Flu Vaccine Side Effects

You really can’t tell the side effects of a certain drug or medicine until you’ve tried it. When it is rainy season, it is also a sign of flu season. Most doctors recommend flu vaccine. The big question of parents like me is, are there flu vaccine side effects? I’ve heard many life experiences about the flu vaccine. Here’s my family experience about it.

From what I recall, my first flu vaccine shot was year 2007. I am still single during that time. One of my colleagues was hospitalized for more than a month. She told us that for three consecutive years, she had a flu shot. The flu vaccine was effective. She never got ill during those years. The year after her third flu vaccine, she refused to have a flu shot. On that year without a flu vaccine, she said that she always feel sick. Then suddenly she felt so numb and pale. She had fever and flu, cough, and colds. She’s been hospitalized for more than a month. From her laboratory tests, nothing serious with her health condition. Her body’s immune system weakened without knowing the cause. When she came back to work, she told us that the doctor advice her to skip every other year for flu shot.  It is not clear if it is one of Flu Vaccine side effects if you have it in a long term and stopped. I just wanted to share this to you.

Flu Vaccine Side Effects ( less serious Fluarix side effects )

• low fever, chills;
• mild fussiness or crying;
• redness, bruising, pain, swelling, or a lump where the vaccine was injected;
• headache, tired feeling; or
• joint or muscle pain.

Tired feeling, headache, and low fever are exactly the Flu Vaccine side effects that me and my son experience. We just got a flu shot from Watsons at SM Molino. Fluarix 15MCG/0.5ML was given to each of us. The flu vaccine price cost at Php450 per shot. There is a 10% off discount if you paid it at an earlier date before the vaccine schedule. Upon registration of the flu vaccine, I was given a guideline and a form. They needed some health information about the patient that will be having a flu shot.

Before the flu shot, the doctor will ask you if you have allergies to any drug or if you have any health problem. Before having a flu shot, you should be in good health condition. For children flu vaccine, they allow children whose age is three years old and above. You should always consult your doctor about this.

Other Flu Vaccine Side Effects

• Local:Very common (10% or more): Tenderness (89%), erythema/redness (76.4%), pain (73.8%), induration (58.4%), swelling (56.8%), injection-site pruritus (46.9%), itching (28%), bruising (18%), injection-site ecchymosis (14.9%), mass (11%)
• Musculoskeletal: Very common (10% or more): Myalgia (40%)
  Common (1% to 10%): Chills/shivering, back pain
• Nervous system: Very common (10% or more): Headache (40%), drowsiness (37.7%), lethargy (14%)
  Common (1% to 10%): Migraine
• Gastrointestinal: Very common (10% or more): Vomiting (15%), nausea (14.9%) diarrhea (13%) Postmarketing reports: Dysphagia, abdominal pain, swelling of the mouth, throat, and/or tongue

After 8-10 hours of having flu vaccine, my son experience tummy aches and diarrhea. It was actually not only him because I also had diarrhea. Both of us have a watery bowel movement. This is the worst flu vaccine side effects that we encountered I guessed. Although the doctors told us that it might be the cause of something that we ate last night, I think it is the side effects of flu vaccine. Why? From the laboratory results, no bacteria or parasite seen on my stool. But the doctor insisted that there is blood in it so it is a possibility of Amoebiasis. I am really confused. She prescribed Flagyl tablets to me. I took this medicine for three days only because this medicine makes me dizzy and sleepy. My diarrhea actually stopped the next day so I was thinking that it is not the case amoebiasis and it is simply diarrhea as one of the side effects in flu vaccine shot.

As per my son. Thank God that after several hours that day, his diarrhea stopped. We just ate Latundan banana and drink apple juice. My son had Protexin mixed with his drinks.

Subsequently, my son and I were feeling well. From our experience after having a flu vaccine, I was thinking of skipping a flu vaccine next year. I think our body needs a little rest from this seasonal vaccine. We didn’t know the composition of these vaccines of how safe they are in the long term. Read more about Flu shots delayed side effects and long term injury. Our body system and immunity differs from one another. There are many better ways to stay healthy during the flu seasons. So, I’ll be counting on natural ways to keep my family healthy. I am still open to flu vaccine. I am looking forward to medical updates and new medicines that will be helpful to every family.

For more details about Fluarix or  flu vaccine side effects and other related information, visit http://www.drugs.com/fluarix.html.