Millions of Americans are now vaccinated against covid-19 on average every day, and although many people do proudly shared their vaccination status on social media, others will describe them mild but certainly noticeable side effects immediately afterwards as a sign of honor, such as a sore arm or flu-like fatigue. But not everyone’s symptoms after vaccination are necessarily due to the vaccine – some may actually be caused by the bad twins’ placebo effect.
Just to make it clear in advance, there is nothing wrong with experiencing side effects after vaccination, regardless of the reason. These side effects are often an indication of the body’s immune system, as it learns to recognize what the coronavirus looks like after getting a blueprint of the appearance of the vaccine (usually the protein that the virus uses to infect cells ). This immune response is responsible for symptoms such as fever, fatigue and general soreness for a day or two after receiving a vaccine. Usually, but not always.
Let’s look back at the data from clinical trials for the two-dose mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first to reach the U.S. public last December. The data, based on more than 30,000 volunteers, show that it is a safe and effective vaccine, but not one that contains side effects. Approximately 84% have injection site reactions such as pain or itching in the week after taking a dose; 63% experienced fatigue; 55% experienced headaches.
By looking at these figures alone, it makes sense that most people who get the vaccine will feel something. But surprisingly, in the same trial, a significant portion of the people who received the placebo shot also experienced some of these symptoms. After the first placebo shot, about a third of the people experienced fatigue and about a third of the headaches. Nearly 12% of those on placebo also had diarrhea after the first shot, more than the vaccinated group did after any dose. In remembrance, the people on the placebo received only a shot of saline solution, also salt and water.
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Some of these people who received the placebo survey may have fatigue, headaches, or diarrhea that day no matter what, even if they were not in the trial – a topic that Gizmodo has cover recently before. These are unfortunately very common ailments caused by many different things. But some may have just experienced them because of something we call the ‘nocebo effect’. Just as our positive expectations can make us feel better after undergoing a new potential treatment, our negative expectations can at least do the opposite for a while and make us feel crumbly. Some even took to Twitter acknowledge on feel worse after taking the placebo, than they did later.
There is a tendency to dismiss the placebo / nocebo effect as a product of the mind. But every sensation we experience is finally processed in the mind, so it actually does not say much at all. Sometimes this sensation can be traced back to a severe physical cause – a hot stove – and sometimes it is more complicated. The stress that a person may experience about ingesting a newly developed vaccine, or even about taking a vaccine in general, if they hate needles, can certainly be enough to cause headaches or lead to fatigue.
None of this is at all unusual, it’s just human nature. And while it should be taken for granted, the origin of someone’s pain, nocebo or not, does not diminish the need to recognize that pain and possibly try to correct it. But the placebo / nocebo effect is one of the many reasons why we need carefully planned research, such as controlled clinical trials, to better understand the world around us. It is especially important to try to find out the potential benefits and risks of any new drug or vaccine. Fortunately, in the case of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and others like it, its benefits are to protect us from serious illness and death. become clearer every day, especially in countries where vaccination is high.
So go ahead and get vaccinated as soon as possible. Just remember that the roughness after the recording may not be be the most obvious cause.