So, 2 days ago I got a Tdap (Tetanus Diptheria and pertussis) booster shot. Yesterday I had a fever of 101 at most, stiff-feeling joints, headache, and overall malaise--sucky-feeling along with pain at the injection site. Does anyone know why tetanus shots are particularly painful/side-effect causing. I've never had side effects like this from a shot before. I still feel sorta crappy today, also.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I have tetanus shots every 10 years, and have never had any kind of reaction/sickness from it. Maybe your body is just very sensitive. (why do you think it is the Tetanus vaccine instead of the Diptheria or Pertussis?)
Posted by Tullaan (Member # 5515) on :
It is quite common to have a reaction similar to what you have described. The fever, headache and malasie should only last a day or two. Your arm, however, may be sore for up to a week. It's the price we pay for public health (but worth it).
Tull
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
They ought to have given you information about possible adverse effects when you got the shot. Shame on the doctor's office for not doing that.
Some Advil and rest should make you feel better. Take it easy. If you feel worse, call the doctor's office and let then know.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Starsnuffer, are you sure it was Tdap and not Td?
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
I got basically the same reaction you did, Starsnuffer, when I had a Tetanus shot a year ago. Tetanus shots have a reputation for being craptastic for some people, and perfectly fine for others. Me, I was out of classes for a good week and unable to raise my left arm more than a couple of inches. Luckily, I didn't react badly enough to need a hospital visit. Sounds like you're getting better too.
About 6 months ago I got my last of three Hep B vaccine shots. That night I was relaxing, and thought to have a Tequila Sunrise, completely forgetting I'd gotten a vaccine earlier in the day. Good thing I was home, 'cause it was one tequila... floor for me (after a visit to the porcelin god). And I'd had such a good relationship with that votile drink before.
Posted by Shawshank (Member # 8453) on :
I had my tetanus shot last, no problems or pain at all. I'm thankful for that.
Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
Sounds like acute mercury poisoning to me.
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
I had a tetanus and diphteria shot today. I'll let you know if my arm falls off. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I've never had any sort of reaction to a tetanus shot before, and I just had one earlier this year.
But I hear from people all the time about how it's the most painful shot and has bad side effects. I think it just differs from person to person.
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
Yeah it was Tdap, not Td.
The hospital did give me a thing listing all the potential side effects and what I've experienced matches up with that, so no fault to them. I was just curious why I'd react to this one rather than others I've had. I'd think it's the tetanus part if it because historically I remember tetanus shots just hurting a lot? hm. I don't know. All I know is that I'm glad to be feeling some better, and my arm isn't tooo bad, just less than great. I'll live though, and if I think I won't I'll go back to the hospital.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
That's odd. I had always seen Td given as booster to adults instead of Tdap, so long as the adult had been fully immunized before with the Tdap series.
I wonder if that could have anything to do with exacerbated symptoms in an adult? I really don't know.
From what I remember, nobody knows for sure why tet boosters seem to hurt like the dickens for some people. It definitely differs from person to person, and sometimes it differs even just in one person's lifetime. (age? more muscle mass? not known for sure)
Some think it may be in part due to the acidity of the mixture (different shots in different dilutions), sometimes in part to the technique of the person giving it, some part maybe just due to idiosyncratic immune system responses.
Anyway, hope you feel better soon! Hope your reason for the booster also gets well, too. Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: I wonder if that could have anything to do with exacerbated symptoms in an adult?
In retrospect, I think Starsnuffer is still a student (high school or college, I'm not sure)
So maybe it was just a delayed shot for the one they are supposed to get at 14 or whatever.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Well, I knew my mind had gone, but I didn't know it had gone that far. *grin
That makes sense. I think I was confusing Starsnuffer with Sachiko, who has (3?) kids, I think. And who may or may not have gotten those vaccines when growing up, anyway.
My mind wanders so. I need a leash. Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
quote:Originally posted by HollowEarth: Sounds like acute mercury poisoning to me.
*Sigh* "Acute mercury poisoning" is not something that adults get from vaccines, even those that contain trace amount of mercury or thimerosal.
In any case, I'm pretty sure that tdap doesn't contain any mercury or other substances that contain mercury.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I thought Hollow Earth was making a joke, but my sarcasmometer has been a little off as of late.
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
I took it as a joke and ignored it. I'm 18, going to college this fall, and I got the shot just as a normal immunization, not because I've been stepping on rusty nails lately.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
The new Tdap vaccine for adolescents and adults was approved in early 2006. Prior to that, there was no pertussis vaccine available for anyone over the age of 7. In the past 4-5 years, there has been a very large number of adult pertussis cases due to waning antibody protection. Pertussis in adults can be severe, but is not generally life threatening. However, having all those adults hacking around small children and babies is definitely a problem, since pertussis in infants can be deadly.
My understanding is that the tetanus part of the vaccine is responsible for the pain at the injection site, and the pertussis (acellular) is usually responsible for systemic reactions (fever, malaise). Still it's a small price to pay to protect yourself and your loved ones from the completely preventable and dreadful diseases.
Thanks for the link!
Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: I thought Hollow Earth was making a joke, but my sarcasmometer has been a little off as of late.
Ah. My bad.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I remember feeling sicker when I got the TDAP than when I had chicken pox and even influenza. Not fun.
I've only had pain from the TD booster.
I've been considering getting a pertussis booster, but if that's what causes the reaction... *shudder* I may just have to hope that having my kids, husband, mom, and dad immunized is enough to protect my kids. (My eldest daughter reacts like I do. She almost had to be hospitalized when she got her first TDAP. )
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
MattP, I could be wrong!
maui babe, I know Tdap is available for adults, but the CDC still recommends Td as boosters unless the adult was not previously immunized with Tdap (or other specific circumstances), doesn't it? I mean, Td is still the standard [tetanus] booster recommended for adults by the CDC, right?
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
Oh, I felt that sick when I had my rubella vaccine after my first was born. It was awful - fever of 108 F, I couldn't even care for the baby. Then when I got pregnant with my second, I turned up as not immune to Rubella again! Three times with three subsequent pregnancies I had to insist I was NOT having the rubella vaccine again and having a horrible reaction again just to have it not work.
So sorry for your pain, Starsnuffer. It's miserable.
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
This is my first time getting Tdap I think the literature they gave me implied that Td is the recommended for people who have previously gotten the Tdap shot, at least in some timespan. So I think you're right Claudia
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Jenna-- I react that way to the MMR, too, and so does Ems.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: MattP, I could be wrong!
maui babe, I know Tdap is available for adults, but the CDC still recommends Td as boosters unless the adult was not previously immunized with Tdap (or other specific circumstances), doesn't it? I mean, Td is still the standard [tetanus] booster recommended for adults by the CDC, right?
No, CDC and ACIP recommend Tdap (at the recommended interval for boosters) for all adults now:
quote: Routine: Adults should receive a single dose of Tdap to replace a single dose of Td for booster immunization against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis if they received their most recent tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine (e.g., Td) >10 years earlier.
In some cases (caregivers of infants under one year, healthcare workers, women planning pregnancy) Tdap can be given 2 years after Td.
Can I opt out of that if I need a booster? Will they accept "I get a fever of 106 and puke my guts out for five days and have whole-body achiness to the point where I can't move" as an acceptable reason to get just the Td?
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
maui babe, from your link, at the first paragraph:
quote: APPENDIX A. Summary of Recommendations for Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine (Tdap) Use Among Adults
The following recommendations for a single dose of Tdap (ADACEL®) apply to adults aged 19--64 years who have not yet received Tdap.
And then just after that:
quote:Adults should receive a decennial booster with Td beginning 10 years after receipt of Tdap (33).
[bolding added]
The CDC's Adult Immunization Schedule lists Td as the recommended standard, with Tdap as the catching-up alternative for those who had not yet received Tdap (and certain other atypical cases), just as in the introductory paragraph of the MMWR article you linked.
I think Td is still standard for tetanus immunization in adults previously immunized with Tdap.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
*phew*
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Thanks CT. I didn't realize Tdap was one time only for adults.
My understanding is that PERT post-vaccine immunity wanes after 7-10 years, so boosters are necessary. I suppose the recommendations for those with close contact with children will still protect the keiki.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
kq, you can ALWAYS opt out of adult immunizations. Childhood vaccines can be trickier with school requirements, etc, but even then, you can get exemptions.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, I just wanted to know if I was going to have a fight. Because I do want to keep up with my Td (not due for a while yet, I had one 3 years ago), but I did NOT want the TdAP.
My kids get all their immunizations except ones that are too new for me to be comfortable with them (Mags didn't get the rotavirus vax when it was offered, because it's new and also live) but not always on schedule (Emma's were mostly on schedule, Bridey's were really delayed, so far we're doing Maggie's on schedule.)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
(I think the only exemptions in CA are medical and religious, and we don't qualify for either. But it doesn't really matter since 1) we vax and 2) we'll be homeschooling. )
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by maui babe: Thanks CT. I didn't realize Tdap was one time only for adults.
You know, the more I read, the less sure I am. From the "Recommendations" section:
quote:1) Routine use: Adults aged 19--64 years should receive a single dose of Tdap to replace a single dose of Td for active booster vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis if they received their last dose of Td >10 years earlier. Replacing 1 dose of Td with Tdap will reduce the morbidity associated with pertussis in adults and might reduce the risk for transmitting pertussis to persons at increased risk for pertussis and its complications.
I think this may be a case of unclear wording, and everyone is supposed to receive 1 Tdap as an adult (even if it was received as a child), and after that 1-time adult Tdap, the rest of the tetanus boosters should be Td. So, in the part I quoted in my last post, I bet a clarifying bit could be added as follows (in bold): “The following recommendations for a single dose of Tdap (ADACEL®) apply to adults aged 19--64 years who have not yet received Tdap as an adult.”
I don't know if that is the case, but it seems to fit the entirety of the recommendations article best. Any chance you are interested enough to find the right person to ask? *bats eyes seductively
(I am interested but haven't a clue where to start, and you are so well-positioned.)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:*bats eyes seductively...
I am interested...you are so well-positioned.)
CT! Family forum!
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I've always had a thing for smarts.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Yes, I think your bolded clarification is correct, CT.
quote:A single dose of Tdap is recommended for adolescents 11 or 12 years of age, or in place of one Td booster in older adolescents and adults age 19 through 64.
<sigh> No wonder people get so confused about all the recommendations, when even we who work in health/public health can't keep it all straight.
Thanks for setting me straight and for the incentive to look it up and get it correct.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
So the Tdap I got at 14 counts?
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
ketchupqueen, I ain't gonna offer an opinion on my own name at this point. *laughing
maui babe, any chase to bat around technical documents with you is a good time. Odd, that, but true.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I called my dad and he says that even if it doesn't count, with my reaction it's not worth getting another one. Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
ah yes that was we call a joke. I could have said that it was just your incipient autism perhaps that would have been clearer?
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
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CT! Family forum! ![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)