# "Flu shots make me sick -- why on earth did I even bother?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 30, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551 "2011-11-30T13:47:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/41 "2011-12-03T06:09:02Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > You missed the “vulnerable people get vaccinated” part of my post. It’s the average person who doesn’t, not the elderly or asthma sufferers etc. Except you can be asthmatic and never have anyone point out that it’s a really good idea to get a flu shot. I was diagnosed with asthma in 1998 and until the H1N1 scare I didn’t know that the flu is much more serious for us…I ended up finding out on my own the year before H1N1 hit when I got the flu followed by a mild case of pneumonia. **Now** I get flu shots. I’m damn sure I’m not the only vulnerable person out there who labored under the misconception that flu shots are just for old people, so I too am thankful for all the people who got shots and helped keep me from being done in by ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/42 "2011-12-03T10:25:21Z")
I’m allergic to flu shots AND I have asthma (fortunately, it’s a relatively mild variety). This drives me nuts, because every year my health insurance provider starts to harass me to get a flu shot and I have to remind them that in my case they’re off-limits. And, needless to say, when I’m old I’m unlikely to be any less allergic to them. That’s why health care workers are required to be immunized in many settings, because not everyone in a high-risk group can be vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/43 "2011-12-03T17:38:19Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m allergic to flu shots AND I have asthma (fortunately, it’s a relatively mild variety). This drives me nuts, because every year my health insurance provider starts to harass me to get a flu shot and I have to remind them that in my case they’re off-limits. And, needless to say, when I’m old I’m unlikely to be any less allergic to them. That’s why health care workers are required to be immunized in many settings, because not everyone in a high-risk group can be vaccinated. Do you know if there is any research/work being done on making the vaccines differently so that fewer people are allergic to them? If I understand correctly, the current flu shot uses egg, and that’s what you and many other people are allergic to, right? Not all vaccines are egg-based, though, right? So is there any hope that in the future there will be a flu vaccine that you can get? (Do you have any idea? I realize it’s probably not something that you have personally researched.) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/44 "2011-12-03T17:50:18Z")
I took my sons to get their flu shots this morning. I asked the clinician about the mist option and she told me they (Minute Clinic) don’t provide the mist as it contains live virus, which supposedly makes it more effective, but also more likely to cause a reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/45 "2011-12-04T02:16:31Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Do you know if there is any research/work being done on making the vaccines differently so that fewer people are allergic to them? If I understand correctly, the current flu shot uses egg, and that’s what you and many other people are allergic to, right? Not all vaccines are egg-based, though, right? So is there any hope that in the future there will be a flu vaccine that you can get? (Do you have any idea? I realize it’s probably not something that you have personally researched.) No, but oddly enough several years ago I _did_ a chance to talk to someone at the CDC about it. They are trying to develop alternatives, but right now the egg-based one is the only reliable one. The alternatives either have not worked, or are still in development with clinical trials years away. I was hoping that the FluMist alternative would work for me, but apparently it can trigger asthma attacks so it’s contraindicated for “reactive airway disease”. As I mentioned, the other major vaccines that are egg-based are for yellow fever and rabies (and not all rabies ones are, I think - really, I hoping to avoid needing that one, ever!). The rest of them are not. So getting vaccinated for tetanus, measles, etc. was not a problem. The status of the research is a funny thing, though - since the flu is seen as a common illness and not that serious for healthy people (among the general public, not scientists) the assumption is often that we just vaccinate the vulnerable and that’s it, so there’s no strong push for the research. Those of us who are both high-risk and allergic usually just get a shrug of the shoulders, a “too bad”, and told we’re such a tiny minority that basically we don’t matter. There is only so much research money, after all, and how it gets portioned out sometimes is more about politics and PR than science. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/46 "2011-12-04T03:57:03Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > … Those of us who are both high-risk and allergic usually just get a shrug of the shoulders, a “too bad”, and told we’re such a tiny minority that basically we don’t matter. … It’s not that you don’t matter - you just aren’t profitable. To be serious, just think about - how many people out of grammar school (disease factories, all of them) actually get the flu? Or yellow fever? Not a very high percentage, with the yearly vaccines and increased awareness. Given that no resources are unlimited, we have to balance the **probable** cost of developing the new media against the **possible** cost of health care for you if you do get the flu. That sounds heartless, but every grocery store in the country balances the desire for 99.9% of their customer wanting cleaning products with nasty chemically perfumes in them against my clogged sinuses. Not life threatening? No so far, for me, but believe me shopping day is still hell. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/47 "2011-12-04T04:10:14Z")
You’re sort of ignoring the notion that coming up with a means of creating a flu vaccine that does not require chicken embryos might also result in a safer, more effective flu vaccine for everyone. Also, some of the research is seeking avenues that not only would eliminate the problematic egg aspect but _also_ shorten the time between identifying a flu strain and producing and effective vaccine for it, which would benefit _everyone_. Not to mention that the research might also produce better vaccines for _all_ virus-based illnesses, not just flu. You know, at one point insulin for diabetics was refined form sheep and other animals. If a diabetic was allergic - well, too bad, the rationale for essentially writing them off was pretty much the one you’ve given. Fortunately, people continued researching anyway and we now have genetically engineered human insulin to give diabetics which is not only less likely to cause a bad reaction, but being a closer replacement that sheep or cattle insulin, tends to work better as well for everyone. The research also contributed to the general advancement of genetic engineering. Gee, guess it was a good thing such research wasn’t written off as a bad use of limited resources. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/48 "2011-12-04T05:30:25Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You know, at one point insulin for diabetics was refined form sheep and other animals. If a diabetic was allergic - well, too bad, the rationale for essentially writing them off was pretty much the one you’ve given. That is not entirely fair - by the time a diabetic needs insulin, s/he will probably die without; if you get a flu, you will probably only wish you would. A flu is temporary and the symptoms can be alleviated and one most often survives. And while I don’t wish the flu on anyone, I don’t think egg-free annual flu vaccines are our most pressing need. (Was that crack about ‘profitable’ rude? I didn’t mean that.) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/49 "2011-12-04T05:56:11Z")
It’s not that people with allergies to the flu shot “don’t count,” it’s that there hasn’t been a workable alternative. Some are being studied now and they may be on the market pretty soon. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/50 "2011-12-04T14:52:59Z")
> [@j666](#): > > That is not entirely fair - by the time a diabetic needs insulin, s/he will probably die without; if you get a flu, you will probably only wish you would. A flu is temporary and the symptoms can be alleviated and one most often survives. Except those in high risk groups, for whom it can be quite serious. And then there was the Great Flu of 1918, which _was_ a deadly serious illness and killed a LOT of people. Flu is _usually_ not deadly, but it can be, and that’s why we need a better flu vaccine. Not so much for the usual flu, but to short-circuit another 1918 and prevent _millions_ of deaths. Even in a normal year, flu deaths can range from about 6,000 people to over 40,000 just in the US, depending on how nasty the year’s strain(s) is. Over 100,000 people a year in the US are hospitalized from it, which is not a trivial number. (Stats courtesy of the CDC, if you’re wondering). Using eggs to generate flu vaccine is early 20th Century medical tech and it’s pretty crude by current standards. A better way of doing would likely apply to not just flu vaccines but other vaccines as well. > [@](#): > > (Was that crack about ‘profitable’ rude? I didn’t mean that.) Yep. You’re basically saying my life is worthless when you trot that out. Needless to say, I disagree, as I do value my own existence. ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/51 "2011-12-04T21:01:07Z")
well, its hard to follow these random convos. All of the back and forth, everyone has strong opinions but really its just regurgitated information, I dont believe that anyone really knows the truth about these vaccines., Even the doctors only know what they are told by someone else… I personally have gotten very sick each and every time i have received a flu shot, and im not allergic to anything… the only people who say it is impossible are the ones whom it has never happened to. Ive been researching this online to find out if im the only one and it seems that about half of people do ‘coincidentally’ end up with ‘flu-like’ illness about a week after taking the vaccine. but if u go to any gov or public health site this is not mentioned, only the benifits of being immunized are apparent. I will never get another flu shot, I dont even trust the info/hype about them anymore as it seems inconsistent with reality ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/52 "2011-12-04T21:13:09Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > I dont believe that anyone really knows the truth about these vaccines., Even the doctors only know what they are told by someone else.. And the people who run the clinical trials don’t know anything? This is why we _have_ things like trials: so we can get information carefully and not just rely on anecdotes. Do you have any immune system problems that you know of? How often have you had a flu shot and when in the flu season did you get it? ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/53 "2011-12-04T21:43:06Z")
Im just saying, they insist that it is impossible to get the flu from it, but it seems to happen anyways, alot of people whom i have spoken to about this also have the same phenomenon. I work in home care and was mandatory to get the shot according to my previous employer, but then I ended up very ill for the entire season within two weeks of immunization… so i had managed to go without it for the past few years and have been fine, just getting the occasional cold…only this year the woman who i work for asked me to get it and although i was hesitant based on prior experience, i figured it would be fine. So last thursday i got my shot and slept through the next day, just a bit tired until wednesday (6 days after)when i came down with sore throat, headache, fever, coughing green phlem from chest and sinus, body aches, spent three days in bed … and i could not go to work. it seems crazy but it is the exact same thing that happened years ago when i last had the flu shot… I will definitely follow up with my doc as u r right, there might be something wrong with my immune system after all? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/54 "2011-12-04T23:41:08Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Except those in high risk groups, for whom it can be quite serious. And then there was the Great Flu of 1918, which _was_ a deadly serious illness and killed a LOT of people. Flu is _usually_ not deadly, but it can be, and that’s why we need a better flu vaccine. Not so much for the usual flu, but to short-circuit another 1918 and prevent _millions_ of deaths. Even in a normal year, flu deaths can range from about 6,000 people to over 40,000 just in the US, depending on how nasty the year’s strain(s) is. Over 100,000 people a year in the US are hospitalized from it, which is not a trivial number. (Stats courtesy of the CDC, if you’re wondering). > … > > Yep. You’re basically saying my life is worthless when you trot that out. Needless to say, I disagree, as I do value my own existence. With respect, the flu of 1918 did NOT kill people who were typically seen as at risk; the young and healthy were the most seriously affected - the strength of the immune response couple with less advanced treatments for the symptoms, I believe. And we do have much better treatment for the symptoms now. And I did not mean your life was worthless, only that there are enough of you. Never mind - that didn’t come out any better, did it? I’m just going to leave now. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/55 "2011-12-05T00:59:16Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > Ive been researching this online to find out if im the only one and it seems that about half of people do ‘coincidentally’ end up with ‘flu-like’ illness about a week after taking the vaccine. but if u go to any gov or public health site this is not mentioned, only the benifits of being immunized are apparent. Lemme guess - the National Vaccine Information Center, and whale.to? ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/56 "2011-12-05T02:08:30Z")
no… but thanks, those sites are interesting. they dont have much good to say about vaccines which confirms my doubts that i was already having about the benefit of my recent flu shot and are more consitent with what i hear from actual people, versus the ‘studies’ ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/57 "2011-12-05T02:30:00Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > no… but thanks, those sites are interesting. they dont have much good to say about vaccines which confirms my doubts that i was already having about the benefit of my recent flu shot and are more consitent with what i hear from actual people, versus the ‘studies’ I always say to trust what your sister’s hairdressers mother-in-law has to say, rather than someone who is a scientist in the field. While you still live, YMMV. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/58 "2011-12-05T03:05:05Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > no… but thanks, those sites are interesting. they dont have much good to say about vaccines which confirms my doubts that i was already having about the benefit of my recent flu shot and are more consitent with what i hear from actual people, versus the ‘studies’ I provided those sites sarcastically. They are non-scientific anti-vaccine sites, with no valid information and an agenda to remove vaccines completely. The fact that you find them valid speaks volumes. They are typically accepted by the “scientists can’t be trusted, but my mailman’s sister can!” types. ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/59 "2011-12-05T03:33:07Z")
ya i know that u were being sarcastic. its the only language i speak. the fact is i HADN’T been refering to those sites in my search for info and im not actually going to base any decision i make on anything that anyone to say whether they are conspiracy theorists or scientists, i will try the flu shot again next year and if i have the same result, then i will just have to forego it based on my own personal experience ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/60 "2011-12-05T03:35:28Z")
So, in your mind, scientists with years of training and experience, and with years of scientific study in a particular area, have no more validity than someone who believes that aliens were shot down over Roswell? Certainly, making decisions about your personal life based on your personal experiences isn’t going to get you much flack. But there actually IS a higher value in information and knowledge gained from using the scientific method, and information and knowledge gained from “because I heard it on Art Bell.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551.md?page=4)