Covid Vaccine trigger flares?

[Newbs29]

Hi there, I'm 53 and was 52 when I was diagnosed with PMR. It seemed to come on after my 2nd Vaccine but it took a while for my Dr diagnose me. I got the 3rd vaccine in January just before I started taking prednisone, 15 mg. I am now at 6 mg and doing well. My husband is concerned if I get a 4th vaccine it will bring on a flare and I will be back to where I was in January. Is there any validity in thinking this? I am very active and in good health otherwise. My Dr denies that it could have come from the vaccine but I have read peer reviewed articles that state PMR can be triggered by any vaccine, not just the covid one. Thanks for any insight you have!!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Well your doctor is wrong!!! ANY vaccine can be the final straw for an already stressed immune system - but it could as well be the disease the vaccine is to protect against including flu and shingles - or any other potential stressor such as illness, injury, emotional or physical stress, chemical and environmental factors..

However - although there are several people on the forum whose PMR was apparently finally triggered by the vaccine, they do seem to be able to reduce the dose of pred fairly easily compared with many others,

I have had 4 jabs so far, I got a short flare after the second one, not even felt wobbly or a sore arm after Nos 3 and 4. My daughter - lot younger than us - hasn't had a jab for a year because she wasn't eligible despite asthma, She had Covid back in the summer which took a couple of weeks to go and again last week - this time caught from a patient in the ED! She's negative and went back to work this morning - had a severe asthma attack as she walked in the door! Was rescued by an ambulance crew and given nebs, an x-ray and steroids and was sent home with orders not to come back until she was fit. Even Omicron can be nasty, Ironically she was called for the autumn booster the day she tested positive! I'm all set for mine in a month or so.

[Suffererc in reply to PMRpro]

I found the 5th jab painful. Think it may have also flared my PMR. All settled and had the 6th jab on Saturday evening and it was so so painful and I think triggered another flare. Has been hard to carry on with my taper but stuck to it and think I have succeeded. My arm has remained painful to move but that is about it.

Dread the next one if it is a painful. Apparently here we are using the phizer now instead of the Moderna as from yesterday

[Bcol]

Hi Newbs29. I have just had my 5th jab plus a flu jab at the same time, and although I had an achy arm (Covid jab arm) the day after, no change at all in my PMR status. On 4.0mg tapering to 3.5mg.

[Koalajane]

I have had my Covid jab(the 6th) and a few days later my flu jab and none of them have caused a problem

[Bedwell]

second jab def triggered recurrence of pmr after 3 years without. !!

[Luciejane]

hi newbs 29. Sorry to say that the vaccine can stir up GCA and PMR. I was diagnosed with GCA post 2nd vaccine 18 months ago. There is now a survey circulating looking into the vaccine causing autoimmune diseases. My consultants tell me not to have anymore vaccines. So far I'm ok and when I had covid in January I wasn't unwell just a slight cold. If you've had covid it's a good thing to check your antibodies. I still have 1500 even though it's 10 months since I had it. I would suggest others do the same so you can make an informed decision whether you want to put more vaccines into your body.

[Suffererc in reply to Luciejane]

where are you

[Flivoless]

I am of the opinion that it was my first Covid jab (AZ) that triggered the PMR as the pains started shortly after but, at around the same time I moved some very heavy paving slabs so it could have been that. Had 4 jabs since with no problems at all.

[Sickparott22]

Like you I was fine on the first two vacancies but the third gave me pmr with an addded side dish of steroid induced diabetes. Not having any sign of either before this. My GP was also sceptical that it was the vaccine but has gone quite on that front since I pointed out the scientific research. I now fear having any more vaccines as I am not sure I could cope with the pain as I have to do everything for my husband who has dementia . Despite those who say they are OK there seem to be many posts of people having flares following the booster to make us wary.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Sickparott22]

Remember though that you only hear from the people it happened to - not the thousands and thousands it DIDN'T. Plus the flare a dose of Covid, mild or severe, could induce might well be a lot worse. Both my daughters, early 40s have had really bad Covid. The younger one hadn't had a booster as she wasn't eligible despite working in the ED and that is where she caught this last dose. Just been signed off for another 2 weeks as it has gone for her lungs.

[cranberryt]

Everyone is different, and every jab could potentially bring on a flare. My initial vaccine brought on a 3-month flare for me. (ie. I had to increase my dose for 3 months before I was able to begin lowering it again). I have personally decided to refuse additional boosters. They say it has become less virulent over time so at this point I am just taking the risk of getting actual covid. I am one of few people I know who hasn’t gotten it yet, though I did get an anonymous exposure notice this week on my phone so we will see if I have still avoided it.

It is a personal decision and I believe it is rare to have a flare from the jab, but it is a possibility. So each person has to decide what they want to do and risk.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to cranberryt]

It isn't really less virulent - it is because most people have either had it and have some immunity from that or have had their jabs. People who haven't had their jabs are still dying and my daughter - who hadn't had a booster as she wasn't eligible despite being NHS frontline in the ED - has just had her second dose of Covid since May. She has just been signed off for another 2 weeks because it's gone for her lungs. If the vaccine can cause a flare - just think what a dose of Covid might do.

[cranberryt in reply to PMRpro]

Or pediatrician told us last week that the virus continues to weaken as it morphs and that she will likely stop recommending boosters next year. I understand risk to kids is different, and that there are some people who are still having serious reactions (my dad almost didn’t make it this summer), but at this point, for me, I have chosen to forgo the boosters. I understand the potential risks but the reality is, I just cannot choose to potentially put myself through a major flare like that again, so i prefer to take all other precautions and hope for the best.

[PMRZ]

My partner had a severe reaction after the first AZ jab. However, he had symptoms of PMR long before that and no doubt it was the final trigger.

He had the second jab in a hospital outpatients just to make sure he was okay, and he was fine. Since then, he has had two Pfizer vaccines and the latest one was Moderna. He has had no reactions from any of them since, so it’s just a matter of hedging your bets and deciding what’s best for you.

[Jane424]

5 days af

[Jane424]

This rises the question: how much protection do we with autoimmune disease get from vaccines? I have myeloma as well and that means I have very little protection, so as I have a huge flare lasting 4 months with my first shot and originally got PR M after a flu shot, I am not having more .

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Jane424]

If you had the primary course of 3 vaccines you are approximately as well protected as a healthy person. Then you need the following boosters as well. The vaccine doesn't protect you from GETTING the illness, no vaccine does that, but it should protect you from serious illness and death, In this case it also reduces the risk of developing Long Covid.

Of course it is everyone's choice NOT to have the vaccinations - but you have then to consider how you are going to behave to avoid catching Covid in the first place and accept that if you DO catch it, you are likely to be much sicker than if you haven't had a jab.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Not crazy - applies to the vast majority of people. You only hear the complaints. I've had a flu jab for years - never a problem. Had 4 Covid jabs, I had a bit of a flare with one but my husband was seriously ill at the time so it could well have been that. The third was just after he died - no adverse effects of any sort.

[Hidden]

Hi Newbs29

My eventful journey with PMR only happened after having the 1st and 2nd dose of Pfizer vaccine in July/August 2021.

Nevertheless within a period of 10.5months of tapering regime on prednisolone, I managed to come off the steroids completely

I am now into my 3rd month, symptom free , with CRP and ESR within the normal range.

We all have a different make up of immune systems and re-act differently to the vaccine.

Therefore , I decided that the two doses of Pfizer vaccine was the end of my vaccine program last year.

I wish you well in your journey with PMR and hopefully, you too will to be successful in overcoming this medical condition.

[Newbs29 in reply to Hidden]

I'm happy to hear you are off steroids and symptom free. I'm thinking I don't want to risk getting another vaccine.

[AyJayBass]

The onset of PMR for me followed my first Covid vax in January 21. I do not believe the vaccination "caused" PMR but triggered it. My older brother was diagnosed with PMR a few weeks before his first Covid vax. I believe it was only a matter of time before I developed PMR and that the first vaccination was the last straw that brought it on. I received my 6th vaccination 10 days ago and have had no reactions at all from any of the vaccinations since the first.

I will gladly accept every vaccination offered to me. I have other underlying conditions which indicate that a dose of Covid could be pretty serious for me.