Can Taurine Supplements Treat Long COVID?

[Mij]

A clinical trial will provide much-needed evidence to help patient?

Post-COVID Condition (PCC), also referred to as Long COVID, is a debilitating condition that affects approximately 10% of people who have contracted COVID-19. There is currently no cure in Canada for this illness that is accompanied by fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, gastrointestinal issues, and a myriad of other symptoms. Could something as simple as a taurine supplement help?

Three Canadian researchers are exploring the link between taurine deficiency and post-COVID condition.

LINK

 

[bobbler]

All I know about taurine is that it’s the ingredient red bull used to claim it had lots off and described it was like a strong caffeine (‘red bull gives you wings’)

and that it’s in cat foods but wasn’t perhaps as straightforward because I was alarmed when I first saw it thinking it was a strong caffeine (and my cat had a heart murmur) or like when they add sugar or something addictive to pet food but it turned out they needed a certain amount for their heart or something

So I don’t know whether to be cynical of this based on the fact that anyone who has ME at a certain age from a certain generation would deffo have tried a red bull equivalent- because it was everywhere and what people who were tired or 'wanted energy' used.

heck before we even got diagnosed enough would be reaching for energy drinks or have tried these socially as ‘pick me ups’ so when you feel exhausted someone will have suggested if, or to get thru an exam.

so if it helped then would we have those who said ‘I lived on red bull to try and get thru’ still being ill if it cured ?

but then I think there might be different quality in supplements, dosage can matter and I guess it makes sense to rule out ??

 

[Mij]

I took taurine and magnesium IM injections off and on for 2 yrs and it might have saved my life. The combination of the 2 puts your brain in such a peaceful mode. I loved it. My doctor who prescribed them retired 12 yrs ago. I wish I had a doctor who could prescribe me this again.

 

[Mij]

@bobbler I don't think taurine is the bad culprit in energy drinks. Taurine shows health benefits for the cardiovascular system and calms the nervous system.

It also helps increases the absorption of magnesium into the cells

I took mg sulfate injections for a couple of months but that didn't do anything until we added taurine.

 

[bobbler]

I took taurine and magnesium IM injections off and on for 2 yrs and it might have saved my life. The combination of the 2 puts your brain in such a peaceful mode. I loved it. My doctor who prescribed them retired 12 yrs ago. I wish I had a doctor who could prescribe me this again.

well it sounds great then that they are doing some sort of trial.

Oh Mij what a shame and how frustrating for you. And potentially for everyone with ME - whether it turns out to be something that fits them or not.

I'm all for things that help some being signed off as for myself B12 injections really were the same, although mine was the cognitive/sensory in particular (even though I was cynical - as I am with anything where people say it makes a difference back then - but couldn't not try it because things were so bad even if it made 5% difference it would help stop things going downwards). The 'no treatment' when there are things that help some enough that its the difference between a slightly more bearable life ...

Is it ME-specific or is it the change in the way medicine in general has been done over the years that it's hard to find for you do you think?

I hate the idea that because we all might have slightly different things affected in different ways there might be some bar that things wouldn't be signed off 'clinically' as help because it is tested in such a way it has to work for everyone. I don't know the way to test this, but I know these aren't imagined things - whether it is different types or just different bodies experiencing different things - that unless it works for everyone then something that genuinely makes a big enough difference it seems unthinkable to do without, which could be 5-10% when you are ill enough it is about bearable pain or being able to rest vs being stuck in over-regulation or not being able to do screens at all etc.

 

[bobbler]

@bobbler I don't think taurine is the bad culprit in energy drinks. Taurine shows health benefits for the cardiovascular system and calms the nervous system.

It also helps increases the absorption of magnesium into the cells

I took mg sulfate injections for a couple of months but that didn't do anything until we added taurine.

I'm sure it isn't I just mention that was the first time I heard of it. And of course I'm not sure it would have been high quality taurine and was with all sorts of added other things, so I guess even if it was useful then it couldn't have been 'a cure' based on if you had to drink it every day then all of the other stuff wouldn't have done people much good.

I was just trying to joke that red bull was so popular in my generation that there might have been some with ME who were having to drag themselves to work who might have spotted if it was a cure. Of course I forget too that noone listened to us anyway!

It was many many years on from then when I spotted it in cat food and learned it wasn't just a strong caffeine but had other 'properties'.

 

[Mij]

Oh Mij what a shame and how frustrating for you. And potentially for everyone with ME - whether it turns out to be something that fits them or not.

My bloodwork didn't show low levels of taurine, but my magnesium stores was deficient. I had parkinsonism symptoms, it was just awful. I had this constant rocking sensation in my head. The injections improved my gait and energy(good energy not hyper energy) but it didn't last.

 

[rvallee]

One supplement I tried in the last year. Discovered it's a pretty good sleeping pill, although cannabis is a lot better at it. If I take it usually 15 minutes later I'm sound asleep. Weird stuff.

 

[pooriepoor91]

I have tried Taurine 2-3 times, and while it has some effect on fatigue, each time it increased the loudness of my tinnitus. So stopped, but everyone is different so it may help some. I think Taurine has an effect on GABA receptors, and hence it is calming.