Nirmatrelvir / ritonavir and Diarrhea: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2022

For COVID-19 "Wow, this med made me feel SO much better even after one dose. It was like my sore throat went away overnight, though other COVID symptoms like headache and cough were still present, but manageable. I had one episode of diarrhea, but the only thing that sucks is the bitter metallic taste that persists in my mouth. Water and lozenges definitely help with that. This drug is a GAME CHANGER. But please people, vaccination is the first line of defense. I’m vaxxed and boosted, and I still felt like garbage, but imagine if I wasn’t? I’d be in the hospital."

• Pau...
• January 17, 2022

For COVID-19 "By the second day, my chronic coughing subsided. By the third day, my aching subsided and I began feeling much better. Side effect was a terrible taste a few hours after taking the medicine. By the third day, itching and some eczema appeared over the upper body. I also had some gas because I am sensitive to the lactose filler used in the tablets, so I had loose bowels but no pain."

• Moo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2022

For COVID-19 "I started on Paxlovid on a Friday after developing some chest tightness and a drop in my O2 sats after testing positive on Thursday. While the yucky taste was unpleasant, it was tolerable. My problem was the gastric upset. I developed diffuse abdominal pain and cramping, and diarrhea. I could have dealt with that, but I then began vomiting Saturday evening, and by Sunday morning, I was unable to keep clear liquids down. I ended up in the ER with weakness and what I figured was dehydration. Labs were OK, so not severely dry, received IV fluids, and Zofran for the nausea, and discharged home. The doctor wasn’t familiar with Paxlovid, so couldn’t give me sound advice to try and continue or stop. I chose to stop it. 12 hours after the ER visit, I’ve kept some bland food down and doing better. My sore throat is gone, my cough much improved, and my sats are 96-98%. I hope and pray I continue to improve and don’t backslide as unable to tolerate this med."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2023

For COVID-19 "I am triple boosted, and the latest bivalent shot was a month ago. Got COVID for the first time 3 days ago, and Dr. highly recommended Paxlovid due to risk factors. Let me tell you, these side effects are completely intolerable, in my opinion. I don’t know how anyone can take 5 days of this medication. The taste makes me gag constantly, and the burning diarrhea is so painful. I took 2 days of pills and cannot bear to take another dose. I can only eat bland foods due to the nausea and horrendous taste in my mouth. These side effects are not mild! Every time I read that, I am shocked. Who knows what toll it has already taken on my colon and liver? It’s an experimental drug, and they don’t know much about it yet. Absolutely horrible experience. Do not recommend."

• BK ...
• April 18, 2022

For COVID-19 "I'm getting over Covid-19, and I really believe my experience was better than it would have been if not for Paxlovid. I have been taking this medicine for four days and saw improvement very quickly. I had a single episode of diarrhea after my first dose, and a nasty bitter taste has persisted in my mouth since I started this medicine (cough drops all day help with that). But the Covid symptoms I was experiencing were far worse. Even triple vaccinated, this disease is a horrible experience. Please get vaccinated and help slow this thing down, instead of draining valuable medical resources when you get sick. Thanks to vaccination and Paxlovid, I got through Covid without taking up a hospital bed. I'm feeling very grateful."

• Say...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2022

For COVID-19 "Beware! This drug's side effects are worse than the Covid symptoms. I have hypertension, and I was told to start taking Paxlovid for a positive Covid test. From the first dose, I could tell something wasn't right. Severe body aches, weird taste in mouth, stomach pain, and diarrhea. After one day, I was done. Straight to the trash can. I have no idea who this is supposed to be helping or giving it a 10, but I experienced the worst side effects ever with this drug. If you can, please just wait the symptoms out."

• And...
• June 11, 2023

For COVID-19 "I am a healthy, 115-lb 68-year-old female with no major health problems. I became extremely sick very quickly with COVID, and so I opted to take Paxlovid. I was told of the side effects (diarrhea, loss of taste) but was worried that my symptoms would worsen and took the risk. Bad decision! It did work quickly on my COVID symptoms, but the effect on my GI system was unbearable. I constantly felt nauseous, could not eat a thing (everything tasted disgusting and made me want to vomit), and terrible GI upset all the time. I was worried about losing too much weight too quickly and called my doctor to talk to a nurse. She advised me to finish the 5 days and 'drink a lot of fluids' since I couldn't eat. I completed 4 days but could not finish the last day of pills. I lost 5 lbs in 5 days. On top of all that: I got Paxlovid rebound! This drug needs more study."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2022

For COVID-19 "It took COVID symptoms away within a day, but then I had: extreme nervousness, sleeplessness, awful constant headache, ringing in ears, nightmares when I did sleep, pain in upper right quadrant of belly, blurry vision, felt as if my blood pressure was up, in addition to the more common symptom of diarrhea."

• 38 ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2023

For COVID-19 "I was diagnosed with COVID on 3/13. I went in to see a doctor, and they gave me this medicine. First off, if your symptoms are not that bad, please do not take this medication. The only reason I took it was that this doctor told me I would start feeling better after 14 hours. That was so far from the truth. It made me ten times worse. From the metallic taste to the gagging, diarrhea, and upset stomach, this was the worst decision ever."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2024

For COVID-19 "For COVID-19, 'I tested positive for COVID three days ago. I had a slight fever, sore throat, headache, and lots of head congestion. I lost my sense of smell and taste. It wasn't fun. As soon as I saw the test results, I reached out to my primary care doctor, who prescribed Paxlovid for me. I would say within a day, I could feel a difference. The symptoms definitely lessened each day. I had some side effects, like diarrhea and a bad taste in my mouth. It really worked, and after 3 days of meds, I was already testing negative. Just know that any medication side effects, even some of the worst ones, are still better than a severe bout of COVID."

• Kri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2023

For COVID-19 "Whatever, you don't take it. I started taking it, and it made me feel worse 3 days in. Then, over a week later, I'm 20 times worse. I have had diarrhea for 2 days now. Feeling tired, and I'm in extreme pain, nauseous, 104-degree temps, headache, and just dying. Don't touch it."

• Cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2022

For COVID-19 "The side effects were brutal for me, a healthy 65-year-old male. I had nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bad aches and pains. My first dose was yesterday early evening, and by 1 AM I was a mess. My Covid symptoms are receding, so I intend to call my doctor to advise her I intend to discontinue. This is approximately day 4 of Covid symptoms onset."

• gie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2022

For COVID-19 "I tried this because I have Sjögren's, which puts me at risk for severe COVID. I wish I could tolerate it. It gave me the worst sore throat ever, it looked like my throat was bleeding. In addition, I had projectile diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Diarrhea was so bad that I could not make it to the restroom before I filled my pants. I also got it on the bedsheets, apparently having diarrhea in my sleep. Now concerned about what I can take now?"

• 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."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2023

For COVID-19 "I started the first dose on a night when I was feeling particularly bad. I was on my third night with a sore throat and a temperature of 102.3—I was having auditory hallucinations. The bad taste was almost immediate, but I tolerated it. I thought the first dose was okay and had no qualms about the second one. That’s when I started noticing discomfort. Firstly, my sore throat. I couldn’t talk or swallow—the drug made it intolerable. I was also dizzy, and I had a major headache. I detected a strange sensation on my lips and in my throat, but I went ahead with the third dose. Mistake! I had some dexamethasone, so I got it ready for an allergy. Didn’t need it. The worst part was that it sent me into a hypertensive crisis—I normally don’t have hypertension. My BP was 170/110, I was retching, and my head felt like exploding. Thankfully, I happened to have a prescription for a beta blocker on hand. Then I had explosive diarrhea. Never again."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 18, 2024

For COVID-19 "Got positive results on Tuesday starting Paxlovid. Today is Thursday. Have an awful metallic taste, light diarrhea. Fever was 102.6, now 98.7. Medication is working, but I will have to force myself to finish it. Yikes."

• Rac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2022

For COVID-19 "It’s my 3rd bout with COVID, 1st time using Paxlovid. After the first dose on day 4 of sickness, had diarrhea with burning and stinging of rectum. Still feeling effects the next day after just one dose. Am ceasing use of medication and will recover without it like my first 2 bouts of COVID. Was already feeling better on day 4, but the doctor gave a prescription anyway, just in case. Won’t be taking another dose."

• 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."

• Aft...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 13, 2022

For COVID-19 "Took Paxlovid on day 1 of symptoms and the first day testing positive for Covid. It knocked out the Covid quickly, and I was testing negative on day 3 of Paxlovid. After day 3 and 6 doses, I stopped taking Paxlovid because I couldn’t handle the side effects anymore. It is a very strong medication. Stomach ache, extreme horrible taste in mouth, acid reflux, diarrhea, and insomnia. Consulted with my doctor. Four days later, Paxlovid rebound, tested positive again and felt very sick. Consulted the doctor again, and she believed my rebound would have occurred regardless of stopping after 6 doses due to the number of rebounds from other patients. Meanwhile, I exposed my family before testing positive again. Now I’m on day 4 of rebound and feeling a little better. Paxlovid needs improvement, interacts with everything, has many side effects, and possible rebound causing a longer time frame for the illness. I would not take it again."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2023

For COVID-19 "I tested positive on 2/7, began taking Paxlovid on 2/8. The stomach pain and severe diarrhea almost made me head to the emergency room. I stuck it out, continued taking the full course. I tested negative on 2/14. I woke up feeling terrible on 2/18 only to test positive again! I would not take Paxlovid again due to the severe side effects I experienced, only to get COVID again."

• 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."

• Tri...
• May 10, 2023

For COVID-19 "I took four doses of Paxlovid. The first one went okay, except for a bad metallic taste and smell, but I was able to sleep a full night. The next day, I took both doses of the day, and I started to have diarrhea and, of course, the bad taste and smell, but I could not sleep at all during that day and night. It was terrible, and I was so restless that I couldn't fall asleep. I got up, took one dose, and the diarrhea was still terrible. The taste is unbearable, and the smell is also bad. I couldn't sleep the entire day, and I tried and tried, so I had a video chat with my doctor, and I am not taking it anymore. I just cannot do it."

• MCC...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2022

For COVID-19 "Within an hour of my first dose, the metallic taste began. After my second dose is when diarrhea, nausea, and cramping began. Finally, I realized that the inside of my lips was breaking down (peeling and breaking apart). This is when my instincts said to stop. I’m healthy and young, and I’d rather take my chances with vitamins."