Flu shot this fall--bad reaction?

[Calli66]

This year it seemed to give me an immediate "2-day cold." Runny nose, sinus congestion/headache, achy arm (expected this), fatigue.

I've never reacted this way to flu shots before; they never bothered me other than the sore arm.

I wonder if the difference this year is me, or is there something extra-nasty in the vaccine? I even got the unpreserved shot (single dose, no mercury compounds for preservative).

Calli

[slccom]

Never confuse correlation with causation. Most likely you just got a cold coincidentally with the shot.

Sharon

[warmwaters]

I live in CA, and there has been a brutal "cold" bug going around - lots of nasal issues, throat, and chest. Knocks you out for 2-4 days. One family member brought it home, and we all had it.

So, may or may not be the flu shot.

Though I usually feel crappy after the flu shot. 2-3 days of tired.

[Joe S.]

I had a strep infection in my toe and was on heavy antibiotics when I received my flu shot. Just pain in arm for 12 hours for me.

[eye2dry]

You may have already had the cold virus in you before the flu shot.

Hope you feel better soon.

eye2dry

[Velcro]

Didn't have any issues with mine this year, but a couple of years ago, got deathly sick afterwards.  Rheumy says I had to have already been getting sick, or it could have been a different strain I picked up.

[SjoGirl]

I work in a healthcare facility and have gone to in-service programs about the flu shot for four years (and the fifth is tomorrow). Agree with others as our doc, who is exceptional, said don't assume tnhat correlation equals causation.

He goes on to say, this is the time of year we all spend more time indoors, doing so makes us far more likely to pick something up that is airborne or off of a sink, doorknob, etc. As pointed out it is also more dry. The fact that you get sick after getting the shot is far more often than not coincidental.

I have had flu shots, pneumonia vaccine, and Hep B as well. I'll take any vaccine my PcP is willing to give me because I am far mor susceptible to catching things than others given my immune system being compromised.

[Kendo]

I had my 18th annual flu shot on Thursday. Sore arm for a few hours but didn't get the usual tired, chills etc. I had it by a public health nurse in an empty clinic. I stay away from the doctor's office, pharmacy, mall, workplace flu shot huge lineups as I often picked up a virus there!
Kendo

[LadyDi]

I just had an annual flu shot at my local Rite Aid pharmacy. This is where I get it every year and except for a sore arm for a couple of days, I usually don't have any reactions.

I am just kicking a cold that I believe I caught from the school that I work at. I didn't want to hold off getting the shot any longer, because I watched my son suffer for 7 days last winter with the flu (even though he had gotten the vaccine). I think that he had waited until too late in the season last year to get his shot, therefore, it hadn't taken effect yet when he was exposed to the flu.

That is just a guess on my part as to what happened. Believe me, after watching a young healthy 22 yr old suffer as he did, I will never miss a shot and will try to do so earlier rather than later in the season.

[Chris]

Didn't get shot last year and ended up in Er with Flu!
Just went to cvs today and got my flu shot! Praying I do not get a reaction!

[Autoimmunity]

Where were you able to get the single dose shot?  Your doctors office?  I work for a hospital, it is multi-dose and they try insisting it doesn't contain mercury..yada, yada.  Not buying it.

[Calli66]

I got a single dose shot at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy--it's a compounding pharmacy chain that has branches in the Mountain West---CA, CO, NM, OR, WA.

Calli

[irish]

We always get our flu shot since we got old!!!!Last year we got it in October as usual. In Feb my hubby got sick--he always turns on a dime, so to speak---and he ended up in ER. I had taken him over and they ended up admitting him to hospital. I went home as I had not felt well for a few days and had been put on antibiotic for my dual sinus throat infection issues--or so I thought.

Hubby in hospital on Monday night and they did a test and proved that he had to flu and gave him 5 days on intensive antviral medication. He called and said that the docs were going to email an order to our local hospital so that I could get the same medication to take at a lower dose for 10 days. Just goes to show you that nothing is sacred.

I would have never guessed I had the flu as it was nothing compared to the Hong Kong flu I had when I was 14 years old. Soooo, my take on it is that if one gets the flu shot and later the flu, it may not hit as hard. Irish

[quietdynamics]

I am trying to time getting the flu shot for when granddaughter (5 yrs old) goes on her weekend visit.
Hopefully, then if there is any reaction, I'll be back in some sort of form when she comes home.

I was alone with her for 3 days and I was so worried, and in a flare, with sleep interrupted for two nights.
Friday I laid down....barely got to the bus to pick her up at the corner...It was a devastating feeling.
But, all turned out well. Whew.
She wanted to know why I was running?   Good Grief....Thank you life through chemistry...lol.

[SjoAmy]

LIVE vaccines are contraindicated for Methotrexate and Cellcept users.

Live vaccines like the nasal flu vaccine.

There are shots that use a Dead vaccine for the flu.