Nirmatrelvir / ritonavir for COVID-19 User Reviews (Page 3)

• Sayles
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Beware!!!! This drug's side effects are worse then the Covid symptoms. I have hypertension and I was told to start taking Paxlovid for a positive Covid test. From the first dose I could tell something wasn't right. Severe body aches, weird taste in mouth, stomach pain, and diaherrea. After one day I was done. Straight to the trash can. I have no idea who this is supposed to be helping or giving it a 10 but I experienced the worst side effects ever with this drug. If you can please just wait the symptoms out."

• Tina
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I have taken this Paxlovid and today would be day 4 and I now at this point can not taken this medication anymore, I have had serve Heartburn since day 1 of this medication, I have woken up on the middle of the night with acid and choked on it with a metallic taste which is the worst taste anyone can ever experience. That taste from day one when that pill goes down your throat, you do everything you can to get rid of and it’s there all day and night long, nauseous from the meds, I don’t want to eat. On day 4 I woke up feeling better than I have in 8 days and I took my pill at 11:30am and once I took that pill not even within 30 mins I felt so sick and headaches and so on. I have both my vaccines and 1st booster and I will never recommend this medication to anyone. This medication makes you worst than covid does. Put you down and out worst."

• upset...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 23, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "In my opinion, I do not recommend this medicine to anyone because there are still studies to finish. The government approves it because there is a big business behind it. But in my particular case, after taking almost two weeks after taking it, today I am worse. With much more coughing, my chest is congested to the maximum and a high fever. I have more symptoms now than when I started with COVID. DO NOT TAKE THAT MEDICINE THEY ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH US"

• Janice
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 8, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I am 76 years old, history of acute bronchitis, otherwise very healthy and fit. On day one of obtaining a positive Covid test and feeling slightly ill, I was prescribed Paxlovid by the emergency room physician who refused to provide monoclonal antibodies for me as I requested. He said the hospital was saving them for acute patients. I was, instead given Paxlovid. Due to my 5'2" 118 lb size I was given a lesser dose than usual for most patients. I had HORRIBLE burning and metallic taste in my mouth, throat and it travelled down my esophagus into my stomach. My stomach burned as I continued taking it for 4 doses - then had to stop as it was making me more sick than the covid virus. I did not complete the last dose. I HIGHLY recommend that this horrible drug be taken off the market. Everyone I have spoken to about Paxlovid had intense side effects and many have had recurrence of Covid after stopping the drug. GET IT OFF THE MARKET!"

• Jam
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I am on day 3 taking Paxlovid after E R confirmed Covid with PCR test-started med on day 1. I have reduced dose due to 5’2”-118 lbs. I actually feel sicker for 2-6 hours after taking a dose - even in the middle of a meal. I have a horrible disgusting acidic metallic taste in mouth & an upset tummy. It also causes headache - nothing helps the side effect - I have lost 4 lbs. I am super healthy, take vitamins and active so if I didn’t have history of bronchitis & age 75 I would not take it!"

• falon
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 13, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I can't really tell you if Paxlovid worked or not. However, my COVID symptoms were very mild after the first treatment. However, this horrific rotten metallic taste took over my mouth within two hours of taking the medicine. It didn't go away until I finished the medication. It was almost terrible enough to make me not want to finish the medication. But 5 days of terrible taste is worth not having long COVID."

• Tombo...
• April 16, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I felt tired and had a sore throat. Tested myself and was positive. I called my pharmacist ( they can exceptionally give this prescription medicine in my part of the world, Quebec). Spent 15 minutes on the phone answering real easy questions and the meds were delivered to my door an hour later. On my fourth day, I can say that I’m cured. Hard to believe but the absolute truth."

• Ambrose
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I believe Paxlovid has helped tremendously with the symptoms of COVID-19. I began experiencing on Day 1: moderate sinus congestion and moderate headache, low-grade fever, slightly elevated resting heart rate. Day 2: severe sinus congestion, severe headache, high fever, elevated and irregular resting heart rate, severe sore throat, minor cough, moderate body/muscle aches/pains. Began OTC cold/flu treatments: Day/Night Mucinex formulas, Nyquil PM, Sinex Severe, acetaminophen/ibuprofen, cough drops. Day 3: all of Day 2's symptoms intensified, OTC meds not doing a thing... took COVID-19 test, indicated positive. Contacted PCP, advised of situation, was advised to continue OTC meds to treat the symptoms I was experiencing but also advised to take a prescription of Paxlovid, 3 pills every 12 hours for 5 days. An hour after my FIRST DOSE, my fever broke, my resting heart rate began decreasing. I actually fell asleep and awoke with no headache or fever, and all symptoms have been dissipating."

• Florida...
• May 18, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Had nasal symptoms with cough and tested positive. Given Paxlovid. Terrible metallic taste and dried up my mucous membranes. Low grade fever gone in 3 days. Never had any breathing problems. After 10 days and for the next 3 days tested negative on a rapid test. 2 days later symptoms returning and testing positive on rapid test again. Paxlovid clearly did not work and has nasty side effects. Think twice about taking it."

• dmz
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 28, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Tested positive on Christmas day, (yay me) called my dr's office and got the Rx for Paxlovid same day. Started 1st dose that night. I will say the metallic taste in my mouth starts about an hour after taking the medication and goes away shortly before it's due again. Nothing a cough drop doesn't fix. I am double vaxxed and double boosted. I haven't experienced the nausea that some people have said they experience, but I am having very bad gas. After taking the first dose, the following day I felt a lot better and each day that passes, I feel better and better."

• Joey...
• July 22, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Did nothing but make my covid symptoms worse. They should not be giving this medicine to anyone. It’s all smoke and mirrors to make you believe it works and they saved you when in reality it does nothing at all but make you more sick. The horrible taste it leaves in your mouth is disgusting. It caused me severe kidney pain, heartburn, head aches 30 minutes after taking it. I took it for 3 out of the 5 days recommended and it did nothing but make me throw up, bleed out my rectum and feel like I was dying. I can only hope the damage it did is not long term? My wife and I both got covid at the same time. She did not take paxlovid and was better way faster then me with 1/4th the symptoms."

• 38 Fe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I was diagnosed with covid on 3/13. I went in to see a doctor and they gave me this medicine. First off if your symptoms are not that bad, please do not take this medication. The only reason I took it was that this doctor told me I would start feeling better after 14 hours. That was so far from the truth It made me ten times worse. From the metallic taste to the gagging, diarrhea, and upset stomach this was the worst decision ever."

• alexm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I tested positive March 16, 2022, have a history of moderate asthma/reactive airway and pneumonia. First day testing positive I felt like I was heading towards pneumonia again so had a prescription called in. I had to put a few meds on hold and have a cmp drawn before getting, but it was worth it. I felt a difference starting after the first dose. Worst side effect is the metallic taste in my mouth that is bad enough to wake me up. It tastes like chewing on coins and nothing seems to get rid of it. Meijers is the only pharmacy that carries it in my area but there was no cost."

• covid...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I began Paxlovid after testing positive for COVID-19, two days post-symptom onset. I had received the vaccine a month prior and this was my first encounter with COVID. By day 3, I had a cough, fever, body pain, severe headache, and asthma tightness. I chose Paxlovid to potentially reduce the risk of long COVID by 25%, considering one in five contracts it. Despite not being high-risk, I insisted on Paxlovid due to its potential benefits. I'm middle-aged, fit, and at a healthy weight. Within 24 hours on Paxlovid, my symptoms remarkably improved. By Saturday, the pain vanished with lesser cough and no fever. Kudos to the creators of Paxlovid! The only minor side effect was a bitter taste."

• Kristie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Whatever you don't take it. I started taking it and it made me feel worse 3 days in. Then over a week later, I'm 20 times worse. I have had diarrhea for 2 days now. Feeling tired and I'm in extreme pain, nauseous, 104-degree temps, headache, and just dying. Don't touch it."

• 31 F...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 5, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Vaccinated/boosted. Diagnosed with Covid after recently recovering from bronchitis. I was really scared about two upper respiratory infections in a row. PCP sent it in for me after tele-health visit. Symptoms included fever of 102, sore throat, terrible aches and cough. There is a lingering bitter taste while on this medication but gum, popsicles and frequent sips of cold water help. All symptoms were gone within 24 hours after starting except for cough. Unfortunately, with this medication I had to temporarily discontinue my anxiety medication because I vomited while on both. Also, mixing cough medicine with this prescription is not recommended. So anyone waiting to treat lingering Covid cough does have to wait until the 5 day course is over which is annoying (unless trying at your own risk). A little frustrating unable to treat the cough yet but otherwise 10/10 absolutely would recommend. Even if you aren't "high risk" don't let yourself suffer if you don't have to. Would take again!"

• BigMi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "My husband, who has Alzheimer’s, and I both tested positive and were given Paxlovid. This drug completely “flipped” him after two 2 doses. He did not know what he was doing and made absolutely no sense. It was a nightmare and it took over a week of him not taking it to get back to “his normal”. As for me, my brain was totally blank. I couldn’t concentrate or think clearly. I was advised by a medical professional that this was not FDA-approved and the side effects are still being discovered. They suggested throwing it away and stopping taking it. I do not recommend it to anyone!!"

• Theresa
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "A very strange but good thing happened to me as a result of taking Paxlovid. A couple of days after the treatment, I noticed my heartburn was gone. I would usually get a sharp burning pain in my abdomen 1 to 2 hours after eating, no matter what I ate. Imagine my surprise when this long-term condition disappeared. I began to notice it within a couple of days after taking a week's worth of Paxlovid. I have had heartburn for years and was on Prilosec for quite a while but had to stop due to a clash with a new medication I was on, so for the last 5 years, I have been using chewable antacids and was on those when I got Covid. I have tried to research to see if Paxlovid would work for a digestive tract virus but found nothing. I suspect there was something viral about my heartburn or ulcer or another malady, and the antiviral for Covid killed it. That was this last August 2023; 3 months have passed, and the heartburn is still gone!"

• Novem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I would rate this a 10 for the fact that my symptoms went away so quickly, but it did have two minor side effects, so I gave it a 9. One of the two side effects was slight nausea, but lots of water, occasional ginger ale, and Jolly Ranchers helped with that. The water, ginger ale, and Jolly Ranchers also helped with the other most common side effect, which was the 'paxlovid mouth'. To me, it wasn’t so much a metallic taste but more like a very dry mouth where you also accidentally bit into a penicillin pill and got that weird, almost sulphuric taste. It’s pretty gross but was worth dealing with to not have a life-threatening illness or long Covid symptoms, and the taste went away after about 2 days of completing the regimen. I highly recommend taking this if you can."

• user
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "My side effects are diarrhea, loss of taste, although it gives a horrible metallic taste in your throat. I find keeping the mouthwash close by after taking a dose helpful. Second day taking it, no more fever, body aches went away, and feeling better altogether."

• mikev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 11, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Wife has emphysema so we thought we would take this to keep her out of hospital as she was hospitalized for 3 months 2 years ago. On the 3rd day she was getting worse, then stopped breathing and now on life support. Drs didn't tell us there are drug interactions. She on 3 bp meds"

• Monika
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I experienced a dry mouth with a strong sour taste that wouldn't go away. I got nauseated, and I felt like my stomach was burning. I almost vomited and had horrible nightmares. I stopped taking it after the first dose."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Just finished the full 5-day course of treatment. Took a good 48 hours before I could feel any positive effect, and by day 4, I was back to normal. I had a few sleepless nights during treatment, but can't say for sure if the medication caused them. The worst side effect for me was the relentless metallic taste. Other than that, I was impressed with how well it worked for me."

• Golden...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 17, 2022

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "Thank you science! Now on day 4 of Paxlovid and I almost feel like myself. Vaxxed and boosted my dr prescribed due to my asthma. Deep chest cough and bad sore throat mostly gone. The terrible metallic taste was the only real side effect. Woke me up every night and lasted pretty much all day. Seriously like sucking on nickels all day! But a small price to pay to stay out of the ER or ICU. Was very hard to find in metro Denver. Should be more readily available."

• Jon
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2023

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) "I have a very bad dose of covid. When I started these I had a terrible taste in my mouth, almost like the aftertaste of tonic water, getting worse with each dose. I'm 2 days in and if anything I feel worse taking them, with stomach aches, and nausea. They are apparently really hard on the liver and kidneys and seeing as they have no long-term data and are just for emergency use I have decided not to be a guinea pig with my internal organs. I binned them."