The coronavirus vaccines currently being distributed surprised scientists when clinical trials found that they were incredibly effective in protecting against the virus. And while those being administered require two injections to offer complete protection, health officials are now warning that there are some other daily activities that can decrease the effectiveness of doses. That is why the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that patients should not take painkillers right before they are vaccinated. Read on to see what the agency’s latest warning means to you and to learn more about what you shouldn’t be doing after your jabs, check Dr. Fauci says that doing this after being vaccinated is a big mistake.
The CDC says to avoid taking ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen before your injections.
In the latest CDC update, patients expecting to receive their COVID vaccine should avoid taking ibuprofen (which is sold under the brand names Motrin and Advil), acetaminophen (which is sold under the brand name Tylenol), aspirin or antihistamines before their shots. . “It is not recommended to take these drugs before vaccination in order to try to prevent side effects, because it is not known how these drugs can impact how well the vaccine works,” warns the agency’s website.
But don’t worry about not being able to treat some of the symptoms you may experience after any of your doses: the CDC also says that “you can take these drugs to relieve post-vaccination side effects if you don’t have other medical reasons that prevent you from taking these drugs normally. “
These medications can affect your immune system’s response.
As noted by the agency, part of the reason it is not recommended to take painkillers before being vaccinated is that there was no chance to study the effect that this can have. But similar studies have shed some light on possible problems, including one conducted by the University of California Irvine that warns that “taking over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, before receiving a COVID vaccine can reduce your ability to function and dull your immune response to vaccine. “
That’s because “these OTC [over-the-counter] drugs work as anti-inflammatory drugs and block a pathway called the cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) enzyme “, says Ashley Ellis, PharmD, director of clinical operations for Compwell. Your body needs these enzymes to be able to produce many “B lymphocytes, which produce antibodies against COVID, the flu or any pathogen against which the vaccine is trying to protect itself”. And to find out more about what you can expect after your injections, check out Dr. Fauci says he had these side effects from his second dose of vaccine.
You may want to stop taking these medications 24 to 48 hours before your injections.
Although they may differ in severity and potential outcome, there are still many similarities between COVID and the flu and how they present in patients, which is why research that found that taking ibuprofen or paracetamol affected patients’ immune responses to the flu vaccine it is particularly notable. One of the authors of the 2015 study at the University of Rochester Medical Center, David J. Topham, PhD, recommended in a statement that “unless your doctor says otherwise, it is best not to take painkillers a day or two before the flu shot” because doing so “can dilute the power of the shot.”
Other non-medicinal factors can also affect the effectiveness of the vaccine.
But some research has shown that reducing the vaccine’s effectiveness is not always the result of taking a pill. According to a recent study by Ohio State University College of Medicine accepted for publication in Perspectives in psychological science, your immunity to COVID can be diminished by everyday factors, such as stress or depression, with the study authors writing that “it can alter the body’s ability to develop an immune response”.
Fortunately, the same study also found that you could “do some simple things to maximize the initial effectiveness of the vaccine,” including doing “vigorous” exercise and ensuring adequate sleep in the 24 hours before vaccines. And for more information on how to prepare for immunization, see The 2 things you need to do before you are vaccinated, says the study.