As you may have heard, the COVID vaccines can cause side effects including pain, redness, and swelling at the site of injection and in that arm’s lymph nodes. The vaccines can also cause tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea. After reading a bunch on the subject, talking to lots of folks, and having just received my second “jab,” here is some practical advice before getting your COVID vaccine.

Medications

For the most part, you should continue to take your regular medications. However, if you are on medications that suppresses your immune system, please consult your health care provider as they will have additional information for you about getting the vaccine.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

This is great advice for everyday life, but really important here. Make sure you are drinking lots of fluids a day or two before your jab. And then after your vaccination - Congratulations! You did it! Toast yourself with a BIG glass of water. And another. And then another. How about some natural fruit juice and a sparkling water! Keeping up with hydration will help flush away some of the byproducts that are produced from the vaccine educating your immune system. Hydrating will not hamper this process but it will lessen post vaccine headaches, achiness, and fever you might experience.

Sleep

Like hydrating, this is great everyday life advice but also particularly important pre- and post-vaccine. Your immune system works much better when you are well rested. Do not be surprised by how tired you might feel right after the vaccine and for a couple of days. Your immune system is in full swing. You also might be feeling a little emotional letdown from all of the stress leading up to getting this vaccine (and from this whole year!). Honor this by getting lots of rest and sleep.

Make a Plan

Some people sail through the vaccine process with little or no side effects. Other people have a harder time with side effects. Don’t worry, you cannot catch COVID from the vaccine. These side effects are normal and indicate that you are mounting an immune response – and that is a good thing! But you should plan ahead to take a day or two off after the vaccine, particularly after the second dose when side effects seem to be more intense. Also make sure you have what you need ahead of time to manage your side effects – pain reliever, liquids to hydrate, chicken soup – whatever you would normally need if you had a cold.

Managing Your Side Effects

As always, consult your health care provider about what over-the-counter medications are right for you. If you do have a headache, injection site or lymph node pain, or fever, you can take ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen starting about six hours after your jab. You can also apply a cool, wet compress to your sore arm and swollen lymph nodes. Make sure you are keeping up on your hydration.

While some side effects are normal, contact your health care provider if your side effects get worse after a couple of days or if you have any trouble breathing.

Use or Exercise the Arm You Received the Injection

This will help reduce injection site pain by pumping the immune byproducts out of the area to be flushed away by all of the FLUIDS you are drinking.

Sign Up for V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker

This smartphone-based tool will use text messaging and web surveys so you can do health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This will allow you to monitor your side effects and it also reminds you to get your second vaccine if you need one.

Here is the link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html

Keep Your Vaccination Card in a Safe Place

Not only will this help remind you of what type of vaccine you received, it might be needed for travel and some other activities. Consider taking a picture of it as a backup copy - just in case!

Things to avoid

Pre-medicating to avoid side effects: Taking ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen to preemptively relieve pain symptoms or antihistamines and Benadryl to prevent allergic reactions BEFORE your COVID vaccine is not recommended. If you are currently taking these medications for other reasons, you can continue. And as above, please consult your health care provider if you have any questions about this.
Alcohol for a day before and after your vaccination. It can dehydrate you and may increase your risk of allergic reactions.
Strenuous exercise and hot showers 2 hours before and after your vaccination. Same as above – dehydrating and may increase the risk of allergic reactions.

Remember, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses so be sure to get instructions on how to get your second shot. Also, it takes some time for you to gain the full effects of the vaccine, so you aren’t considered fully vaccinated until 2 weeks after your final jab. Keep up on your social distancing, avoiding crowds, hand washing, and mask wearing!

Here is a great link of the things you can start doing after you are fully vaccinated: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html.

If you have any questions about the COVID vaccines, please contact your health care provider and feel free to reach out to me. If I don’t know the answer, I will help you find good resources.