Took Ibuprofen for 2nd Vaccine

[jlv613]

I had my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine 1/9.  I was terrified of the potential side effects.  One hour after administration, I took 600mg of Ibuprofen.  I continued a regimen of 600mg q6h for the next 36 hours.  Despite being bathed in ibuprofen, I still had symptoms of malaise, nausea, headache, chills, and body aches.

I am terrified that I ***ED up.  That I blunted my immune response.  My crazy, neurotic, busy, fearful brain is ruminating on this. Perseverating.  I called Pfizer to inquire.... they couldn't say one way or another.  I've interrogated the pharmacists at my hospital... asked physicians.... no one can really say with any certainty.  

I am scared that I ***ED up my only chance at being vaccinated by drowning myself in Advil.

has anyone else done what I've done?

Any thoughts? Help!

[jlv613, RN]

5 hours ago, macawake said:

Thanks for replying. I’m glad you clarified that your information concerns not to premedicate. The reason I asked you to clarify is that OP’s post is about taking OTC meds after the vaccine was given. If you warn people about taking one type of OTC pain med that could possibly steer them towards another OTC med, which is why I think it’s important to post a source whenever making claims of a medical nature. 

I did take it after, however, it was only one hour after vaccine administration... hardly feels like it is after since it was so close to when I got the shot.  It was last week that the CDC recommend not premedicating and using NSAIDs and Antipyretics sparingly.... which is why my head is spinning... I didn't know at the time I took all the ibuprofen!

[macawake, MSN]

18 minutes ago, jlv613 said:

I did take it after, however, it was only one hour after vaccine administration... hardly feels like it is after since it was so close to when I got the shot.  It was last week that the CDC recommend not premedicating and using NSAIDs and Antipyretics sparingly.... which is why my head is spinning... I didn't know at the time I took all the ibuprofen!

I’m pragmatic by nature. You can’t change the past, what’s done is done. Try to take some comfort from the fact that it sounds like you had a rather noticable immune response after getting the vaccine.

Best wishes! 

[JKL33]

14 hours ago, ToddTheMechanic said:

Under the "Can my medications effect the COVID-19 vaccine?" category — https://www.goodrx.com/blog/covid-19-vaccine-drug-interactions/

In my position, we're not supposed to be vaccinating those who've taken Tylenol within the past 6 hours. 

From the GoodRx link (emphasis added):

Quote

The effect of medications on vaccines has been studied a great deal in children. In particular, researchers have looked into whether giving a child a fever-reducing medicine, like acetaminophen (Tylenol), right before they get their regular shots will make these shots less effective. For this particular situation, researchers found that the kids who’d taken acetaminophen before their shot had a lower immune reaction measured in their blood work than the kids who hadn’t. However, the vaccines still worked well enough to protect them in the real world. 

That ^ article links to a literature review worth perusing:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5027726/

Quote

The answer to the question of whether antipyretic analgesics have a clinically significant impact on vaccine response has significant public health implications. Although generating a great deal of interest in the topic, the 2009 Prymula study did not answer the question because the acetaminophen-associated antibody blunting that was observed following vaccination still resulted in protective antibody levels. Additionally their follow up study showed a robust antibody response following booster vaccine doses. The studies included in our review reported no significant blunting of the immune response in papers published prior to the 2009 Prymula study, but since that report there have been several studies that have suggested immune blunting. One study showed lower response to a novel influenza strain following vaccination; however the difference was not statistically significant.26 Thus, at this time, there is no clear answer as to whether antipyretic analgesic administration blunts the immune response to a degree that could result in vaccine failure.

 

14 hours ago, ToddTheMechanic said:

In my position, we're not supposed to be vaccinating those who've taken Tylenol within the past 6 hours. 

Thank you for posting your source/link.

The policy you're working with seems like an abundance of caution to say the least, and frankly it begs the question of how it plays out with any individual patient's risk/benefit profile. I mean...it's no covid protection vs. the yet unconfirmed possibility that they may have a slightly blunted response but still come out protected, especially after the second shot.

Are these patients being rescheduled ASAP?

[jb_mmmm, BSN, RN]

20 hours ago, JKL33 said:

From the GoodRx link (emphasis added):

That ^ article links to a literature review worth perusing:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5027726/

 

Thank you for posting your source/link.

The policy you're working with seems like an abundance of caution to say the least, and frankly it begs the question of how it plays out with any individual patient's risk/benefit profile. I mean...it's no covid protection vs. the yet unconfirmed possibility that they may have a slightly blunted response but still come out protected, especially after the second shot.

Are these patients being rescheduled ASAP?

I took Tylenol x2 after receiving my first dose and am scheduled for my second dose in feb, did I f up?

[PoodleBreath]

That's a lot of Ibuprofen to take OTC for the symptoms you're describing. Hoping you have backed off on that or followed up with your provider about dosing. 

[emergenceRN17, ASN, BSN, RN]

All of the providers in my area have pushed not taking anything and try letting your body fight it on its own.  So crazy to hear so many different instructions.  I do hope you are better

 

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

This thread has disturbed me. Like an idiot I took naproxen before my first injection thinking "oh it'll help me not get sore" didn't even think about the effects it could have on my immune system. So much for me critically thinking. ?

[Emergent, RN]

OTC pain meds are probably the most abused drugs in America. They interfere with normal bodily response to illness,  and strain vital organs such as stomach, kidneys, liver.

It took at least a year for me to restore gut health after taking so much ibuprofen following a traumatic injury I suffered. 

Fever is usually a good friend while ill. It creates a less favorable environment for viruses and bacteria.

[murseman24, MSN, CRNA]

I think the general recommendation is to take tylenol over ibuprofen as ibuprofen has been shown to reduce the immune response somehow.  This is probably more of an issue with older patients who typically don't mount as adequate of an immune response to the vaccines in general

 

[LovingLife123]

This must be done obscure recommendation.  Not once was I asked if I had taken ibuprofen or Tylenol prior to getting my vaccine.  It has not been publicized on the news for the general public to know.  My hospital did not say a word about it.  
 

I was always told when my oldest son was younger to premedicate him with Tylenol prior to immunizations.  I’ve continued to do it with my others.  I take ibuprofen daily.  I took it with both doses of my vaccine.  I’m not worried that I messed with it’s effectiveness.  I think if it truly did that would be public information.  
 

I personally don’t read the CDC site daily nor did I Google how to prepare for my covid vaccine.  I highly doubt 98% of the population does.  I would say if this truly was an issue, the information needs to be properly dispersed amongst the public.

[Robmoo, ADN, BSN, RN]

I'd like to post a few words from the famous poet Danny Elfman.

You worry too much
You make yourself sad
You can't change fate
But don't feel so bad
Enjoy it while you can
It's just like the weather
So quit complaining brother
No one lives forever!

You are worrying too much.  The participants in the COVID vaccines have been documenting the medications that they took during the study.  If there was a strong correlation between NSAID usage and a reduction in the efficacy of the vaccine then Pfizer and Moderna would have come out with recommendations against taking NSAIDs after receiving the vaccine.  If you are losing sleep over this issue, why not speak to your physician about these worries?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

ABC News  1/27/21

Avoid preventive pain relievers before getting a COVID vaccine: Experts

Acetaminophen or ibuprofen may dull the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Quote

...  We do not recommend premedication with ibuprofen or Tylenol before COVID-19 vaccines due to the lack of data on how it impacts the vaccine-induced antibody responses,” Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Medical Center and a member of Massachusetts’ COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, told ABC News. ...

...“If fever, chills, headaches develop after injection,” use pain relievers to help with your symptoms, but not before they develop and report any significant side effects to a medical professional, Wildes said....