Key TakeawaysSeveral medications effectively treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, especially for high-risk people like older adults, people who are unvaccinated, and people with certain medical conditions.Experts say that medications that can be used to treat mild to moderate COVID symptoms include over-the-counter (OTC) drugs like Tylenol and Advil, as well as prescription medications like Paxlovid and Lagevrio.Other than taking medications, recovering from COVID at home involves staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest.

Key Takeaways

Several medications effectively treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, especially for high-risk people like older adults, people who are unvaccinated, and people with certain medical conditions.Experts say that medications that can be used to treat mild to moderate COVID symptoms include over-the-counter (OTC) drugs like Tylenol and Advil, as well as prescription medications like Paxlovid and Lagevrio.Other than taking medications, recovering from COVID at home involves staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest.

Most people who get a mild case of COVID-19 can recover at home. You have a few options for treating your symptoms, including over-the-counter (OTC) products you may already have in your medicine cabinet. However, there are also some prescription treatments, like Paxlovid and Veklury, that you can get from your provider.

These Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drugs can help keep people with COVID out of the hospital and prevent severe, even life-threatening, illness. They’re especially helpful for people at high risk of developing complications if they get COVID,Steve Mok, PharmD,a pharmacist and infectious disease specialist at Wolters Kluwer’s Health division, told Verywell.

Older adults, people who are not vaccinated or not up to date onCOVID vaccinesor boosters, and people with certain medical conditions, such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, or weak immune systems, are all at higher risk of getting seriously sick if they catch COVID, Mok said.

If you test positive for COVID or think you have it, here are the OTC and prescription medications that experts recommend.

Pfizer Is Now Charging $1,400 for Paxlovid. Here’s How To Get It for Free.

Over-the-Counter Medications For COVID

Katherine Yang, PharmD, MPH, professor and infectious diseases clinical pharmacist at the UCSF School of Pharmacy, told Verywell that the same OTC products you’d probably use to manage symptoms of the common cold and flu can also be used for COVID symptoms. While OTC medications do not directly treat COVID and won’t make your illness shorter, they can relieve your symptoms.

Here are a few OTC products experts recommend if you’re treating COVID symptoms at home:

Before you use any OTC product for COVID symptoms, make sure you read the instructions carefully and understand how (and when) to take a dose. If you’re not sure, ask a pharmacist or your provider.

“If one chooses to use a combination cold product that contains a fever reducer, cough medicine, and decongestant, be sure to follow the instructions,” Yang said. “Be careful when taking it with other cold products to prevent accidentally doubling up on any ingredients.”

COVID-19 Treatments: Medications, Plasma, and Vaccines

Prescription Medications for COVID

The FDA has approved several antiviral prescription medications to treat mild to moderate COVID in people at high risk of getting sick.These medications keep the COVID virus from making copies of itself (replicating) in the body, which helps the immune system fight it off, Yang said.

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir)

Paxlovidis an oral antiviral prescription medication that is FDA-approved for adults. It’s designed for managing mild to moderate cases of COVID, Yang said. Paxlovid is available for high-risk people with COVID who are not in the hospital.

Studies on Paxlovid have shown varying levels of success in keeping the disease from progressing, keeping people out of the hospital, and preventing people from getting severely ill and dying from COVID, Luis Ostrosky, MD, chief of infectious diseases and epidemiology with UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann, told Verywell.

Mok said the patients who may benefit the most from Paxlovid treatment are adults aged 65 or older, people with moderate or severe conditions affecting their immune systems, people with more than one risk factor for severe disease (such as asthma, kidney disease, and liver disease), and unvaccinated people who are aged 50 years or older.

Yang said that it’s important to be cautious about potential drug interactions that can come with prescription medications like Paxlovid. Since these interactions can cause serious problems, Yang said that you should “always let your physician and pharmacist know all the prescription and OTC medications and herbal supplements that you are taking to make sure you can take Paxlovid safely.”

Lagevrio (monupiravir)

Patients need a prescription for these medications, which they can get from a primary care provider, retail clinics, urgent care facilities, and federally-supported test-to-treat locations, Mok said.

“In general, antiviral medications for COVID are underutilized. For persons who are at higher risk for COVID-related complications, it is always good to have a plan in place,” Yang said. “Know who to call if you get sick and where to get medications, especially as we enter the holiday season.”

What Can I Do Besides Take Medication?Experts recommend staying hydrated and getting lots of rest if you’re recovering from COVID. It’s also important to mask up, keep your hands clean, and follow the guidelines for quarantine andisolationto avoid spreading COVID to other people Ostrosky said.

What Can I Do Besides Take Medication?

Experts recommend staying hydrated and getting lots of rest if you’re recovering from COVID. It’s also important to mask up, keep your hands clean, and follow the guidelines for quarantine andisolationto avoid spreading COVID to other people Ostrosky said.

Medications for Severe COVID

If someone is in the hospital with COVID, they may get other medications, depending on how sick they are. Most patients with severe COVID receive Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral medication that can be used in adults and children who are hospitalized with COVID, Ostrosky said. It’s not a pill like the other medications—it has to be given as an intravenous (IV) infusion at a healthcare facility for three to five consecutive days.

Patients who need increasing amounts of oxygen or have signs of body-wide inflammation may need to be given anti-inflammatory medications such as steroids and immunomodulators, Ostrosky said.

Patients with severe COVID may also get anticoagulants such as heparin to reduce the risk of blood clots, Mok added.

What This Means For YouIf you’re home sick with COVID, OTC products like Tylenol, Advil, and antihistamines can help manage your symptoms. If you’re at high risk for serious illness, you may want to ask your provider about prescriptions like Paxlovid and Lagevrio.

What This Means For You

If you’re home sick with COVID, OTC products like Tylenol, Advil, and antihistamines can help manage your symptoms. If you’re at high risk for serious illness, you may want to ask your provider about prescriptions like Paxlovid and Lagevrio.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 treatments and medications.Food and Drug Administration.Know your treatment options for COVID-19.National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: molnupiravir.Pfizer.Pfizer’s PAXLOVID receives FDA approval for adult patients at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.Lagevrio (molnupiravir): an oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19.National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: remdesivir.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 treatments and medications.Food and Drug Administration.Know your treatment options for COVID-19.National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: molnupiravir.Pfizer.Pfizer’s PAXLOVID receives FDA approval for adult patients at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.Lagevrio (molnupiravir): an oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19.National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: remdesivir.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 treatments and medications.Food and Drug Administration.Know your treatment options for COVID-19.National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: molnupiravir.Pfizer.Pfizer’s PAXLOVID receives FDA approval for adult patients at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.Lagevrio (molnupiravir): an oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19.National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: remdesivir.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 treatments and medications.

Food and Drug Administration.Know your treatment options for COVID-19.

National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: molnupiravir.

Pfizer.Pfizer’s PAXLOVID receives FDA approval for adult patients at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.

Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.Lagevrio (molnupiravir): an oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19.

National Institutes of Health.COVID-19 treatment guidelines: remdesivir.

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