Paxlovid and Bad Taste: What Users Say (Page 2)

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

For COVID-19 "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."

• Sar...
• January 26, 2025

For COVID-19 "I so wanted for this med to be a positive experience. It wasn’t. My symptoms were like a bad cold with a horrible cough. As soon as I tested positive, I contacted my doctor asking for Paxlovid. I had a low fever. I lasted 3.5 days before my pharmacist told me to stop it. As an experimental treatment, they still don’t know the interactions with all drugs. No to cholesterol med, space out with blood thinner and possibly some BP pills. I had horrible stomach cramps, headache, constipation, vomiting on the third day of taking med. Basically, much worse than the Covid symptoms. Horrible taste that nothing helped. 18 hours after the last dose, I’m back to normal with mild fatigue. If it works for you, great. If it gives you worse symptoms, stop. My pharmacist reported to Pfizer."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2022

For COVID-19 "4 vaccinations. Slight sore throat. Positive test. Started Paxlovid the same day. Felt like getting a cold. Tired. Went to bed early. Woke up in the middle of the night. All better. No fever. 4 days later, tested negative. Only downside is an awful taste."

• Per...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2022

For COVID-19 "Tested positive 3 days ago, started Paxlovid that night, so have taken 5 rounds. As others have mentioned, terrible taste ever since. Hard to take the pills for a couple of days since they smell so awful but better now. After the 3rd round, I felt a lot better all of a sudden and even better after round 5. Cough still sounds like a barking seal, but it's less frequent. Fever kept going from 99.8° to 101.6° and back until after round 5 when it dropped to 98.4° - hope this is it for the fever. I was very hesitant to take Paxlovid, so I hope there aren't long-term problems."

• Flo...
• July 8, 2022

For COVID-19 "What a miracle! Tested positive on Tuesday, got Paxlovid Wednesday morning. 100% better by Friday afternoon. Side effects are real. Awful taste in mouth and diarrhea, however, well worth it. Glad I’ve taken it. Best of all, it’s free of charge."

• lla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2023

For COVID-19 "I took Paxlovid, and it made my mouth taste horrible. It fried my throat so badly that I thought I needed to go to the hospital. Gargling with warm salt water made the burning sensation a little more tolerable. However, the burning diarrhea was incredibly terrible, and it caused me to start bleeding. That's when I decided enough was enough and called my doctor. I was prescribed Epak to help alleviate the symptoms."

• Can...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2023

For COVID-19 "Omg, the taste is no joke. Started 30 minutes after the first dose. All I can smell is rotten milk and garbage, and I can’t eat anything at all because the taste is so bad. I’m already severely underweight, so if the taste doesn’t go away soon, I’m in trouble. Never again will I take this medication."

• Col...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 23, 2022

For COVID-19 "I am an immunocompromised female in my 40s. I am fully vaccinated and boosted, but unfortunately, even as a vaccinated individual, COVID-19 still kicks my butt due to my immune issues. I have had COVID two times now, and both times have had to take Paxlovid to get over the illness. For me, the drug has been a game changer and huge relief. Both times, within 24 hours of starting the treatment, I have greatly improved to where I feel almost back to normal. Going from 103.5 fever, unable to walk, eat, or function, to being able to get out of bed and prepare a bowl of oatmeal feels like a victory! I have found the aftertaste everyone complains about is real, but I have the perfect trick (works for me at least). I suck on Apple Gin Gins - they help mask the bad after flavor and make it bearable, they help alleviate any nausea - I am not a ginger fan, but hey, it works for me. Small price to pay for five days, for me, this medicine works well."

• jtu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2023

For COVID-19 "38, not vaxxed, 3rd time with COVID. Symptoms started of what appeared to be a sinus infection Saturday. By Sunday, I had a sore throat on top of sinus issues. Tuesday, I tested positive and was prescribed Paxlovid. I started it right away and began noticing side effects: the nasty taste in my mouth and diarrhea. After the second dose, after finally falling asleep, I woke up drenched in sweat, with a terrible headache and my heart racing. My sore throat was relieved for the most part, but all of the other sinus-related congestion symptoms were still there. I've now had 3 doses. I've still got a mild cough, nasal congestion, ear pain (pressure from being congested), and my teeth hurt, usually a sign that I have a sinus infection. I just took my fourth dose. I don't know how much more I can take of this because every time I go to the bathroom, I have severe diarrhea."

• hol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2024

For COVID-19 "It works great, it broke my fever in 24 hours. Started feeling better within 2 days of the initial dose. Pills are individually packaged and easy to take. The only downside is the horrible taste it leaves in your mouth."

• avo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2022

For COVID-19 "The side effects are worse than the current strain of COVID out there. It started with a terrible taste like chewing on aspirin that got so bad it made me throw up a few hours after the second dose, which was my last dose. To those of you wondering about the taste, it goes away about 12-15 hours after your last dose. Then it tanked my blood pressure to 80/50, but because I have COVID, no doctor will see me, and the ER and urgent care will only give me a test and a pulse ox and send me home, so I didn't bother. Called the FDA to report the problem. The woman on the phone seemed legit concerned since this is such a new medicine and directed me to a website that gave me a runaround of linking the problem to any possible medicine or supplement I take, including a daily multivitamin. I will say, I take Verapamil 240 ER for high BP and an irregular heartbeat, so if anything, the danger of taking Paxlovid would be to raise my BP, not tank it at least according to their inserts."

• Exp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2022

For COVID-19 "I just came down with a nasty case of COVID and was only offered Paxlovid. I took 3 days' worth of the morning/evening combo packets (out of the 5-day treatment), and I cannot continue any longer due to the nasty side effects. Okay, you're super sick, but have a 99.9% survival rate. Now let's stack on diarrhea, restlessness, nausea, and a foul taste in the mouth that cannot be minimized even with Sour Patch Kids. Then you are supposed to give all credit to Pfizer when you get better. How would you really know that this drug helped you? Answer: You would never know. This drug is experimental and was rushed through at a record pace (1 year). I feel bad for the lab rats in Connecticut that had to endure these tests."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 14, 2022

For COVID-19 "I'm three shots and boosted. Second day of Paxlovid. I have the nasty aftertaste, but nothing else. I seem to be getting better. If all I get is the aftertaste, then I'm satisfied with this medication."

• Lyn...
• July 4, 2022

For COVID-19 "I am a very healthy 80-year-old. Not overweight, exercise, and triple vax'd. Took Paxlovid on day two of COVID symptoms. Taste was disgusting but accepted the need for this. Cough subsided. Day three, vomited and spat up a dark brown mucus. Stopped the medication after 3 days. Still weak and tired, but no COVID symptoms. Pale stools are persisting, so I believe I have experienced some form of liver damage from this medication. Unless you really need it, I definitely would not take the drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2024

For COVID-19 "I have been on Paxlovid for 3 days and have mostly had a decent experience. I do have a persistent bitter taste in my mouth that will not go away, but it's tolerable. I have also experienced bouts of weakness, nausea, and diarrhea. On this third day, blood came immediately after another bout of diarrhea. I'm not in any pain, but I'm a bit alarmed. I may stop taking this medication. I do feel much better now than I probably would have without it, but bloody stool is concerning and not something I've seen mentioned in other reviews for this drug."

• GJF...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2022

For COVID-19 "I read some of the reviews and was surprised by the negative responses. My experience: Day 1-4, COVID hit hard. High fever, cough, extreme sore throat, worried about pneumonia. Day 5, started Paxlovid the night before, immediate suppression of fever and all symptoms in the morning, left with a bad taste but no other side effects. Day 6-10, all COVID symptoms gone except for a minor cough, just white cough phlegm. Tested on Day 1 - positive, tested on Day 3 - positive, tested on Day 10 - negative. In my opinion, this is a miracle drug dealing with COVID. I was at high risk due to multiple health issues. Greatly appreciate my doctor's discretion in recommending this to me. I cannot tell you the gratitude I feel for his guidance. Yes - finish the meds as prescribed. I was feeling fine after 2 days of treatment but finished the 5-day treatment."

• Que...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2022

For COVID-19 "I took 2 days of Paxlovid. It was awful, I felt like someone sprayed hairspray in my mouth. About the time the bitter taste would start to go away, it was time to take another dose. It also gave me diarrhea. The hairspray taste was the worst. I felt so much better before I took it."

• Fre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 31, 2022

For COVID-19 "Female, 73, overall good health. Vaccinated with 3 boosters. COVID symptoms were sore throat, coughing fits, painful stuffed-up nose, body aches, etc. Little to no fever after 1st day. I took Paxlovid in hopes of getting over COVID faster. COVID symptoms have gradually lessened, but Paxlovid side effects are almost worse than COVID. Terrible taste, almost constant nausea plus diarrhea, and just not feeling good in a different way from COVID. Starting day 3 and not sure I can stick with it. Paxlovid feels poisonous."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2022

For COVID-19 "This was round 2 of COVID for me. 1st one Nov 2020. This time did not seem as bad. But I did an eMed test through my work. They suggested I take Paxlovid. First 3 days I think it did help. Bad taste in my mouth and diarrhea. Day 4 and 5 diarrhea got worse. Just took my last dose 3 hours ago, been on and off the potty! Glad it’s over. I would not take another dose. My hubs, however, had no problem besides the taste in his mouth. 1st round of COVID he ended up in the hospital for 5 days. No vent, just remdesivir! So we were afraid not to try this. My symptoms went away day 4, except this terrible taste and the runs….. Hopefully, tomorrow is better as I am finished with the treatment."

• Lun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2022

For COVID-19 "I was prescribed Paxlovid after 4 days of COVID since I have asthma and am overweight. I'm on my 2nd dose. It has seemed to be helping so far, but I have that bitter aftertaste. One person on here called it like eating bad grapefruit, a perfect comparison. I've been eating Luden's cough drops, which help tremendously, along with drinking water and ginger ale. I hope the rest of treatment goes okay."

• Nan...
• May 9, 2022

For COVID-19 "I am 61, got vaccinated and boosted. This is the second time I have gotten COVID. My doctor prescribed Paxlovid after testing positive for COVID. My symptoms started on a Wednesday. I was diagnosed positive on a Friday. I have had severe congestion, a cough, aches, and fatigue. I take three pills in the morning and at night. This is the second day I’ve been on the medication. The symptoms have gotten better. The side effects for me were diarrhea and a bitter taste in my mouth. So far, my experience has been good."

• Meh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 20, 2024

For COVID-19 "Second time catching Covid (10/23) and (12/24), first time after a nursing home visit. The second time, I have no idea. Gave myself a at-home test for flu A, B, and Covid. Came back very definitive it was Covid, so I requested a telehealth visit, and the doctor prescribed the meds. Fever was gone by morning, sore throat gone, but that was lessening anyway, body aches pretty much gone, and some of the fatigue lessened, runny stuffy nose off the charts making sleeping difficult. Side effects are the bitter taste (cough drops, hard candies help a lot), this time there's some stomach upset and mild diarrhea, more like softening of stool to sludge, and sleep disturbance. My biggest worry would be kidneys and liver because of my age, but so far, so good. I'm over 70, overweight, prediabetic, with sleep apnea. I'm always going to want the antiviral. I've been putting off getting revaccinated, I think I won't do that anymore. The metallic/bitter taste goes away."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 12, 2022

For COVID-19 "I started taking Paxlovid when I tested positive for COVID. I'm a diabetic and have stage 3 kidney disease, so my doctor said it was worth a try with my underlying health problems to hopefully stay out of the hospital. I finished my last course today. I had that awful taste in my mouth that everybody else has. But I also had aches and a headache, and I developed an ear infection and some blisters in my mouth towards the end. I don't know how much of this had to do with Paxlovid or the COVID itself. I tested myself, and I am still positive, although I don't have a fever. I still have lingering aches and pains and a slight sore throat. I don't know if it would have been worse if I hadn't taken Paxlovid. Now the only thing I worry about is the rebound that I keep reading about after taking this antiviral. Has anyone had a rebound? And how bad was it?"

• lul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 3, 2023

For COVID-19 "I was a bit skeptical after reading the reviews. My experience was positive. I was diagnosed with COVID-19 and have a history of asthma. Slight bitter taste in my mouth, but overall, the medicine did wonders for me."

• Her...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 24, 2022

For COVID-19 "I started Paxlovid the day after testing positive for COVID. The first night I woke up trying to swallow sticky-like saliva. I had a horrible taste in my mouth, and the next night I kept waking up with acid reflux foam-like substance along with the sticky saliva. I had such a hard time I tried sleeping sitting up, and that didn’t help much. I had to stop taking it because I was having a hard time swallowing the extra phlegmy/sticky saliva and ended up throwing up because of it. I also started having very bad diarrhea. Paxlovid is not for me."