Covid and Flu Injections

[scoge]

Hi everyone.After PMA hit October 2023 have reduced to 3mg Pred without problems usng the great tapering calendar charts available on the site. Firmly convinced that my Covid jab in September 2023 triggered my PMA. So NHS offering Covid and Flu jabs, just wondered what the feeling is on having one or both as do not want any set backs to the steady progress I have made?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

I had flu jabs all through my GCA -no issues although long before Covid.

It’s obviously your choice, but Covid is still very much with us and there is another new variant on the block.

Personally I’d accept vaccine even though you may think it triggered your PMR, I doubt it was major cause, your immune system was probably already struggling and the vaccine was the final straw.

Suggest you leave a week or so between vaccines -then should you have an issue afterward you know which one was the culprit.

[LittleJane in reply to DorsetLady]

I agree with Dorset Lady. I asked this question of my doctor. She advised the same thing. PMR is autoimmune and Prednisolone has an effect on the immune system. Having had Covid at the beginning of the year, which may or may not have triggered the PMR, I'll take my chances with the vaccines. I have booked them a week apart as DL has advised.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Anything could have triggered the PMR, it may have been coincidence you noticed it after the Covid jab and in any case, that would have been the final straw that tipped the immune system over the edge. Many different things affect the immune system through life, illness, trauma of all sorts, physical and mental, chemicals including vaccines and medication, environmental conditions and a range of other factors. Eventually one is the straw that breaks the camel's back and the immune system goes haywire, unable to recognise your body as self and it attacks it in the same way it would attack invading bacteria or viruses. It might have been the Covid jab - if it hadn't been it would have happened in response to the next stress on the immune system. Above all, Covid. The vaccines do seem to reduce the risk of Long COvid, and some cases of Long COvid look very like PMR.

I have had all my jabs, my PMR wasn't related to them but it did flare with the second one. It hasn't flared due to a jab since. But I would be very reluctant to have more than one jab at a time - and my GP agrees.

[Blearyeyed]

I have both and had both while I was still on steroids.The last thing I wanted to was to catch COVID or the Flu on top of all of my other conditions , or at least if I did catch them I wanted to reduce the risk of being hospitalised with reduced immunity and it affecting my cardiac condition.

Having COVID with PMR or GCA could have far more long term risks than getting a vaccine to prevent them.

I am hypersensitive to needles and I do get quite a strong immunity reaction for a couple of days but so far , not that I want to tempt fate , I've not had flu or COVID since having jabs despite nursing people with these.

According to all the data results you are far less likely to have problems with the vaccinations than by contracting the diseases themselves.

I know many people get concerned about getting vaccinations and often link the onset of an illness , like PMR to it. But , although in some cases the immunity response to create your antibodies may have been the final thing to occur before you develop certain illnesses , it is usually just one of the pieces in the jigsaw that causes the illness to be triggered. It's just that when we look back the vaccination is often the thing we can remember as being the biggest difference.

What I will say , however, is that although many surgeries and units push for you to get them both at once I wouldn't recommend it . It's better, to allow your body to create the antibodies and adjust to the change one at a time , preferably at least two weeks apart. This can help to reduce you getting side effects after the vaccination which could in some cases cause a flare . It also helps you to know if it is one jab or the other that made you feel unwell if you unfortunately do have a strong response to the vaccination for a few days.

Prepare your body in the week before your vaccination too to help reduce the risks. Don't taper in that week or the week after . If you are having the jabs two weeks apart it's better to suspend the taper over that month.

Make sure you are drinking the recommended amount of fluids each day and a light nutritious diet.

Have a more relaxed week prior to the vaccination and the period between them because doing too much can add to the Stress on your body and the two things together could be your flare trigger.

If you have any symptoms of illness or a flare in any of your health conditions in the day prior to the vaccination ring and rearrange the appointment.

You are more likely to get severe side effects to a vaccination or new medical treatment of any sort if you are already ill or run down when you get it.

Make sure the area is clean and remind the nurse that you are on steroids and more prone to bruising or bleeding so that they will take more care in handling your arm and injecting you to reduce the chance of bruises.

If you do find you have a strong reaction to your vaccination you could use sick day rules and increase your dose of steroids a small amount for 2-3 days to cope with this and hopefully prevent a PMR flare.

Have you also been offered the Shingles vaccine ?

[NewPMR]

hi I’ve just been diagnosed with PMR, very anxious about the steroids, where could I find the taper calendar, thanks

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to NewPMR]

There are articles describing them in the FAQs - the link is in a box at the top of every thread under the post. You will find them under T, tapering.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to NewPMR]

You’ll find mine in the link I sent in your other post.

[scoge]

Thanks all for your valued advice. Separating the covid and the flu jabs by two weeks makes sense so I will consider that certainly if I decide to go ahead with them.

[Bcol]

I've had both flu and Covid jabs throughout my PMR with no ill effects or reactions at all. It makes sense to have them apart, if possible, so you can tie any reaction to a particular jab.