I got my first of the series of six about a week and a half ago, and just in the past day has it really started to be sore. I also have a fairly large bump where I got the shot.
I can’t ask the docs right now because it’s Friday night, so I’ll ask you guys. Is this normal? I’m not particularly worried right now, but I have another one coming up this week and I would at least like to know the right questions to ask and if I should identify this as a problem.
Thanks.
If I remember correctly, my husband had that too.
I had it too. My knot usually lasts over a week, although the soreness would go away after a day.
From the Vaccine Information Statement that you were asked to read before you received the shot:
What are the risks from anthrax vaccine?
Getting anthrax disease is much more dangerous than any risk from the vaccine. Like any medicine, a vaccine is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of anthrax vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Mild Problems
• Soreness, redness, or itching where the shot was given (about 1 out of 10 men, about 1 out of 6 women)
• A lump where the shot was given (about 1 person out of 2)
• Muscle aches or joint aches (about 1 person out of 5)
• Headaches (about 1 person out of 5)
• Fatigue (about 1 out of 15 men, about 1 out of 6 women)
• Chills or fever (about 1 person out of 20)
• Nausea (about 1 person out of 20).
Moderate Problems
• Large areas of redness where the shot was given (up to l person out of 20).
Severe Problems
• Serious allergic reaction (very rare - less than once in 100,000 doses).
As with any vaccine, other severe problems have been reported. But these events appear to occur no more often among anthrax vaccine recipients than among unvaccinated people. There is no evidence that anthrax vaccine causes sterility, birth defects, or long-term health problems. Independent civilian committees have not found anthrax vaccination to be a factor in unexplained illnesses among Gulf War veterans.
What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
What should I look for?
Any unusual condition, such as a severe allergic reaction or a high fever. If a severe allergic reaction occurred, it would happen within a few minutes to an hour after the shot. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, weakness, hoarseness or wheezing, a fast heart beat, hives, dizziness, paleness, or swelling of the throat.
What should I do?
• Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
• Ask your health care provider to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form if you have any reaction to the vaccine. Or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967 or visit their
website at http://www.vaers.org.
(The entire VIS can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/vis-anthrax.pdf
I thought about that after I asked the question. As usual.
So I have nothing really to worry about and this is a standard thing. Good to know. Thanks.
Did anyone else notice that in all but one of the statistics, they said ___ out of ____ people, but in the last one they said 1 in 100,000 doses? I’m assuming they give more than one dose per person, if people need to go back every so often to get another one. So does this mean that they’re using “doses” instead of “people” to make the risk appear less?
The series takes 18 months and there are six shots. The first three are 14 days apart from each other (IOW three in 28 days) and the rest are separated by a few months. So everyone gets six, plus one that’s kinda like a tetanus booster after the original series is finished.
I got 4 of the 6 shots before it was discontinued for me. I didn’t get any reactions until the 4th shot though. For a few years afterwards, the spots (one on the back of either arm the size of a quarter) would swell up and become hard whenever I had a cold. This no longer happens .
“Did anyone else notice that in all but one of the statistics, they said ___ out of ____ people, but in the last one they said 1 in 100,000 doses?”
Yes
“I’m assuming they give more than one dose per person, if people need to go back every so often to get another one. So does this mean that they’re using “doses” instead of “people” to make the risk appear less?”
No
My husband wasn’t given the fact sheet before the shot. He wasn’t given the VAERS reporting option either. He wasn’t given the option of NOT taking the shot.
The vaccine may possibly be safe (doubtful), but the military was using contaminated versions of the vaccine. That’s been documented.
It’s the next Gulf War Syndrome.
Anyone who had suffered from this shot, email me.