THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2021 (HealthDay News) – You’ve finally managed to make an appointment to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus, and you’re a little nervous about side effects, so it looks like you’re taking a painkiller before you get the chance. a smart idea.
Not so fast, say the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instead, the agency says people should not take painkillers like Motrin, Advil or Tylenol before getting COVID-19 vaccines.
Why?
It is possible that taking a painkiller before you get a vaccine will result in a decrease in antibody response, ‘said Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the vaccine research group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Explains.
Although the chance of a diminished immune response is not really known, Poland said it is better to suffer the side effects than to risk the chance of making the vaccine less effective.
“If one develops after the vaccination symptoms that they feel he wants to treat, it is good, but ideally not before,” he said. “Now, this is a recommendation from CDC, out of abundance of caution.”
However, there are exceptions: people who typically use painkillers, such as migraines, must of course take their medication, he added.
“Go ahead and take it rather than end up with a full-blown migraine and end up in the ER which needs much more intensive or expensive treatment,” Poland said.
He also noted that the side effects of the vaccine may differ between the two doses, while the effects after the second dose are usually worse.
“I will tell you after my first dose, I have a little sore arm. After the second dose I had a moderately severe sore arm, and I shivered for four hours, chills with a fever of 101 degrees. “I was tired, had headaches and laziness in my ears. I took one dose of Tylenol, went to bed, woke up the next morning and was 80% to 90% better, and normal again within that half day,” said Poland.
These side effects are caused by boosting the body’s immune system to fight the invader. This is exactly what is needed to produce the antibodies to stop the virus.