Results
A 44-year-old female, who was previously healthy, developed Long-COVID
symptoms after contracting COVID-19 in February 2022. The patient had a
history of migraines, which occurred 2-4 times per month since
adolescence. She had received three vaccinations (Pfizer for the first
two and Moderna for the third) but still contracted the virus. The
patient’s symptoms at the time of diagnosis of acute COVID-19 included a
sore throat, headache, fever, cough, post-nasal drip, fatigue, body
aches, altered sense of taste (everything tasted extremely salty), and
diminished sense of smell.
After the acute phase of the illness resolved, the patient continued to
experience post-COVID symptoms, including anxiety, depression, insomnia,
joint pain (hips, knees, shoulders, jaw), cognitive issues (brain fog,
poor reading comprehension and endurance, word-finding, and short-term
memory), headaches, and a sharp decrease in libido. The patient also
reported an intense unique headache, which was different from her
migraines. This headache was a global pressure-like feeling that
occurred almost daily for at least two hours without nausea,
photophobia, or phonophobia. These symptoms had persisted for (fill in
the blank but I think 3) months. The patient tried various traditional
treatment options to manage her symptoms, including graded return to
activity and medications. She was taking antihistamines (daily for 3
months) for insomnia during this time. Her headaches improved 60% with
sumatriptan 85 mg and naproxen sodium 500 mg, but persisted. The patient
also tried non-traditional treatments such as fasting,
meditation/long-slow walks in the forest, chiropractic, acupuncture,
osteopathic treatments, and massage. She found the fasting, meditation,
and long slow walks only mildly helpful, and the improvement persisted
only as long as the activity occurred. The patient was referred to a
Long-COVID clinic, but due to long waitlists (Late August/Early
September) was never seen. In the meantime, the patient decided to try
psychedelics as a form of treatment under the guidance of a therapist
who recommended a protocol of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
and golden teacher psilocybin cubensis dried mushrooms.
The patient’s first dosing session was on May 5, 2022, where she
consumed 1 gram of dried whole golden teacher psilocybin cubensis
mushrooms from an online store. The patient reported an improvement in
her depression, fatigue, and joint pains. However, she also reported
chills and shivering with a sensation of being cold while ”coming up.”
The patient’s second dosing session was 24 days later on May 29th where
she consumed a single dose of MDMA 125 mg, 1 hour later 2 grams of whole
dried golden teacher psilocybin cubensis mushrooms prepared in a tea,
and 1 hour later a second dose of 2 grams of whole dried golden teacher
psilocybin cubensis mushrooms prepared in a tea. The substances were
said to be verified by getyourdrugstested.com.
The patient reported a slower build-up without shivering and reported
feeling very detached from Long-COVID symptoms. The patient’s experience
while under the influence of MDMA and psilocybin was reported as
feelings of being in a childlike state, having an intense connection to
nature, and of being in an alternate reality. After this second dosing
session, the patient reported significant improvement in her post-COVID
symptoms including fatigue, depression, anxiety, joint pain, and
headaches. The patient was able to return to work and her cognitive
function improved, allowing her to resume her PhD studies. The patient’s
insomnia also improved, and she was able to stop taking antihistamines.
The patient’s unique headache, which was different from her migraines,
decreased in severity and frequency. Overall, her symptom improvement
was approximately 80%.
After several months of improvement, the patient reported experiencing a
relapse of her post-COVID symptoms associated with a non-COVID flu-like
illness including fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, her
unique headache returned, although it was less severe and not as
frequent as before. The patient decided to try another dosing session
with psychedelics, this time, 2 g of dried golden teacher psilocybin
cubensis mushrooms which led to a significant improvement in her
symptoms. The patient reported an improvement of about 90% i n
her overall well-being, compared to her initial presentation. The
patient was again able to return to work and continue with her PhD
studies.