# "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:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**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, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/81 "2011-12-05T21:00:13Z")
No I’m not whoosing, I really am 100% serious 🙂 I will do the right thing ---
**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, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/82 "2011-12-05T21:11:02Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > No I’m not whoosing, I really am 100% serious 🙂 > > I will do the right thing Good for you. Just as a little back story and explanation - there have been times in the past that people have come to this board claiming to have questions about vaccines, and ended up actually being anti-vaccine and not really interested in learning about the science. So, our initial skepticism is based in those past examples. Thanks for sticking around long enough to get the information you needed to make the right decision! ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/83 "2011-12-05T21:31:25Z")
Another reason to get the shot: Flu strains mutate like MoFos. If you happen to get infected with two strains at the same time, you could produce a superbug. So even if you get a strain that was not in the vaccine, maybe you prevent the RNA exchange that creates a superbug. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/84 "2011-12-06T02:18:06Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Perhaps a real medical professional can confirm or deny this, but I’ve always heard that feeling a little off for a day or two after a vaccination is actually an indication that it “took”, that your immune system is gearing up in reaction to the vaccine. I have never heard that from a medical professional, only from ‘old wives’. Med Profs do say it is 'perfectly normal, but if it persists or gets worse …" I’ll ask around at work. I don’t remember what happens in the first day of the response, I just vaguely remember it is nothing like the main response … I wonder - is it possible to be mildly allergic to the substrate? An allergy is an excessive immune response, I suppose one could have an only slight allergy. Have you ever heard of this, Broomstick? [And, yes, you’re right, there is no reason not to research an alternative medium.] ---
**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 6, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/85 "2011-12-06T02:44:51Z")
Generally, the medical types won’t call it a vaccine allergy unless it’s a pretty dramatic reaction. That said, I’d say it is possible to have a mild allergic response. The biggest problem with that is the risk of the _next_ encounter triggering a major reaction. The other thing is that people differ in response to various stimuli. I suppose it’s possible for one person to exhibit almost no reaction and another to feeling slightly ill for a few days if their immune system is churning out chemicals in response to the vaccination. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/86 "2011-12-06T02:48:57Z")
I know why I didn’t remember a lot of this, now. Anyhow, the initial non-specific immune response is associated with swelling and slightly elevated temperature and general crankiness, so Broomstick appears to be right. The catch-all recommendation to stay hydrated actually makes sense for once. ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/87 "2011-12-07T06:50:42Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Good for you. > > Just as a little back story and explanation - there have been times in the past that people have come to this board claiming to have questions about vaccines, and ended up actually being anti-vaccine and not really interested in learning about the science. So, our initial skepticism is based in those past examples. > > Thanks for sticking around long enough to get the information you needed to make the right decision! Ok, it makes total sense now, I can see how I would come across that way..I was leaning in that direction a bit, but I’m fairly sure that what had actually made me sick was some kind of cold, my three year old has caught it, and if it was a flu I’m sure she would be much worse off than she is. So it was not caused by my recent flu shot, and thanks for all of the useful info btw I was also reading an article written by a doctor and he was saying that the myths about the flu/vaccines are as difficult to be rid of as the virus itself I think I will have to change my name now, haha ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/88 "2011-12-07T14:34:35Z")
flushotsicko, the kind of person who can come into a new place with an opinion, then listen to arguments and admit he was mistaken, is the kind of person who would probably enjoy hanging around here for the long term. You’d certainly be welcomed. If you want to change your user name, I’m sure a moderator could take care of that. Or you may want to keep it as a badge of honor. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/89 "2011-12-07T14:42:02Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Generally, the medical types won’t call it a vaccine allergy unless it’s a pretty dramatic reaction. That said, I’d say it is possible to have a mild allergic response. Me speculating here, but the anti-vax types often complain about “toxins” in vaccines, such as aluminum. I know that aluminum compounds are added to many vaccines as an adjuvant, because it helps the vaccine produce a better response from your immune system. My understanding of this is that the aluminum provokes what’s basically an inflammation response, which kicks your immune system up a notch in combating invaders. Could the adjuvant be responsible for people feeling a little sick afterwards? ---
**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 8, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/90 "2011-12-08T02:15:42Z")
It’s possible, but it’s not going to generate the hives and wheezing seen in classic allergic reactions. That’s the thing, “reactions” cover several different sorts of symptoms, some of which are allergic and some of which are not, and lay people often confuse the two. If you run a very mild fever for a day or two after a vaccination that is NOT an allergic reaction. Itching may or may not be an allergy, and the doc is going to wonder if it’s not the shot in any case but maybe something else in the environment. There’s probably even a little overlap between mild allergy symptoms and some of the “normal” vaccination reactions, but don’t quote me on that, as I’m not a doctor or a vaccine expert. ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/91 "2011-12-08T02:16:16Z")
Hey guys, just got back from the doctor’s appointment for my daughter, and it turns out she does have the flu which means I gave her the flu, which means I’m reallysuper unlucky! I must have come in contact with the virus right before getting the shot or it is just a different strain. Crazy crazy flu, oh well, we will be fine! I would like to change my name if there is anyone out there who is able to do that for me? ---
**Author:** ![flushotsicko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@flushotsicko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flushotsicko)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/92 "2011-12-08T02:18:52Z")
Oh ya, and I’m sorry for being rude! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/93 "2011-12-08T02:59:25Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > I don’t think you _need_ them. They’re not common here in the UK, except for asthma sufferers and other high risk people who take them as a precaution. I’ve never had one, and I’m just fine, and the majority of people I know have never had one. > > I don’t see why anyone would object to them, though. I’d probably do it if I could be bothered, but I just don’t see the need. The UK hasn’t been wiped out by a flue epidemic yet! > > I wonder how common the practice is in the US vs. other western countries? As far as I’m aware it’s only in the US where there’s even a debate about it; nobody else seems to have any strong opinion one way or the other. It was a very long time ago, but the Spanish flu epidemic did kill a hell of a lot of people in the UK. Obviously it didn’t wipe the UK out, but 250,000 people died of it in one year, many of them young, healthy people who would otherwise have been expected to live for many more years. > [@elfkin477](#): > > 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. He’s posting from the UK - here, if you have asthma, your doctor will send you a letter inviting you for a flu shot, free, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/94 "2011-12-08T04:53:04Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > I would like to change my name if there is anyone out there who is able to do that for me? You can contact SDMB Administrator \*\*TubaDiva \*\*to request a name change. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551/95 "2011-12-09T02:12:07Z")
> [@flushotsicko](#): > > Oh ya, and I’m sorry for being rude! There is nothing rude about questioning scientists and medical professionals - do a little scientific historical research, a more narrow minded and arrogant bunch you will never find. But the only thing worse than blind trust is blind mis-trust. But get vaccines, if you can safely. It protects those that can’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-shots-make-me-sick-why-on-earth-did-i-even-bother/604551.md?page=4)