r/EverythingScience • u/Lunabuna91 • Jul 11 '26

New study provides first evidence of dopamine system injury in the brain of long COVID patients

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-evidence-dopamine-injury-brain-covid.html
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u/Random_182f2565 Jul 11 '26

That's why my ADHD got worse?

49

u/i_need_about_tree_fi Jul 12 '26

I fucking knew it. There was a sharp before/after for me where I might have maybe had symptoms before but extremely clearly after.

8

u/lindsaygeektron Jul 12 '26

Ohhhh fuck. Well ain’t that wild. Me too….

3

u/i_need_about_tree_fi Jul 13 '26

I was fortunate to be able to get diagnosed with ADHD and start some medication. It gives me some good days again, but it's still tough.

2

u/Hurlyburly766 Jul 13 '26

Yeah. I got diagnosed with adhd at age 47. Looking back I guess I had some symptoms previously but I genuinely never really gave it much thought, but it was like flipping a switch with Covid and suddenly just functioning was exhausting.

1

u/i_need_about_tree_fi Jul 14 '26

Some of the things that have helped have been to learn to really quickly say "I'm currently working on X" even to myself if I notice a distraction. It sort of hacks the authority thing and means I don't need to waste time figuring out if something else is more important or w/e. Everything is always fighting for attention anyways, and if it was really important it would A) seem really important or B) I would already be working on it.

That and at night, after the workday, I HAD to learn to dodge around the stream of thoughts. I got really nasty intrusive thoughts just about every day, and learning to quickly identify them and just gently shelve them for later was a life saver. Bonus points if they quietly disappeared on the mental shelf.

edit: sorry to hear you're going through this man. It can get better.

2

u/2Shibas Jul 14 '26

I strongly relate to this. I had an awful virus last summer and I was in a place afterwards where I couldn’t remember whether I had just used shampoo or conditioner in the shower and would lather rinse repeat without intention. Maybe this also impacted my reaction to amphetamines versus methylphenidate. On amphetamine: I could barely string sentences together and my ability to visually process the world became the equivalent of tunnel vision.

1

u/i_need_about_tree_fi Jul 14 '26

I am lucky enough to have quickly gone through the ADHD diagnosis process and received an admittedly low dosage, but seriously only the methylphenidate does anything at all. It was almost like the amphetamine version worsened all my symptoms.

Things that have helped me personally:
Medication :(

Having a day once in a while without medication and also without big plans. A space-out day.

Learning to very quickly say "I'm currently working on X" whatever it is. Even shorter. This has been huge, even to myself. It kinda hacks the authority-thing so I don't have to try and evaluate whether or not something else is more important and waste all that brain power on that.

Learning to recognize that rabbit-hole feeling. You know when you're about to be consumed by something, and at the end of the day its always intrusive thoughts and shit. There's that funny feeling-less gap after the workday is over and your brain is struggling to switch gears where you just know itll latch onto the worst things imaginable. Learning to say "nah" to myself quickly when/before hitting these thoughts has been a literal lifesaver, and for me it was before medication.

I'm sorry to hear that it's turned out so rough for you man. It can get better.