My tetanus injection needs to be topped up. I have an allotment in London which used to be part of a railway embankment and wondered if it is wise to take the injection or to wait till I have tapered down to under 5 mg? The same goes for the Hepatitis which is due?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
If you are on pred I would not have a tetanus jab until I had talked to my doctor about it. Tetanus jabs and pred are not particularly good bed fellows!
Hi Motida,My tetanus booster is also due now after 10yrs and I did quite a lot of research speaking to different medical professionals (including my own rheumatologist) and the advice was unanimously to not have it whilst taking prednisolone.
It's known to interact with prednisolone and as a live vaccine, may cause you to be ill with the disease its meant to prevent.
Obviously if anyone has different or new information then they'll hopefully post it on here.
As said I had it with no problem - but perhaps that just me… but most advice does say discuss with doctor -this from WebMD
The tetanus vaccine may interact with certain medicines you take. Tell your doctor if you take:
Corticosteroids
Cancer drugs
Medications that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants)
Thanks DL,
I now remember you saying previously, but had forgotten!
I still feel somewhat disinclined to push for it. I'm genuinely perplexed as to what the best course of action for me would be.
Haha!.... for someone who can't source a Pfizer jab, still needs a shingles jab (and could probably benefit from a shot of diazapam at times too!! 😄) .... a tetanus jab seems quite low on the list!!
Do you actually need one? I know Essex can be a scary -but do you do a lot of work outside where you might encounter rusty nails, contaminated soil etc? I imagine not.. 😊 - nor going in an exotic holiday - Maybe?🤔
I do a lot of gardening, but only in my own garden, and I have my hands in the soil a lot.Also, there are lots of dogs being walked on our meadow...not all of them friendly! Should I be scratched or bitten, then that would be a concern.
Maybe I'm just fussing too much, but I do feel somewhat vulnerable.
Okay - can see why you think it’s necessary. Maybe have a chat with your doctor.
👍 👍 👍
Thanks everyone. I only weed and plant with good gloves on or hold the hose for watering, so I think I will leave the tetanus and any other stuff till the PMR burns itself out. Ever hopeful at 81 of course!
Have a good a week as possible everyone.
Have you tried PharmaDoctor, it was DL who kindly put me on to them. Had to drive for 40 minutes to our nearest pharmacy (just a normal chemist with a room to give vaccinations) & pay £80…but then I got Covid 2 months later & have been very sick, so that money was well spent! The pharmacy said they would have give me a free one after seeing my list of medical issues, but I’d already paid online. I had a choice of two…Pfizer & ?”l? (It wasn’t Astra zeneca, as my first two were AZ), & chose Pfizer. Why not try their web site? Hope you’re having a good holiday, I had to cancel our Devon holiday yesterday, after calling another ambulance & getting David back into hospital 2 nights ago. We were all packed & ready to go, just as we were ready to go to Italy 6 weeks ago! Enjoy, S xx
Thankyou for your advice. I'll give that a go.
So sorry to hear David is unwell and you've had to cancel your holiday. You must feel very disappointed 😞
I hope he's improving now and wish you both well.
That’s good, hope it works. Yes, I’m becoming an expert on holiday cancellations! I’m very disappointed & not necessarily coping too well. Have huge shoulder etc pain, polymyalgia flaring…& also fibromyalgia & essential tremor. All 3 react to stress! They did a brain scan yesterday & we don’t have a final diagnosis yet. They have ideas & are treating infection, but not sure of the source! Thanks, S xx
Hard luck - and hope he recovers soon.
Thanks so much…I thought you were MIA on your travels, hope it goes well!! See my reply to DL, please! Enjoy, S x
Sorry to hear this - sending gentle hug ., very difficult for both of you…
Thank you so much…but easy compared some things you’ve been through, I’m sure. But after six weeks, 4 wards, 4 x-rays, 2 CT scans, 3 ambulances, tomorrow we may have a diagnosis & plan! It’s hard, my PMR is flaring across shoulders & hips. But I don’t want to increase, really…will see how the next days go. It should get easier, I hope!! Very kind of you, S xx
I had a tetanus vaccine in 2014 when on 6.5mg before I went to foreign climes - no problems - but was in my mid 60s then.
Hepatitis is non active vaccine so should be okay. Have you had any issues with either previously ?
However as piglette has advised speak to doctor just to make sure.
When my tetanus was due I was informed that once you have had a couple of injections you are basically covered and that they no longer give 10 year boosters unless you have a major injury! Makes me wonder now if this is just cost-cutting?!!
I actually caught Tetanus two years ago. Luckily, having worked at a horticultural lab for a couple of years, I knew the symptoms. Even more luckily the Doc in A&E had access to a consultant who had experienced Tetanus cases several times while working abroad, so I got excellent care. The Tetanus bacteria is present in soil throughout the British Isles, with farming areas being particularly at risk. It lives for a very, very long time. It can get into the blood through the tiniest puncture wound, say from a thorn while pruning the roses. There appears to be a myth that rusty nails cause it - not so. Rust has nothing to do with it. And nails are harmless except they could of course cause a puncture wound. However, I said "rusty nails" at A&E and the duty doctor immediately took more notice. Exasperating.
Before starting on the actual treatment, they do a blood test to see if you have any anti-tet antibodies, and I later found out that I had had a low level, and I think it was that that saved me, as I only got the disease mildly (mind, it was still pretty horrendous), plus to complicate matters the workings of the Tetanus bacteria set off Meningitis. Apparently I nearly died. I was faintly aware of the fact that death was a possibility at the time, but strangely it didn't seem to matter very much! I was in hospital for nearly a month, on intravenous antibiotics most of the time.
Now in theory according to the NHS guidelines, I should have been protected. I looked up some statistics on various government statistics websites (sorry can't remember what they were), but found out that one year there were around seven or eight cases of Tetanus in Britain and several of those people had levels of antibodies that the NHS say will protect. And one of those people died (the vagueness of the numbers is because I can't remember clearly, the stats website was very specific). I have been a keen gardener for the last 55 years and over the last 20 have several times asked for a booster but was refused each time on the grounds that I'd had several boosters early on in life and was therefore safe. The consultant at the hospital told me I needed a booster in two years, so it's due now, and then one every FIVE years after that. So, there is shocking ignorance about Tetanus in our NHS system and the present stance of denying boosters is in my opinion partly due to the ignorance of the policy makers and partly to cost cutting. So, seeing as I'm now on 50mg Prednisolone, I've decided not to have the booster, but I do garden wearing surgeons disposable gloves inside thin leather gloves. This is a pain as it's difficult to hand weed, but better I think than the alternatives.
OMG poor you, and what an absolute mess of conflicting opinions and policies by the NHS. I did suspect it might be a cost cutting exercise. I think I shall question my doctor next time I actually have a face to face appointment! Can absolutely understand why you want the booster!x
My GP told me I was due for a tetanus booster. He knew I was on Prednisone 8.5 mg and I got the shot a month ago not knowing it wasn't advisable! No issues afterwards, but I am losing my faith in doctors ......
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