User Reviews for Paxlovid oral

My brother and I were exposed to COVID at the same time. I went on Plaxovid and he did not. I am wishing that I didn’t take this medication as I don’t think the effectiveness was worth it. The side effects are horrible. That metallic taste is the absolute worst, it is very over powering and is continuous throughout the treatment. It would get worse at night and wake me up. Nothing you can do to get rid of it. The other side effect was gas. My brother got better in 5 days and I am not sure what is Covid symptoms vs Plaxovid symptoms at day 5. And the thought of possibly going through a Covid rebound for another 3-4 days is not worth taking this medication. Read More Read Less

I've gotten vaccinated last year and caught Covid last week. I started feeling very bad Wednesday night (fever, sore throat, pressure near my eyes, and tight chest) and I received the drug Thursday afternoon. Later that evening, I took the drug and within an hour my fever went from 102 to 98.4. Friday I felt like I was 50% better and had a lot of energy. I was just coughing up phlegm. I will say get this medication because it works!

I am a 71 year old woman that has been vacinated and boosted..I tested positive for covid on June 20th 2022..started taking Paxlovid on June 21st it was recommended my my general physician. Not sure if it made my covid symtoms any better ...as a matter of fact I think it added to them. The medal taste in my mouth was extremely horrible...enough so that I wanted to stop taking the Paxlovid. I got a splitting headache on the second day after taking meds and I continued getting headaches for the next 8 days.I was so fatigued all I could do was sleep..had diarrhea on the third day...I decided I would take the medicine one day at a time..the fear being the symptoms of covid would return...let me tell you not sure my symptoms were from covid or Paxlovid... just glad I only had to take them for 5 days..was so glad medal taste went away after I stopped taking the meds. I felt better after 10 days not really sure if Paxlovid really helped in anyway ...my partner had covid the same time as me ..he did not take Paxlovid and he didn't have the head aches or diarrhea or medal taste in his mouth..we both started feeling better at the same time..its been 2 weeks now we both tested negative for covid but we both still have a bit of a tickle in our throat that makes us cough up this thick white mucus like glue.... do not think I would recommend the Paxlovid unless you had underlying health conditions...I did not...i just am OLD.Read More Read Less

Never again! Toxic to my system- 1st day metallic taste nothing would soothe it. Then like saliva foam . Next nausea gagging with 2nd day vomiting- I stopped it! But the damage was done. My liver and IBS is worse. Have been to my local ER— they ran ct scan blood urine. Just said I shouldn’t have been on it and go back to my GI specialist. Sure on a huge holiday weekend- ugh. Don’t take this- do the home remedies for getting over COVID (assuming you had your vaccinations like I did)

Seriously folks… Yes the taste is putrid… But can you imagine how many people would still be alive if this drug was around three years ago. I took it when I was sick last week and within eight hours I was significantly better. Works like an antibiotic but you have to take the whole course. Everybody Needs to stop whining about the taste… It’s a small sacrifice for five days considering the long-term effects of a nightmare case of Covid can cause. I am grateful to Pfizer for this one

My husband has had severe vomiting and diarrhea after taking paxlovid for only 2 doses. Can't even keep water down and is now dry heaving. The rest of our family has had covid with minimal symptoms (similar to a mild flu) and now I am very upset that I encouraged him to take this med because he was higher risk with his asthma. It has been awful.

I was diagnosed with covid and do have diabetes and taking BP medication.since the first doses my BP have been high and I feel anxious. I have not been able to get some rest at night because of my BP and feel anxious. The drug does leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. I have been drinking more water a electrolytes. I am just concerned about my BP and the anxiety I feel. I will be contacting my doctor to get more clarification and or what can they give me to control my BP and anxiety. Will update later. Read More Read Less

I had covid and was prescribed this medication because I am high risk. I read the reviews and was not looking forward to the bad metallic taste everyone had posted. I'm only writing this review to share what I did. After taking the pills I immediately put a few drops of mustard on my finger and put it on my tongue. Swallowed it and that's it. I never once got any weird taste. I have no idea why that worked or what made me even try that. I'm 40yrs old and thought maybe a strong flavor right after the pills will help. It helped me. I did it each time right after I took the pills. Hopefully this will help someone!! Read More Read Less

Within 12 hrs my fever went away. Pain hugely decreased Bitter taste is unpleasant but tolerable. Feels like a miracle. So sorry others are having bad side effects I am vaccinated 4 times but covid hit me hard. Started Paxlovid less than 8 hrs after my positive test. Well worth it for me!!! Female 72 yes old.

This is my second round of covid with in less than 6 months. Do to pre existing conditions my doctor prescribed me paxlovid. Got to say the symptoms were way less severe than the first round of covid. The only complaint is the aweful taste in my mouth. Tastes like I have been sucking on a pill all day long. And as soon as it starts to go away it's time for the second dose of the day so never have relief. Currently on day 4 of the meds keep hearing about the rebound symptoms so super nervous to see how this plays out. Read More Read Less

Though only two days into taking the medication, I am quite surprised at how quickly my symptoms improved. I am no longer foggy headed etc and feel as though I could possibly test negative. Weird taste in mouth is manageable especially considering the tremendous effectiveness of the medication. If you are in question about your outcome if you try to ride it out, I suggest taking Paxlovid, even if you do rebound. It may have kept you out of the hospital! I started with weird achy hips on Monday, scratchy throat on Tuesday, and finally cold symptoms on Weds.. OTC at home rapid test showed me negative Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. NAAT test came back positive Weds evening. Read More Read Less

For context, I'm double vaccinated (Pfizer) plus booster (Moderna), healthy, no underlying conditions except for one slightly elevated blood sugar reading last year - this was used as a reason to prescribe me Paxlovid. I had about a week of headaches with no other symptoms, negative rapid tests. Then Day 0 - scratchy throat starting at noon. Negative rapid test AND negative PCR that afternoon. Symptoms got much worse around 11pm - chest pain, sore throat, headache, fever, throat mucus. Day 1 - tested positive on rapid test. Worst symptoms = severe sore throat, headache, urge to cough, hard to get a full breath. Exhausted & brain fog throughout, but did not notice this much as the other symptoms prohibited much movement or focus anyway. Day 3 showed no improvement and difficulty breathing, went to urgent care, was prescribed Paxlovid along with a nasal spray for congestion. On day 5 since positive Dx now and 5/10 doses into paxlovid. Symptoms started improving notably after 3 doses (day 4), now I feel like I'm recovering from a cold instead of a raging flu. The Paxlovid gave me small breaks in brain fog, which I began to notice due to the contrast during periods I felt clearer. The metallic/terrible taste is REAL and very unpleasant, I find that it waxes and wanes throughout the day but it's fairly constant. Tried taking the pills with grapes and this did help a bit, but only temporarily. Had 2 diarrhea episodes along with stomach pains since starting Paxlovid (previously had not had stomach issues from COVID) - painful/unpleasant, but very short-lived. The worst side effect is definitely the metallic taste, but for me it is worth it given the severity of my COVID symptoms, which prevented more than 4 hours of sleep for 3 nights and put me in constant pain/discomfort. If I had a milder case I would not have opted for Paxlovid. Overall I'm grateful it was made available for me. Read More Read Less

I started taking this on day 3 or 4 of symptoms. I'm halfway through my treatment. I continue to improve. Would I improve slower or get worse if not on it? I don't think we know yet and I don't really want to take that chance. I have morbid obesity and hypertension. I do have a bad taste in my mouth sometimes but if it is helping (or at least not hurting), don't be a big baby and just take the medication. If you would rather take a chance ending up in the ER to avoid a bad taste in your mouth for a few days, I would say your priorities are really messed up!Read More Read Less

I read many of these comments before deciding to take Paxlovid. As a hospital administrator, I also have access to a lot of anecdotal data on our patients who have taken Paxlovid. I made the wrong decision. Any minimal benefit that I received from the 5 day course of treatment was greatly outweighed by the side effects and the horrible rebound case of COVID that I'm now experiencing (at least twice as bad as the first round). The clinical trial for this drug only involved unvaccinated people. Most of the rebound cases of which I am aware, including my own, involve relatively healthy adults who were fully vaccinated and boosted. All I can say is that it seems like a lot more review and study needs to be conducted before this drug is widely distributed and "pushed" to COVID patients. Just my opinion. I am not a clinician.Read More Read Less

Had symptoms for 4 days before testing positive. The Walk in Clinic prescribed the meds due to me having someone visit over the holiday and I wanted to get over Covid quickly. Took the first dose at 8pm and by 10pm had the horrible bitter taste in my mouth. Had a hard time sleeping due to the horrible taste in my mouth. Took the 2nd dose in the morning and decided it wasnt for me. The taste would not go away, stopped taking it after the 2nd dose and will fight it on my own.

I am actually posting this because I found a solution to the metallic aftertaste. Take it with tonic water. Tonic water is very bitter, so it may not be pleasant to some people, but it stopped the metallic aftertaste from continuing literally all day for me. But whatever you do, do not take it with milk. Hopefully this will help someone else avoid the poll-licking side effect, although everyone’s tastebuds are different so I can’t promise it will work.

I just couldn't take the terrible taste like I was swallowing liquid metal, even with water. For 3 days, I ate only applesauce, since the taste wasn't as bad with it. I couldn't even take the 2nd dose of each day. I would wake up fine, then 30 min after the morning dose the taste would start. I took a total of 4 doses over 3 days and stopped. How would I ever recover if I couldn't eat or drink? Other than a high fever (over 102 °F) and extreme malaise, the only other symptoms was a sore throat for a few days. I decided to stop, since my symptoms weren't severe, I'm only in my mid 30s and healthy, but I am a smoker, which is why I got the medication. I made a full recovery. Fever broke on day 6 and by day 9 I tested negative. I would be part of that 5% with this side effect, cuz that's just my luck. If I had other concerning health problems, or more severe symptoms, I likely would have toughed it out and finished the meds. As it was, I just couldn't take it anymore! Read More Read Less

Took this medication on day 3 of COVID symptoms. I felt some relief after the first dose, and immediately got the horrible taste in my mouth, almost like nail polish remover. The second dose was before bed and made me extremely nauseous. My doctor gave me Zofran which helps, but the horrible taste kept waking me up. Chewing gum works for a while, but it’s still pervasive. My back was extremely sore when I woke up the next day, and my couch was almost completely gone. I took the 3rd dose and had to take 3 Zofran to keep from getting sick. It gave me severe stomach cramping & episodes of running to the bathroom for several hours. My COVID symptoms are gone, and I’m discontinuing this medication.Read More Read Less

Day 6 of Covid and day 3 of Paxlovid. Medication makes me so sick it’s unbelievable. Very gassy, horrible headache, nauseous, acid taste in mouth. I will have to stop taking as It’s making me worse.

My mom and I were taking paxlovid simultaneously and she has had a positive experience with it (She is considered high risk). I, however, had horrible side effects. I was experiencing the metallic taste in my mouth, severe dizziness, blurred vision and sudden waves of high temperature and sweats. I'm on day 4 and I can't wait for this treatment to be over. It did cure the COVID symptoms but the severe dizziness and blurred vision made this treatment unbelievably uncomfortable.