I read a paper that a doctor put online about autoimmune diseases and having the flu jab. He said if someone with autoimmune diseases gets the flu they should ask their gp for antiviral drugs. Also he said that those with autoimmune diseases should ask for a dead flu vaccine and not to have a live vaccine.
I don't know how true it all is, that is just what I read. Does anyone have any information on this subject?.
The only "live" vaccine is the nasal spray for 2-17 year olds, the other vaccines are not "live.
Thank you for the information.
I ask my GP for flu jab, thet said not entitled to it
I have thyroid autoimmune issues, went to the docs for something else they gave me flu jab, I asked why and was told it was due to thyroid problem, ask again, try a different doc.
I don't want the flu jab because of a bad reaction last year. I'm not taking the risk.
ive never had one and never will. ive never had flu. i wont be taking the covid vaccine either even if it means i cant travel again. they are quick to dish out poisons but we cant get doctors appointments and as for dentists, i dont know when i will be able to get my treatment done even though im getting recurring infections
It's comforting to hear that you have never had the flu jab and never will. Same with me, told gp I don't want it (have never had it). Also told family and friends that I would not have covid vaccine either. Just don't want toxins put in my body, got enough health issues to cope as it is so can do without additional foreign substances causing me more harm than good. This is my choice, my desire whatever the consequences.
Have to admit though after telling gp I did not want it was contemplating asking him for it but realised I only wanted it because I was caught up in Flu\Covid fear syndrome. Sure lots more people getting flu jab this year because of Covid fears. Like yourself I won't be one of them.
i wont be getting the covid vaccine either. it is no 24 on the list of infectious diseases. 500 people die every day from tb and other related illnesses. they are testing and tracing so many people and tests coming back positive even when people are well, it will test positive if you have had flu or mild covid in the past, they are so unreliable. i know of a couple of people who put their names down at a testing centre but had to wait so long they left without being tested but a week later got a letter from the centre saying they had tested positive lol. it is just a farce and no i will definitely not be taking the covid vaccine, especially one that bill gates endorses and even if they say you cant travel internationally (which i suspect they will) without the vaccine then i will just have to holiday within the uk
I agree. What you say makes a lot of sense. I only hope they don't make it compulsory when they say that they have a vaccine for covid 19. I won't believe anyway.
And I definitely won't be having anymore vaccines.
How can a virus just target certain people. It doesn't make sense. It must have been manufactured to do just that.
And if it doesn't make sense, then it isn't true.
I am worried about that because we don't know how a vaccine would affect someone who has an autoimmune disease. I actually think I had the disease back in January and February and was sent to A & E with breathing difficulties. The government needs to test everyone to see who has antibodies and I have already filled in 2 questionnaires about my experience but I have heard nothing yet. My son in-laws grandmother who is in her 80s has been randomly picked for an antibody test and she has them. This came as a surprise to her because as far as she knows she hasn't had covid. What worries me is there might be people with no symptoms spreading covid and we need mass testing to find out who has it. They are doing this on the Isle of Wight so why not the rest of the country?
Interesting about the grandmother having antibodies so she was asymptomatic. Without knowing it she could have passed covid to others. Asymptomatic people are my main concern 're spreading the virus. But hey somewhere along the line I also could have been infected, showed no symptoms, and infected others. Who knows? As far as I am concerned testing in UK is a farce. Still suspect herd immunity is still on the government agenda which they opted for back in February. Even though your son in laws grandmother has antibodies against the virus she may not be totally safe to go out into the world of infected people because not enough research has been done into people who have antibodies. Again it's down to proper reliable testing and that is a long way off. All's we can do is keep ourselves safe and hope for the best.
Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean it's not true. Vaccines have saved millions of lives. Small pox, polio, measles, etc... I understand why you would be afraid of trusting doctors and medical professionals in general, because most of us have been let down by a system that's designed to deal with illness, instead of wellness. However, you can't throw out the baby with the bathwater. The last thing we need is a resurgence of diseases we've since brought under control with vaccines just because we've been without them for so long we no longer see them as a threat. Downplaying serious illnesses, especially illnesses that are novel, i.e. new, that we're still learning about isn't being fearless, it's putting your head in the sand and living in denial. Some amount of fear in the face of danger is healthy. It's the reason we don't promote people shooting up heroin. Not shooting heroin isn't "living your life in fear" it's using the common sense you hopefully have from birth to avoid unnecessary risks that might endanger your life. We need more transparency and oversight and overall compassion when it comes to vaccines. Instead of this arrogance and annoyance that most receive from doctors whenever we questions anything they do to us. They want us to shut up and do what they say and make things easier for them. That being said, there are good doctors out there, good scientists too, that care about making the world a healthier place for everyone. Don't give up on medicine just because a few people are misusing good tools.
Thank you, I agree with what you are saying. But I really am too scared to have another flu jab. Last year I was so Ill for months. I don't want to go through that ever again. If I get the flu I won't pass it on, because I won't be able to get out of bed. I think another dose of flu would kill me anyway. I'm not as strong as I was before the last bout of flu.
You can buy one at any chemists. If you want one.
I had the flu jab a week ago (I have Psoriatic Arthritis and Adrenal Insufficiency as well as Hashimotos and other autoimmune diseases). I have been unwell since I had the recent flu jab - dreadful cough, headache, loss of sense of taste (not COVID as negative result received this morning). Due to the immunosuppressive drugs that I take, I am not able to have any “live” vaccines. I have never been offered antiviral drugs when I’ve developed flu.
I'm really sorry you have had a bad reaction, it's enough to cope with your other problems.
I know I'm taking a risk not having the flu vaccine. But I was very ill last year after it. Ask your gp for the antiviral drugs. All we have ever been told is that antibiotics don't work on viruses, but they never mention antiviral drugs, they don't offer them
. You have to ask for them. And I think anyone with autoimmune diseases should be offered them when they have a virus. Good luck.
I had a really bad reaction to the flu jab, after the third one I elected not to accept it. The Covid vaccine will be interesting’.
I agree, I feel exactly the same. I think it is a game of lottery. And if the vaccine is going to make you ill, you might as well take your chances without it.
Both my husband and myself got the flu last year a week after the jab, he has only ever had flu once before. He doesn't get it bad, unlike me, I am always at deaths door, and doctors never offer any help, in fact they say they can't help.
They don't understand just how ill I get. I'm demanding help if I get it again.
I don’t think many health professionals understand. Taking Thyroxine does not ‘return you to health’, as the GPS seem to believe
You are right. I was much healthier and happier, (and 5stone lighter). Before I was put on Levo.
I wish I had never been diagnosed.
Do you have this drug in the UK?
INDICATIONS
Tamiflu is a prescription medicine used to treat the flu (influenza) in people 2 weeks of age and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 2 days. Tamiflu can also reduce the chance of getting the flu in people 1 year and older.
Tamiflu does not prevent bacterial infections that may happen with the flu.
Thank you for the info. I don't think we have access to Tamiflu. It sounds a good idea.
Tamiflu is available in the UK. However, its effectiveness has been very much questioned.
Hundreds of millions of pounds may have been wasted on a drug for flu that works no better than paracetamol, a landmark analysis has said.
The UK has spent £473m on Tamiflu, which is stockpiled by governments globally to prepare for flu pandemics.
bbc.co.uk/news/health-26954482
(Link might not work outside the UK.)
There might have been more recent reviews and analyses of Tamiflu - and they might come to different conclusions.
Mannequin18
Thank you for the information. I have never been offered anything when I have flu. And when I get it I am really ill. I mean for months. And it always leaves me with ill health for at least a year. It's a lot out of your life when you are in your seventies.
My husband has Alzheimer's, so I also have to look after him. So I don't get a propper rest when I am ill.
Can you buy Tamiflu, or is it only prescription?.
It is prescription-only.
Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet accessible from this link:
medicines.org.uk/emc/produc...
British National Formulary pages for the product:
bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/oselta...
I suggest you read both documents - thoroughly. A doctor just might be willing to prescribe it so that you have some available. Though very likely that would be private and require you to pay. BNF has NHS prices.
I know next to nothing about Tamiflu. It might not be a good thing for you to take, or there might be something else that is better/more appropriate.
Thank you for the information. I will read through the information. Thanks again.
Have you ever been tested for Esptein Barr virus antibodies? It sounds like the flu might have reactivated EBV in your body, causing long term illness. Without proper thyroid dose, your body would be helpless to fight it back into submission.
Thank you for the info. I'm not sure what it means. And no I haven't been tested.
I have been tested for Lupus and Sjogrens, but it is a false positive. The doctor says it's Fibromyalgia. But what I have read on here is that is the initial diagnosis everyone seems to get. I will look up EBV.Thank you.
That's interesting. I've never taken Tamiflu. In fact, it had not been invented when I last had flu in 1978. My first bout of flu was at the age of 11 when the Hong Kong flu was rampant in the U.S. I woke up with my lips glued together. When I sat up in bed and looked in the mirror, I pried them apart and saw that my teeth were coated with dried blood. Apparently I had a very high fever during the night. My head was pounding and only stopped when I lay back down. I'm pretty sure I had no appetite. I really can't recall my other symptoms, but my mother called the doctor who came to the house! He gave me a penicillin shot, and the next morning I was absolutely fine. Since flu is supposed to be viral rather than bacterial, the only explanation I can think of for this is that a secondary infection had hit me and the shot wiped it out.
As for the flu in 1978, when I called the doctor's office they told me that since it was a virus there was nothing they could do for me. Three days later it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I called again, and they said, "Now you've developed bronchitis. Come on in!"
It's lucky the doctor's office was only a mile away. Somehow I managed to drag my sorry behind out of bed and drive there, but when I walked in and saw a full waiting room, I burst into tears. All I wanted to do was lie down again so my head would stop pounding. The staff responded to my distress and got me directly into an exam room (lucky for the poor people in the waiting room.) By the time the doctor got to me I had fallen asleep again.
Wow, that sound about right. It's a terrible virus and when you have other health issues, they should offer antiviral drugs. I hope I don't have to, but if I get it again, I am going to insist.
I have never had Tamflu, so I don't know anything about it.
Based on my own reaction, my mum's reaction, my other half's reaction and the reaction of a couple of nurses (one of whom was paralysed from the neck down after having a flu jab) I hope to never have a flu jab again.
I'm not anti-vaccinations. If a rabid dog bit me i would be the first in the queue for a rabies shot. But having watched several documentaries that I was initially prepared to dismiss, I am very choosy about which ones I would put in my body. You have to do your own research. I am not trying to persuade any one to change their minds but i would say do extensive research yourself, so you can be completely satisfied that whatever you opt for is truly safe and effective or at least has extremely low risk.
The important thing is to keep you immune system functioning optimally - a diet rich in a range of vegetables and highly coloured low glycemic fruit, pulses, oily fish and low in sugar and refined carbs. Adequate sleep, supplementation of Vit d3/k2 as required (most people get low in the winter), sufficient zinc, Vitamin C and magnesium containing food and managing stress.
Gut health is also important - a high proportion of your immune cells reside in the gut and many people with low thyroid have leaky gut - definitely if they have Hashimoto's.
I am a 6-year lung cancer survivor. I get the flu shot every year as a precaution to avoid any further damage to the 1-1/2 lungs I have left. When a COVID vaccine becomes available, I think it would be in my best interests to take it.
I do supplement:
supplementation of Vit d3/k2 as required (most people get low in the winter), sufficient zinc, Vitamin C and magnesium containing food and managing stress.
I also take fish oil, turmeric, L-carnitine, and Vitamin E.
So far I have not gotten the flu or even a cold.
That's good to hear.
I have autoimmune conditions which means my body attacks me instead of protecting me.
I have had flu vaccines in the past, but on some occasions still get the flu.
I just think for me, especially after the horrendous flu I had last year that it is just not worth the risk.
Great advice - I'd also add to that - keep echinacea to hand.
Its a natural plant based supplement that boosts the immune system BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE IT CONTINUOUSLY as your body becomes immune to it. No one can really tell you how to take it in that - some take it week-days only, others at the week-end only. In the past 10 years or so I've taken it at the first sign of flu or bad cold continuously for about one or two weeks - then stopped. It does appear to work for me BUT I don't know how it interacts with other medications - as far as I know there are no contraindications.
interesting to hear other people dont get on with the flu jab. I had the first one ever on Saturday - I must have asked about 100 people if they had any adverse reaction and everyone I asked said the worst they experienced was a heavy arm but most said no issues. I had it and OMG i felt terrible - I felt really not right it was awful. to be fair it did pass after a few hours but I wont be rushing to have it again!
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2... [Very in-depth comprehensive info] Acute & sub acute thyroiditis: Patients have developed subacute thyroiditis after influenza vaccination (181-183*) suggesting immune alteration as a contributory factor. *Hernan Martinez J, Corder E, Uzcategui M, Garcia M, Sostre S, Garcia A. Subacute thyroiditis and dyserythropoesis after influenza vaccination suggesting immune dysregulation. Bol Asoc Med P R. 2011;103(2):48–52. [PubMed] [Reference list]……
Flu vaccine 
Hypothyroidism and the flu vaccine. 
Not Eligle For The Flu Vaccine Hashimoto Thyroid Not On The List 
Flu vaccine 
