating, on the other hand, does provide certain benefits, such as keeping you alive. There is a healthy level of eating, which can include a donut now and then especially of you're getting sufficient amount of exercise. There is no healthy level of smoking, no healthy type of tobacco and really nothing you can do to offset the negative effects.

Smoking in the US has declined from 42.6% of adults in 1965, to 20.9% in 2005, to 11.5% in 2021. I'm fairly certain that this is contributing to the lower incidence of lung cancer and other smoking related diseases. That doesn't mean that smoking is a safer activity than eating donuts.

[Diego in Seattle]

Not at all. I think smoking is a terrible idea. I don’t think anyone should.

This does not mean it does not provide any benefits to anyone.

IOW, "all that aside, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?"

[smackaholic]

Jeeezus H krist, you fukkeds like to put words in my mouf.

I never once claimed that smoking is good for you.

It isn’t. It’s a vile habit. And the worst part is that unlike most activities, it has a direct effect on people in proximity to the smoker.

This doesn’t change the fact that it can provide a benefit, appetite suppression being one, to some.

Doesn’t matter that there might be other, better ways to achieve this benefit.

BTW, in case you think I’m trying to justify my own bad habits, I’ve never smoked. Well, I did take a single puff off of one of mom’s Winstons she left in the ash tray while she ran into the store for a gallon of milk, or probably more Winstons.

I decided in that moment close to 50 years ago, that smoking wasn’t my thing.

Oh, there is one more benefit.

In the 70s, running to the local store to pick up a pack of smokes for your parents was a revenue source for our own addictions. Mine was Hershey bars.

Mom would give me a buck to get her a pack, knowing that the small bit of change would go towards some sort of candy. It was the handling charge.

Hard to believe that in 1975 the sole requirement for buying cancer sticks was having enough money to do it.

Today I routinely get carded to buy beer at a grocery store, thanks to their mindless “we card everybody” bullshit.


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[Smackie Chan]

Used to buy beer at a drive thru dairy when I was about 17. Nobody carded.

[Biggie]

Doce huevos y seis budweisers, por favor.

[Screw_Michigan]

Used to buy beer at a drive thru dairy when I was about 17. Nobody carded.

Me too. At a drive thru liquor store in suburban GR. Started on 12-31-99. Good times.