There are some cases where you might experience shoulder pain after your shot. This can last for a couple days to about a week, or longer in rare instances. This is called shoulder bursitis, Dr. Abazia says, and it happens when your vaccine is administered a little too high and/or deep in your arm and affects the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that cushions the joint. One study found that out of 996 million flu shot doses, there were 1,220 reports of shoulder pain that started within two days of vaccination that lasted for more than a week. In other words, it’s very unlikely that you’ll experience this, Dr. Abazia says, however, it’s worth knowing in case you have shoulder pain after your shot and don’t know why. Fortunately, this isn’t a forever problem, and for most people it will resolve over time.
Are some people more likely to get flu shot side effects?
First thing’s first: Everyone reacts to vaccines differently. Some people may feel totally fine after they get the flu shot, while others might have to hibernate in a blanket burrito for a day or so until they feel better. That said, the vaccine will generally affect most people similarly, in that side effects will be relatively mild and last for a couple of days. However, there does seem to be one exception—people ages 65 and older, Dr. Abazia says, depending on what vaccine they are given.
The CDC recommends that people in this age group, who are more likely to get really sick if they get the flu, receive different shots that are more effective at preventing severe disease. For example, the Fluzone High-Dose vaccine, specifically, contains four times more antigen (dead bits of influenza virus that spur your body to make antibodies) than the standard doses—which means they can cause more side effects, like fever, muscle pain, and headache. But in case you’re wondering, they’re still considered pretty mild and just about the same as those of the normal shot.
Can I prevent flu shot side effects?
There’s really no way to prevent influenza vaccine side effects, but you can take some steps to reduce how hard some of them hit you. One easy piece of advice: Relax your arm while getting your shot, Dr. Abazia says. When you tense up, you increase the chances that the vaccine needle causes more of that arm soreness we talked about. “If you really can get in that zen space and do some breathing exercises to calm yourself down, you’re less likely to be sore” he says, and your tenderness won’t last as long.
How to feel a bit better when flu shot side effects strike
Again, any discomfort post-vaccine should be pretty short-lived. But if you’re not feeling great, there are a few things you can do to try to speed up your recovery time:
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