Study shows Guanafacine and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may help those with long-covid brain fog

In patients with long covid, two drugs reduce and may even completely stop brain fog, according to a case study published in Neuroimmunology Reports.

Researchers looked into how two medications affected individuals who had brain fog. The first drug, guanfacine, is used to treat problems like ADHD and high blood pressure. It is well recognized to increase prefrontal brain function and defend against stress and inflammation. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplement, is the name of the second medication.

Lack of mental clarity, poor attention/concentration and memory issues are symptoms of what is being called brain fog.

Eight of the 12 patients who received treatment reported significant improvement, such as enhanced multitasking, organization, and memory. Some even said that their fog had completely disappeared. Two, however, missed the follow-up appointment for an unspecified reason, and two more stopped the treatment because of adverse effects like dry mouth and low blood pressure.

They have too few patients in their case report to be able to draw any firm conclusions, so more research will be required.

Other illnesses including post-Lyme and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome may benefit from the regimen.

Highlights
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Combined treatment with the α2A-adrenoceptor agonist, guanfacine, and the anti-oxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduced the cognitive deficits (“brain fog”) associated with long-COVID19 in eight out of twelve patients.

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Two patients stopped treatment due to hypotension and/or dizziness, common side effects of guanfacine, and two patients were lost to follow-up.

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The remaining eight patients reported improved working memory, concentration and executive function, including the resumption of normal workloads.

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One patient temporarily stopped guanfacine due to a hypotensive episode and reported a return of cognitive deficits that abated with resumed guanfacine treatment.

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Although placebo-controlled trials will be needed to demonstrate efficacy, the established safety of guanfacine and NAC suggests they may be immediately useful in treating the cognitive deficits of long-COVID19.

Clinical experience with the α2A-adrenoceptor agonist, guanfacine, and N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of cognitive deficits in “Long-COVID19”

a reply to: tamusan

Wow. Thanks for posting this. I suffer from brain fog since covid and will have to look further into this.

NAC or taurine can help with covid symptoms and dampen improper immune response. I do not know what the other med is, haven't researched it at all. It seems to have some Choride ions and Nitrogen chemistry on it's structure.

I would have to study how that other med works to try to determine it's method of action...what enzymes it inhibits or promotes to figure a natural chemistry that would do what it does. Even then it would only be a guess if the chemistry works from the natural source because I have no way of testing it properly. So far most of what I have evaluated with this kind of stuff has actually had a positive effect when testing on myself. But genetics also has something to do with effectiveness of this kind of stuff, so I cannot say things will work for everyone, if a person does not have an enzyme balance that it works on that is off, it will do nothing...meds do not work for everyone.

NAC is used in quite a few medicines as an inert ingredient yet it is far from inert. It is used in meds to treat lung and asthma issues sometimes. If you do not have a deficiency in NAC or Taurine in the body they won't probably help...and of course, both of these two natural chemistries require molybdenum cofactors to be used properly in the body...and proper balance of magnesium and calcium too. Magnesium is used to produce lots of enzymes, but too much can cause some issues too. Calcium and magnesium intake should be balanced properly and symptoms of balance are pretty close except for a few small differences. I am testing the balance of Ca and Mg and doing research on what I experience and it is not easy to figure out which I need when a symptom occurs with digestion and muscle actions. I would like to know how to identify an imbalance but after a year, I seem to have just as many wrong turns as right turns in predicting so I have to take the other supplement half the time to fix the issue,

Experimenting on yourself can be frustrating but I am not going to ask others to experiment on themselves to help figure it out.

a reply to: tamusan
According to the Mayo Clinic
Guanfacine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure adds to the workload of the heart and arteries.
So Covid or the Vax are accused of causing clots by Dr's and Morticians who are seeing the uptick in sudden deaths. This could explain why something that lowers your blood pressure might relieve the micro clots associated with the blood of Covid death victims.

I hope Inward can get some relief. I am praying for all of you in your situation. I will be praying for you specifically to get completely healed. The people who brought this mess don't want us to find these things out for ourselves, I am glad there is hope and some light at the end of the tunnel.

a reply to: InwardDiver

I hope they will come up with a good treatment to help you soon.

a reply to: Justoneman

a reply to: rickymouse

Guanafacine is a blood pressure med, but it also binds to the alpha-2A adrenergic receptor which regulates neurotransmitter release.

I mean no malice with this question:

Does anyone here have ( or know anyone who has ) long covid and is unvaccinated?

a reply to: AgarthaSeed

Yes, people are getting long covid who were not vaccinated. Including people on this board and/or their loved ones. I won't be naming names, of course.

a reply to: AgarthaSeed
I developed Parosmia about 3 months after covid and was unvaxxed.

The FDA was considering a ban on NAC as an OTC supplement. For now, AFAIK, they are in a hold pattern as to a final decision.

originally posted by: tamusan
N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplement, is the name of the second medication.

Just one clarification. NAC is absolutely not a drug, it is, as you finally described in the last reference, a nutritional supplement. Of course, big pharma would love to have it falsely classified as a drug so they could charge thousands of dollars for small doses.

originally posted by: butcherguy
The FDA was considering a ban on NAC as an OTC supplement. For now, AFAIK, they are in a hold pattern as to a final decision.

The FDA, like the CDC, the NIH, and most other government agencies, is an enemy of free people everywhere and should be defunded and/or just disbanded.

a reply to: tanstaafl

When it was being used by some physicians to help increase survival in Severe Covid infection, the FDA came out and talked about re-classifying it to make it a drug so it couldn't be bought OTC.

It does have some pretty amazing anti-inflammatory affects. If I take it regularly, the majority of my aches and pains from being 60 years old don't manifest.

a reply to: tamusan

Can I see that study on unvaxed having "long covid"

Really don't think it exists I do thing ADE is the culprit.

a reply to: tamusan

I think "Long Covid" is caused by Covid vaccinations.

It's their excuse for the side effects and unexplained deaths.

If I'm wrong, I can accept that, but I haven't seen anything that shows I'm wrong, yet.

a reply to: MykeNukem
Long covid exists among the unvaccinated.
People still suffering since early 2020 in some cases....and some being told It's all in their heads.

People never jabbed who get L.C. symptoms after the acute phase of the virus resolves.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: MykeNukem
Long covid exists among the unvaccinated.
People still suffering since early 2020 in some cases....and some being told It's all in their heads.

People never jabbed who get L.C. symptoms after the acute phase of the virus resolves.

Like I said, I can accept being wrong.

Show me some information...

ETA: if it was man-made, then, LC makes sense. I just haven't seen reliable evidence of that yet.

a reply to: tamusan

Me and another family member started taking Gingko Biloba and we both noticed the brain fog go away, not all the way, but most of the way and we are happy with that.

a reply to: tanstaafl

I know most people separate a supplement from a drug. I tend to call a supplement a drug if it is being used to treat an illness rather than simply supplement the diet.

a reply to: Nirishman

It'd be easy for you to do your own research to find out that long covid was a thing before the vaccines were rolled out.