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An Underused Covid Treatment: Doctors Are Now a Major Barrier to Paxlovid

6 points by VagueMag 4y ago

jjeaff 4y ago
Just to add my experience of getting paxlovid. I tested positive for covid about 6 months ago and having a few children and lots of work to do, I wanted to get a jump on treating it. I know too many people that lingered with flu like symptoms for 2 weeks. (Not to mention a few that died and a few that had serious lung damage from COVID, but most were older and/or in poorer health than me.) Urgent care and most doctors don't seem to want to treat COVID. Urgent care told me to stay away. My own GP office wouldn't see me because I "hadn't been in for a visit in the last 12 months". Obviously, because COVID restrictions made regular visits difficult over the last few years. (I have since dropped that gp.) I ended up having to go to the hospital for treatment. I called ahead and they passed me along to several nurses that all said that most COVID patients were being treated with the monoclonal IV treatments and you have to sit there for hours while they administer it. So I went prepared with a printout from the NIH and CDC both stating that the recommended course of treatment at this time is paxlovid with one of the monoclonals as a backup option. I also called my local pharmacy and confirmed that they had Paxlovid in stock. They did testing and ended up doing an EKG because my heart rate was a little fast. Probably due to my 103F fever. And even though I kept mentioning to the nurses that I just wanted a paxlovid treatment, they kept telling me that "well, we have mostly been doing monoclonal treatment for COVID, but you can talk to the doctor." And they continue prepping me for the IV treatments. Once I finally got to speak to the doctor, I told her that I wanted paxlovid, she agreed that would be good but that availability was scarce. I explained that I had already confirmed availability and she happily wrote me the RX and I was on my way (after about 2-3 hours including wait time). I had a little bit of upset stomach and metallic taste in my mouth for a few days, but symptoms subsided by the end of day 2 taking the medicine (of course, who know if it was the pax). It likely helped that I started taking the medicine on day two of symptoms. I think doctors and especially hospitals get in a rhythm of treatment and it's hard to change. Especially when things are changing fast. Also, I'm sure the hospital makes a lot more money if you sit there for 2 hours on an IV than if they just give you an RX and send you on. In my opinion, the whole thing should have been dealt with via a phoned in RX by any doctor after confirming that I had a few positive at home tests.
vfclists 4y ago
I would think that recommendations from patients who got well and stayed well after using taking it would be the best advertisement for Paxlovid. Are they in such short supply? Ivermectin and Hydoroxychloroquine seem to have no shortage of supporters,and in the case of the former, whether horse strength or not.

6 points by VagueMag 4y ago

Just to add my experience of getting paxlovid. I tested positive for covid about 6 months ago and having a few children and lots of work to do, I wanted to get a jump on treating it. I know too many people that lingered with flu like symptoms for 2 weeks. (Not to mention a few that died and a few that had serious lung damage from COVID, but most were older and/or in poorer health than me.) Urgent care and most doctors don't seem to want to treat COVID. Urgent care told me to stay away. My own GP office wouldn't see me because I "hadn't been in for a visit in the last 12 months". Obviously, because COVID restrictions made regular visits difficult over the last few years. (I have since dropped that gp.) I ended up having to go to the hospital for treatment. I called ahead and they passed me along to several nurses that all said that most COVID patients were being treated with the monoclonal IV treatments and you have to sit there for hours while they administer it. So I went prepared with a printout from the NIH and CDC both stating that the recommended course of treatment at this time is paxlovid with one of the monoclonals as a backup option. I also called my local pharmacy and confirmed that they had Paxlovid in stock. They did testing and ended up doing an EKG because my heart rate was a little fast. Probably due to my 103F fever. And even though I kept mentioning to the nurses that I just wanted a paxlovid treatment, they kept telling me that "well, we have mostly been doing monoclonal treatment for COVID, but you can talk to the doctor." And they continue prepping me for the IV treatments. Once I finally got to speak to the doctor, I told her that I wanted paxlovid, she agreed that would be good but that availability was scarce. I explained that I had already confirmed availability and she happily wrote me the RX and I was on my way (after about 2-3 hours including wait time). I had a little bit of upset stomach and metallic taste in my mouth for a few days, but symptoms subsided by the end of day 2 taking the medicine (of course, who know if it was the pax). It likely helped that I started taking the medicine on day two of symptoms. I think doctors and especially hospitals get in a rhythm of treatment and it's hard to change. Especially when things are changing fast. Also, I'm sure the hospital makes a lot more money if you sit there for 2 hours on an IV than if they just give you an RX and send you on. In my opinion, the whole thing should have been dealt with via a phoned in RX by any doctor after confirming that I had a few positive at home tests.

vfclists 4y ago

I would think that recommendations from patients who got well and stayed well after using taking it would be the best advertisement for Paxlovid. Are they in such short supply? Ivermectin and Hydoroxychloroquine seem to have no shortage of supporters,and in the case of the former, whether horse strength or not.