COVID-19 vaccines: medical concerns and recommendations

[JAD]

Third pfizer a few weeks ago. No side effects from first shot; 24h after the second shot I wanted a nap but didn’t get one; 24h after the third shot I took a nap.

[Hot Sauce]

I was under the impression that the only shot with a booster available is Pfizer. Is that not that case? I got moderna, but my last dose was in early February so I'd be tempted to get a booster if I could.

Just FYI, Moderna is asking for approval for a half-dose booster (50 micrograms) compared to the original two shots (100 micrograms each). Just something to be aware once they do become available.

[Ed L]

I got my third dose of the Pfizer vaccine in August--a bit more than 5 months after I got my second dose. As a whole the third dose was easier and had less long lasting side effects, but the day after my third shot was worse. From everyone I've spoken to I seem to have have experienced some of the more extreme side effects from the vaccine--and I would do it all again.

I started to feel the side effects about 12-14 hours after I got hit with a huge headache that did not seem to go away even after a Vicodin. The next day I woke up with a massive headaches and body aches and took a Vicodin, called in sick, then got out of bed and did my normal things around the house. A few hours later I felt too tired and went back to bed to take a nap. When I woke up a few hours later I really felt bad and took another Vicodin and laid in bed for 45 minutes before I felt well enough to get out of bed. After that I felt tired and mildly achy, and by the second day I was able to go out and resume a normal life, but started feeling badly later on. All-in-all it was worse than my first vaccine but actually not as bad as my second dose back in March. All three times my arm was sore for a few days. The second time seemed the worst.

[Sanch]

edited.

Everyone go get the vaccine.

[HeavyDuty]

I’m six months out from Pfizer second dose Tuesday, and I want to get my third right away since I’m traveling Saturday. This is still just a third dose and not a specific booster, right?

[karandom]

I’m six months out from Pfizer second dose Tuesday, and I want to get my third right away since I’m traveling Saturday. This is still just a third dose and not a specific booster, right?

Yes, same shot as the first two. Pfizer has broader eligibility while Moderna is for immunocompromised only. Either way its a check box on CVS (for example) website.

[0ddl0t]

I got my Pfizer booster today, 181 days after shot #2, as well as my annual flu shot. It was interesting getting both at once (in opposite arms): the flu shot was just a barely perceptible pin prick, but the Pfizer felt like a sharper prick and the injection itself burned slightly going in. It certainly wasn't bad and I wouldn't have noticed the difference had I not compared the two shots back to back.

I had a sore arm almost immediately after shot #2 and fatigue that hit about 48 hours later, but so far I feel fine.

[Lex Luthier]

Mom took her third Pfizer shot on Friday. Unlike the first two, this one stomped her hard the second day out. Saturday was pretty much a miserable wash, but Sunday was far better and she's much more on top today.
Or as she puts it, "hey, I still have one leg to kick the devil's ass."

[Sensei]

I got my third dose of the Pfizer vaccine in August--a bit more than 5 months after I got my second dose. As a whole the third dose was easier and had less long lasting side effects, but the day after my third shot was worse. From everyone I've spoken to I seem to have have experienced some of the more extreme side effects from the vaccine--and I would do it all again.

I started to feel the side effects about 12-14 hours after I got hit with a huge headache that did not seem to go away even after a Vicodin. The next day I woke up with a massive headaches and body aches and took a Vicodin, called in sick, then got out of bed and did my normal things around the house. A few hours later I felt too tired and went back to bed to take a nap. When I woke up a few hours later I really felt bad and took another Vicodin and laid in bed for 45 minutes before I felt well enough to get out of bed. After that I felt tired and mildly achy, and by the second day I was able to go out and resume a normal life, but started feeling badly later on. All-in-all it was worse than my first vaccine but actually not as bad as my second dose back in March. All three times my arm was sore for a few days. The second time seemed the worst.

Vicodin? Sweet Baby Jesus

You were able to resume a normal life on day 2. What the hell does that look like? A couple lines of cocaine off a stripper’s ass?

A little context as to why you have narcotics on hand would be helpful. It’s kind of like someone posting on a school bus driver’s forum about taking Vicodin after their vaccine. Seriously, I’m in the odd position of not wanting you to have cancer, but that is about the only good reason to explain why you would be taking Vicodin for a post-vaccine inflammatory reaction.

[YVK]

I reviewed the Israeli study https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114255, talked to my ICU guys (this was largely reassuring), talked to my hospitalists (some food for thought although not drastic), talked to my colleagues, and rolled up my sleeve at lunch break.