Lacking established therapies specifically for long COVID symptoms, physicians are feeling their way through treatment protocols, mostly relying on approaches that have been used successfully in other ailments with similar symptoms.
A patient diagnosed with post-exertional malaise, a type of fatigue caused by mental or physical activity, will undergo a series of heart and lung tests and get a blood panel analysis to evaluate their electrolyte, vitamin and thyroid levels.
The idea is to rule out other contributing medical conditions before putting the patient on a rehabilitative exercise regime. Neurological stimulants such as Adderall, Dexedrine and Ritalin have proved effective at improving energy and focus. Albuterol—an inhaled medicine frequently used to treat asthma—inhaled steroids and breathing exercises have improved breathing.
Finding the right treatment is a learning process, and resources remain scarce.