Covid vaccine & anticoagulants?

[Cat04]

Can you have the covid vaccine if you are on anticoagulants?

General recommendations, second para refers.

[buddy2blue]

I really hope so

[Cat04 in reply to buddy2blue]

It rules a lot of us out if not 😕

[buddy2blue in reply to Cat04]

It will. I really hope we can have it I honestly don’t know how I’ll cope if I can’t.

[BobD Volunteer]

This is really old news now and there are loads of posts on this . There is no difference between having covid vaccine and ordinary flu vaccine. The only concern is bruising from the intramuscle injection.

[Cat04 in reply to BobD]

I tried a search & nothing came up on HU, maybe it's just me not being able to find it. This is on my GPs f/b page so should it just be dismissed BobD Not able to contact GP as all calls banned except urgent/emergency whilst vaccine is being administered.

[Cat04 in reply to BobD]

Not so old - Gov.uk dated 10 DEC 2020 Para 4.4 refers

gov.uk/government/publicati...

[DevonHubby1 in reply to Cat04]

Hi, I dont think BobD was being dismissive. There were multiple threads discussing this early last week after a comment on the Andrew Marr show about people on anti coagulants.

[CDreamer in reply to DevonHubby1]

Bob has come under a bit of stick as HU & AA don’t want threads on COVID or the vaccine as some threads ended in tears taking up a lot of staff time so let’s please keep this one none controversial.

[buddy2blue]

Well i’ve just read that if your INR is in range then it’s perfectly safe to have the Covid jab

[Cat04 in reply to buddy2blue]

That's what I saw on BHF site 😊

[Bolander in reply to buddy2blue]

When I had the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday at the Royal Free I told the doctor that my INR when tested that Monday was in the 2 to 3 range, and she was quite happy for the injection to go ahead. She warned me there might be bruising at the site, but as it turned out there was none. The only side effect was feeling sleepy about two hours afterwards, but this only later that passed.

[Cha275rL in reply to buddy2blue]

Can you tell me what INR stands for@buddy2blue please? Not been on this site long, so lots of things I still don’t know.

[Belle11 in reply to Cha275rL]

From a website - "The INR, or International Normalized Ratio, is a measure of how long it takes your blood to clot." HTH

[Cha275rL in reply to Belle11]

Thanku Belle 11. I had no idea.

[CDreamer]

I am not able to read any of that and source of information is missing. If taken from a social media site I would ignore. Is this applicable to US or UK?

My OH is having the vaccine tomorrow - 87 and on anticoagulants and we are grateful it has been made available so quickly and for the life of me I cannot see why there would be concern?

The vaccine is not going to interact with anticoagulants, that I can find any information about. The only concern I have seen something about the intramuscular injection causes bleeding - well for heavens sake - so will any other injection such as flu vaccine which seems to be universally accepted as safe so what’s different about this vaccine?

Please advise if anyone know differently and can post a link with reliable information from a trusted and informed medical site.

In the meantime I will report back after OH has had the jab.

[Cat04 in reply to CDreamer]

Para 4.4gov.uk/government/publicati...

[CDreamer]

I also wonder about the information it says about those on immunotherapy - which I am. That information also seems to be contrary to what I have been told.

[Cat04 in reply to CDreamer]

sps.nhs.uk/articles/pfizer-...

[CDreamer in reply to Cat04]

Thanks for the link - I think the importance of the statement is in the precise wording

anticoagulant therapy or those with a bleeding disorder that would contraindicate intramuscular (IM) injection, should not be given the vaccine unless potential benefits outweigh the risk

The manufacturer advises that immunocompromised individuals, including those receiving immunosuppressant therapy, may have a diminished immune response to the vaccine. They have no data about concomitant use of immunosuppressants.

That’s simply because people who are immune compromised were not part of any of the trials and the concern for those people with autoimmune is that their immune system may react resulting in a flare - which all of us with autoimmune know very well can happen with anything.

The reality is until we have the vaccine - we don’t know how we will react - ‘we’ being autoimmune on immune suppressants. We have to avoid live vaccines as they stay in the body but this is a novel vaccine which activates messenger T cells, not B cells so as far as anyone can tell me for certain, it should be perfectly safe and do no harm but whether or not it will provide protection is unclear. I’m certainly going fo it.

[Auriculaire in reply to CDreamer]

People on anticoagulants were excluded from the AZ/Oxford trial. There should be more info about the reasons for excluding them.

[sharonrc]

I take warfarin and had the covid vaccination on Friday with no issues at all. It's no different, from a bleeding perspective, to getting the flu vaccine. Had a bit of a sore arm Fri night but no other problems with it.

[Sim22]

I spoke to a colleague who is a specialist and she advised me to have the vaccine especially looking at the data from other vaccines and anti coagulants

[Redwing30]

I am retired nurse who gave thousands of intramuscular and subcutaneous injections . There was never an incident where someone suffered severe bruising/bleeding at an injection site while taking an anticoagulant.For people in at risk health categories the benefits of having the vaccine far outweigh the risks and I am looking forward to my invitation for the vaccine.

[Cally53]

My mother in law did yesterday!

[Hannibal1948]

I'm on Apixaban, 5mg twice daily.The original concern was that the puncture site would bleed excessively. I had the Flu jab and for good measure the Shingles jab a month ago; one in each arm at the same time.

The puncture site(s) did not bleed any more than my wife's who is not taking anticoagulants and had her jabs at the same time as myself.

Maybe I'm on a small enough dose not to affect the procedure but for anyone concerned, a quick word with their surgery should clear up any worries....

[Barb1]

Yes you can.

[Aprilbday]

I just don’t want a a-fib episode. 2nd shot I am wondering could ignite it. Don’t know. Will take vaccine regardless. Been hiding in house since March other than walking dogs and I am fearful when passing by others. No way to live. No concern about being on anticoagulant. More worried about how heart could react to simulations of Covid

[reinaway in reply to Aprilbday]

Yes I agree with you more of an AF worry than bleeding!

[Lucymoo]

I do wonder where the guidance is from and who has created it. Basically I’m on anti coagulants like the majority of people with AF and have recently been hospitalised due to a nasty head injury, had bloods taken as standard, tested for Covid all the works no problems. Had a very large haematoma no treatment necessary but stopping the anticoagulants for 48 hrs (accident happened 2 hours after taking my morning dose). Recent dental treatment requiring the reader numbing injection...so painful. Also had my flu jab and each time I have listened to my doctor / dentist. With regards to any Covid vaccination I’m happy to have and will listen to my doctor. It’s very easy to worry about such things but trusting your doctor is a real good way forward.

[Hindmarsh]

Does anyone know what the contra -indications relate to? Is it the risk of bleeding from the injection itself? If so, I have the 'flu vaccine every year so shouldn't be a problem unless they have to use a particularly large needle!Or is there something in the vaccine itself that could trigger something. It is all so unclear.

[Cat04 in reply to Hindmarsh]

As I understand it, people on anticoagulants were excluded from the trials so there is no data on what any contra-indications may be.

[Hindmarsh in reply to Cat04]

Thank you. That makes sense.

[Herogenus]

Its about excess bleeding at the sight of the injection i believe. I've had both the flu & pneumonia vaccine in the last few months without a problem. They will ask you if you have allergies, health conditions & meds. They need to be aware prior to the injection which is as it should be. (France)

[TracyAdmin Partner]

Please do not hesitate to contact our AF Association website or call our helpline if you require advice or information regarding the Covid vaccine.

[Bowcat in reply to TracyAdmin]

Hi. I am due to have the pfizer vaccine next Tues and I am concerned as I have AF, Asthma and CKD also take Rivaroxaban and wandered if it is safe for me to take. I wrote an email to my Doctor asking for advice but so far no response. I do tend to have a lot of allergies which is another concern.