Why am I feeling fatigued after getting my flu vaccine?

Are you or someone you know feeling fatigued or feeling unwell after getting the flu vaccine?

The needle method of delivery of Flu Vaccine

Some vaccines are not for all people. The flu vaccine comes in various delivery formats.  The clear choices are between a needle delivery and a nasal spray delivery. However, discuss with your doctor which option may not be suitable for the very young under 8 and the elderly, whose immune systems cannot handle the live virus in some flu vaccines versus the attenuated virus in other flu vaccines. You may also read “Certain flu vaccines are not recommended for all ages“.

Also, avoid taking a pain killer along with your flu vaccine since they dilute the effect of the vaccine.

The Centers of Disease Control lists the following common reasons for feeling unwell after getting the flu vaccine:

1. People may be exposed to one of the influenza viruses in the vaccine shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two-week period that it takes the body to gain protection after getting vaccinated. This exposure may result in a person becoming ill with flu before protection from the vaccine takes effect.
2. People may become ill from non-flu viruses that circulate during the flu season, which can also cause flu-like symptoms (such as rhinovirus). Flu vaccine will not protect people from respiratory illness that is not caused by flu viruses.
3. A person may be exposed to an influenza virus that is very different from the viruses included in the vaccine. The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends largely on the similarity or “match” between the viruses or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation. There are many different influenza viruses. For more information, see Influenza (Flu) Viruses.
4. Unfortunately, some people can remain unprotected from flu despite getting the vaccine. This is more likely to occur among people that have weakened immune systems or the elderly. However, even among these people, a flu vaccine can still help prevent complications.

What about people who get a seasonal flu vaccine and still get sick with flu-like symptoms? How about an allergic reaction to egg or latex?
Have you considered an allergy to egg in which the flu virus is traditionally grown? Discuss with your doctor egg free options available this year. If egg allergy is a concern, then you may also read:
Egg Allergy and Flu vaccine : egg free options are available in Europe but not in USA until 2012. Check with your doctor on latest 2013 egg-free flu vaccine options.
Latex Allergy : some needle tips are coated with latex, eg., intradermal delivery of flu vaccine. Please, confirm about absence of latex coated needle tips on package insert. See video on Intradermal Flu vaccine technology  by Fluzone  microneedle, the first intradermal flu vaccine approved using the microneedle technology and available for 2011-2012 flu season.

A Flu Virus

Seasonal influenza vaccine provides the best protection available from seasonal flu—even when the vaccine does not exactly match circulating seasonal flu strains, and even when the person getting the vaccine has a weakened immune system. Vaccination can lessen illness severity and is particularly important for people at high risk for serious flu-related complications

Dual flu infections: Australian scientists have discussed a “dual flu infection” phenomenon reported by Japanese scientists in 16 students. 1) They reported that vaccination with the regular flu season vaccine resulted in a higher risk of infection with H1N1 and they give their scientific opinion on why that happened in some areas of the world and not in others. 2) They hypothesize that a strand-transcending short-term immunity results. In other words, it is usually rare that two strains of influenza A attack in the same year and so close to the infection by the other strain. If the second strain attacks quickly after the first strain infects, then there is some transient immunity which protects; however, longer this gap this immunity wanes. So, by their theory, dual infections have a gap. Super immunity: This is the “holy grail” of flu scientists – to discover the one vaccine that will prevent all strains of flu. Apparently, natural survivors of the H1N1 infection may have a “super immunity” to all known Influenza A strains of the flu virus. A BBC article. describes Dr Patrick Wilson and his colleagues work on this. In my opinion, lets see what happens in the next few flu seasons.However, scientists caution that a vaccine developed to achieve similar “super immunity” results will have to undergo several years of clinical trials before being eligible to be marketed.

Related Articles:
Flu Vaccine
Now is the time for your 2013 – 2014 flu vaccine
The compostion of the 2013 – 2014 trivalent and quadrivalent flu vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere
Should my baby get the flu vaccine?
Should I get the flu vaccine this year?
Flu vaccination and egg allergy – do check with your doctor on update 2013 there are egg-free flu vaccine options today. This article shows you the procedure of traditional flu vaccine development

Decrease fatigue with Peony root tea

Peony root

Paeonia  radix may bring about reduced fatigue. How does it do it? Dr. Hong and colleagues of the College of Oriental Medicine of Seoul, South Korea studied the process in rats (2003). They showed it could increase time to exhaustion on the treadmill (in rats) and suppressed the expression and synthesis of two exercise – induced substances, both during rest and exercise. 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis (5-HT) and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) expression were studied by these scientists.

Peony root

The Peony flower

 

Prescribed as a tea, it is used sparingly. Use wisely and proceed with caution. A tiny bit or a pinch of this herb goes a long way. It does not mean that more is better because it may not. We just don’t know. Some people may have adverse reactions from even a pinch of this, so I cannot imagine using large amounts could be beneficial to anyone. Some adverse reactions, like nausea, has to be judged against the benefits, which may outweigh the slight nausea.

[/caption]The effective part discussed for decreasing fatigue is the root of the perennial plant, Paeonia japonica MIYABE, which belongs to the family, Paeoniaceae. It is also prescribed in ancient Chinese Medicine. It is commonly known as Paeony.

The white Peony flower

The tea can be bought from various sources. Each site has listed further medicinal claims such as reduce toxins in the liver, reduce pain and regulate menstruation. These claims I have not checked personally for peer – reviewed support, although several clinical trials on alternative medicine are ongoing and I shall update this site. I firmly believe the fatigue reducing claim. Some tea suppliers are cited below, although we do not endorse any supplier:
1) MDidea Exporting Division;
2) a global trade site called Alibaba.com which lists several bulk suppliers

The Natural database lists common names and scientific names and medicinal uses of what is commonly called Peony when cultivated in the garden. For a photo of colorful wild or cultivated Paeony varieties or Paeonia lactiflora , is available at this Japanese site and Steven Fosters photography site and plenty of beautiful photos on this site from which all the photos on this site were borrowed.