What Arm Should I Get My Flu Shot In
Dr. Mora recommends getting the flu shot in the arm you use the least. “That way if you are writing or doing day-to-day activities, you’re not aggravating the muscle even more,” she says.Some other ways to reduce pain include trying not to tense your arm while you’re being vaccinated and moving your arm after vaccination to increase blood flow and help disperse the vaccine throughout the area.
The Cdc Says To Avoid Taking Ibuprofen Aspirin And Acetaminophen Before Your Vaccination
In the latest update from the CDC, the agency warns that patients should avoid taking ibuprofen , acetaminophen , aspirin, or antihistamines before their shots. “It is not recommended you take these medicines before vaccination for the purpose of trying to prevent side effects, because it is not known how these medications may impact how well the vaccine works,” the CDC cautions.
But don’t worry about not being able to treat some of the symptoms you may feel after your shots. The CDC also says that “you can take these medications to relieve post-vaccination side effects if you have no other medical reasons that prevent you from taking these medications normally.” And for more on the side effects you should be bracing yourself for, check out The CDC Says These 3 Side Effects Mean Your Vaccine Is Working.
Dont Stop Wearing Your Mask In Public
Two weeks after getting your second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, you can consider yourself âfully vaccinated,â which does open up a few doors for your social life. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated folks can hang out inside with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart. Fully vaccinated people can do the same with members of one other household of unvaccinated people, unless any of those people are at an âincreased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.â
Larger get-togethers are still on the ânoâ list for everyone, fully vaccinated or not. If you do find yourself indoors with people from multiple households, mask up. And you should absolutely keep wearing your mask and social distancing in all public places.
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The Cdc Recommends That You Avoid Otc Medications Right Before Vaccination
While the CDC says post-vaccination OTC medication is fine with a doctor’s approval, the agency says it is “not recommended you take these medicines before vaccination for the purpose of trying to prevent side effects.” It is not yet known how these drugs could affect your vaccination response.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
“There are a couple of small studies in children having to do with regular vaccinesânot COVID vaccinesâ that might indicate that taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen before you get the vaccine might reduce your antibody response a little,” William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, explained to Prevention. “But nobody really knows whether this has any clinical significance and it’s never been studied on a clinical scale.” And for more up-to-date information, .
Are There Ways To Lessen Arm Pain After Your Flu Vaccine
You’ve probably heard a lot that you should move your arm after you get vaccinated, and experts say that’s sound advice. “Moving it helps with blood flow to the arm, allows for the immune cells to get in, do their jobrecognize the foreign antigenand get out,” Alan explained.
Dr. Adalja pointed out that there are no studies on just how often you should move your arm after your shot, but Holmes suggested aiming to get a little movement and stretching in there every hour for about six hours after your shot.
At the same time, Dr. Schaffner advised against working your arm too hard after you’re vaccinated: “I don’t recommend going to the gym right afterward and lifting.”
If you still develop soreness after moving your arm, you can try putting ice on the spot, Timothy Murphy, MD, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, told Health. “Ice can help with the inflammation,” Dr. Murphy added. And if you’re still uncomfortable after that, Dr. Murphy said it’s OK to take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug , like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Just don’t stress right away and assume something is wrong if you develop a sore arm. “It’s a sign that your body is making an immune response,” Dr. Murphy said. “It’s a good thing.” However, if you experience a sore arm for a prolonged period of time after your shot, contact your healthcare provider.
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Dr Fauci Said Do Expect Some Side Effects Especially After The Second Dose
“If you are really having discomfort that usually would occur rarely after the first dose, you likely would get a pain in the arm and maybe a little bit of an ache, not very much of an issue there. That’s what I went through personally, when I got it,” he said. “But the second dose of either the Moderna or the Pfizer in some people do get about a 24 hours worth of achiness, maybe some chills, occasionally a fever, a headache. You feel under the weather, as it were taking something appealed to youlike two Tylenol, every six or eight hours or soI can see is going to have a major difference that might make you feel much better.”
Acetaminophens Effects On Vaccines
No one enjoys getting vaccines, but most of us do it anyway. Vaccines are important for keeping yourself, your children and those around you healthy, said Katie Hepfer, DNP, C-PNP, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A& M College of Nursing. Most health care providers know immunization schedules can be overwhelming to parents of young children. However, it is important to keep yourself and your children up-to-date on vaccinations.
That advice leaves many parentsand even adults going to get the shot for themselveswondering if there is a way to make it easier.
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Is It Safe To Take Tylenol Or Ibuprofen Before Covid
Because taking over-the-counter painkillers before getting vaccinated may reduce the responsiveness of your immune system and therefore weaken the effectiveness of the vaccine, the CDC does not recommend taking Tylenol or ibuprofen before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Instead Of Getting Them Vaccinated Is It Safer For My Child To Just Get Infected With Covid
- Getting a COVID-19 vaccine for your child is a safer, more reliable way to build protection than getting sick with COVID-19.
- There is no way to tell in advance how your child will be affected by infection with COVID-19.
- Even children without underlying health conditions can get really sick and experience short and long-term complications.
- COVID-19 vaccination helps protect you to the virus that causes COVID-19 but does not actually cause COVID-19.
- While you can get some protection from having COVID-19, the level and length of that protection varies.
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Redness Pain Or Swelling At The Injection Site
This is another good sign that your immune system is raring to go and responding to the vaccine properly, Dr. Kemmerly says. Plus, any time something breaks the skin barrier , it may get red and swollen as your body reacts to it as a foreign object. This side effects is common and should only last a few days.
Possible Side Effects After Getting A Covid
COVID-19 vaccination helps protect people from getting severely ill with COVID-19. Side effects and adverse events could follow any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination.
Side effects:Not everyone experiences side effects. However, some people do. Side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection. Side effects may have a short-term affect on your ability to do daily activities and should go away in a few days. If you would like to report a side effect, use V-safe.
Adverse events:Adverse events are rare but could cause a long-term health problem. If an adverse event occurs, it will generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. If you would like to report an adverse event, use Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System .
- During clinical trials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration collected data on each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines for a minimum of two months after the final dose.
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Dont Take A Pain Reliever Before Your Covid
As for whether you should try to preempt your vaccine side effects with a pain reliever, Cennimo advises against it.
In the COVID-19 vaccine trials, people were not given an NSAID or acetaminophen before the injection, so we do not know what if any effect premedication would have, he said. Because of these theoretical risks, it is not advised.
Cennimo said the pre-COVID-19 vaccine research in children found that taking a fever-reducing drug only affected the production of antibodies if the drug was taken before the injection.
Dr. Sherrill Brown, medical director of infection prevention at AltaMed Health Services, a federally qualified healthcare center serving Los Angeles and Orange counties in California, agrees.
I would recommend waiting until someone experiences side effects of fever or pain that require fever-reducing or pain-reducing medications, she said, and not to take them as a prophylaxis to prevent vaccine related symptoms.
The issued similar guidelines for how to deal with the side effects of the two mRNA vaccines that have been approved in the United States.
Brown also cautions that even over-the-counter pain relievers may not be appropriate for everyone.
Some people are not able to take either acetaminophen or ibuprofen due to other underlying health conditions, she said. In those cases, it would be best to consult with their trusted healthcare provider or physician before taking these medications.
You Should Stop Taking These Medications 24 To 48 Hours Before Your Shots
While research on OTC medications and the COVID vaccine is limited, another study has found that taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen did affect patients’ immune response to the flu vaccineand there are many similarities between COVID and the flu and how they present in patients. One of the authors of a 2015 study on the subject out of the University of Rochester Medical Center, David J. Topham, PhD, said in a statement that “unless your health care provider tells you otherwise, it’s best not to take pain relievers one or two days before the flu vaccine” because doing so “can dilute the power of the vaccine.” And for more COVID news delivered right to your inbox, .ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
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Should My Child Get Vaccinated If They Have Already Had Covid
- Yes, even if your child has had COVID-19, they should still get vaccinated.
- While you can get some protection from having COVID-19, the level and length of that protection varies.
- Evidence indicates that people can get added protection by getting vaccinated after having been infected.
- If your child has been infected with COVID-19, their next series dose or booster can be delayed 3 months after symptom onset or a positive COVID-19 test result.
Common Pain Relievers May Dilute Power Of Flu Shots
- Common Pain Relievers May Dilute Power of Flu Shots
With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers Advil, Tylenol, aspirin at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system.
Richard P. Phipps, Ph.D.,professor of Environmental Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and of Pediatrics, has been studying this issue for years and recently presented his latest findings to an international conference on inflammatory diseases.
What weve been saying all along, and continue to stress, is that its probably not a good idea to take common, over-the-counter pain relievers for minor discomfort associated with vaccination, Phipps said. We have studied this question using virus particles, live virus, and different kinds of pain relievers, in human blood samples and in mice — and all of our research shows that pain relievers interfere with the effect of the vaccine.
A study by researchers in the Czech Republic reported similar findings in the Oct. 17, 2009, edition of The Lancet. They found that giving acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, to infants weakens the immune response to vaccines.
Therefore, when a person takes a medication to reduce pain and fever, he or she might also inadvertently reduce the ability of B cells to make antibodies.
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How Safe Is The Flu Vaccine
The influenza vaccine is very safe. It cannot cause the flu. Side effects are usually mild and can include:
- mild soreness where the needle went into the arm for 1 to 2 days.
- a mild fever or aches for the first day or 2 after immunization.
Do not give your child ibuprofen or acetaminophen before or around the time of vaccination as it does not prevent the pain of injection and it could have an impact on how well the vaccine works. These medications can be used to treat fever, pain, or other bothersome side effects if they develop after vaccination.
Who Should Get The Flu Vaccine
Everyone age 6 months or older should get a flu vaccine each year. It lowers the chance of getting and spreading the flu. The vaccine is very important for people who are at high risk for getting other health problems from the flu. This includes:
- Anyone 65 years of age or older.
- People who live in a long-term care center, such as a nursing home.
- All young children.
- Adults and children 6 months and older who have long-term heart or lung problems, such as asthma.
- Adults and children 6 months and older who needed medical care or were in a hospital during the past year because of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or a weak immune system .
- Women who will be pregnant during the flu season.
- People who have any condition that can make it hard to breathe or swallow .
- People who can give the flu to others who are at high risk for problems from the flu. This includes all health care workers and close contacts of people age 65 or older.
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Dr Fauci Says Some Tylenol After The Vaccine Should Be Ok
Aches and pains are a common side effect of the COVID vaccine. “If someone gets achy or gets a headache and it’s really bothering you, I mean, I would believe as a physician that I would have no trouble taking a couple of Tylenol for that,” he said. “So again, people are going to come back and forth and say, well, it could mute or dampen the immunological response to the vaccine itself. I don’t see any biological mechanisms why something like Tylenol would not do that.”
Do Keep Your Vaccination Cardbut Dont Post It On Social Media
Proof of vaccination is starting to be required at certain travel destinations and venues, and a number of apps have been developed to digitize that process. But you should definitely still hang onto your paper vaccination card for now.
What you shouldnât do is of it on social media. Not only does that make it easier for scammers to forge their own cards, but it also makes you more vulnerable to identity theftâeven basic details like your birthday can help thieves guess your social security number.
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Is It Safe To Take Tylenol Or Ibuprofen After Covid
Side effects caused by the COVID-19 vaccine normally subside on their own. They can typically be managed at home with rest, hydration, ice packs, and painkillers.
Over-the-counter pain relievers recommended by the CDC for post COVID-19 vaccination include:
However, you should consult your doctor before taking these medications for symptom relief.
The Cdc Is Warning You Not To Do This Right Before You Get Vaccinated
The agency cautions that doing this “may impact how well the vaccine works.”
The COVID vaccines that are currently being distributed are incredibly effective at protecting against the virus95 percent effective, to be precise. But health officials are now cautioning that there are some everyday activities that might lower the effectiveness of the doses. In a recent update to their vaccination guidelines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that patients shouldn’t take pain relievers right before getting vaccinated. Read on to see what the agency’s latest warning means for you, and for more on what you shouldn’t be doing after your jabs, check out Dr. Fauci Says Don’t Do This After Your First COVID Shot.
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Why Does My Arm Hurt After A Flu Shot
- Lung Health and Diseases
Getting a shot at the doctor’s office might not be the most enjoyable experiencewith the needle and the doctor and that pesky arm pain that can come after for somebut vaccination is necessary to help your body defend itself against dangerous diseases, including seasonal influenza . There’s a reason CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu shot each year: Anyone can get the flu and it can hit hard. The 2017-2018 flu season particularly demonstrated the impact: Around 80,000 Americans lost their lives due to influenza and 900,000 people were hospitalized.
The flu shot is safe, and you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. Most people have little or no reaction to the flu shot and the most common side effect is some discomfort in your arm hours after receiving the vaccination, including soreness, redness and/or swelling. A sore arm is much better than catching the actual influenza viruswhich can knock you out for days or weeks with high fever, cough and muscle achesbut why do some people experience this particular side effect of the flu shot?