[ad_1]
In anticipation of ordinary discomfort, some people take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen before going to their COVID-19 vaccination appointments. But it has raised concerns about inadvertently weakening the immune system and losing some vaccine protection.
The recent buzz could revolve around a study on the subject published on Jan. 19, even though the research only looked at immune responses in mice and human cells growing in petri dishes. Additionally, as more people receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, you may hear about some mild side effects such as nausea, fatigue, and mild fever. These symptoms are more common after the second stroke than the first, and doctors say this discomfort usually goes away within a day or two.
So far, people rarely have severe allergic responses to COVID-19 vaccines. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 10 cases of anaphylactic shock associated with Moderna vaccine out of more than 4 million doses given in December and January. An earlier study found 21 cases among the first 1.8 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The majority of these adverse events occurred shortly after inoculation of people, so the standard protocol is to keep everyone for 15 minutes of observation.
Gothamist asked Dr Adam Berman, toxicologist and president of emergency medicine at the Long Island Jewish Hospital of Northwell Health, to explain why self-medication before an injection is not a good idea for most people. people – but probably isn’t that great either. His responses have been drafted for brevity and clarity.
Some research suggests that common anti-inflammatory drugs can suppress the body’s immune response. Not a lot, but maybe a little. Is this something that concerns you?
It’s something I’ve heard a lot about – from my colleagues, from my patients, and even from my own family. I even thought about it myself when taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
But I don’t think there’s good evidence in actual humans that they suppress your immune response. There is only one study on this subject.
If there was good evidence that taking anti-inflammatory drugs was harmful to your immune response, then we would have problems with all kinds of vaccines, which last our entire lives without any issues of effectiveness. This applies to taking anti-inflammatory drugs before or after these injections. More research is needed, but I’m not too concerned about this at the moment.
Even in the absence of evidence, there is the precautionary principle – the idea that we have to play it safe. Isn’t that an argument against taking these drugs until we know more about any potential impact on the immune system?
The truth is, if you feel like you can handle the symptoms and don’t absolutely need to take medication, it is always best not to take medication. If people are worried about the weakening of the vaccine response and don’t want to take a pain reliever out of caution, then that’s fine. But there is probably not enough evidence to advise against taking the drug when they have a sore arm from the vaccine.
So, have the drugs on hold, wait and see if there are any bad symptoms, then decide whether you should take Advil or Tylenol. But don’t take it in advance?
Exactly. Now, if people know they have a history of vaccine reactions, that’s another story. If someone usually says that they swell after taking a vaccine and is so concerned that this is the difference between getting the vaccine, then I would feel comfortable with them taking pain reliever beforehand. get the vaccine. Again, if they are so worried, they may want to talk to their doctor anyway before going for the vaccine.
Okay, so “wait and see” and “less is more”. What should guide people’s decisions about taking these drugs?
We’re talking about the same symptoms you would experience if you had a mild viral illness like a common cold. And if people feel very uncomfortable after receiving the vaccine, they should take medication rather than toughen it up.
We hear that these side effects cause your body to have an immune response. Public health officials say, “It’s just that your body is doing what it’s supposed to do.” Is it true? Rather than the reaction of a sharp metal object, a syringe, invading muscle tissue?
Arm pain is most likely related to irritation caused by injecting a bulk of fluid into a muscle. It’s painful. The whole body symptoms that people experience within hours of receiving a vaccine are likely due to the actual immune response to the vaccine.
And what are the types of symptoms that respond well to anti-inflammatory drugs?
Overall, yes. They can make you feel a lot better. After my second dose of the vaccine, I had a headache for a few days. At first, I didn’t think about it at all. It wasn’t a bad headache. But after a few days, I was like, “Maybe it’s vaccine,” so I took some Aleve. After a few more days, he left.
Of course, he could have disappeared on his own at that point. Or maybe you had a little placebo effect?
It could be. I am all for the placebo effect!
[ad_2]
Source link