Vaccinations are often thought to be the cure-all for any disease that the world encounters. While vaccines can be helpful, there are things about them that should be cause for concern. Here are three reasons you should be careful when getting vaccinated.
You May Need More Than One
When you’re preparing to get a vaccine, be sure to ask how many shots will be required to be considered vaccinated during your appointment.
Some doctors don’t give out this information and they just focus on the fact that you will be given a vaccine. What you may need to prepare yourself for, however, is the possibility that there will be more than one shot for the vaccine that you need.
If your needle shy, or pain averse, you’ll need to know these things ahead of time so that you can prepare yourself for what you’ll encounter. If you were planning on getting vaccinated for more than one thing at a time, consider partial vaccination or spacing out the appointments instead.
Allergic Reactions
With any vaccine, there is a risk of allergic reactions. Allergic reactions are different than side effects because they are specific to each person. What may cause a reaction in you may not necessarily cause a reaction in the next person who receives the same vaccine.
You won’t have a reaction to a given immunization until you receive the shot. That’s one reason why you should always ask the medical professional giving you the vaccine what contained within the treatment. This way, if there is something in the vaccine that you already know you’ve had an allergic reaction to in the past, you can prepare yourself and your doctor for that.
If they respond with a brief answer or simply say that it’s to treat the specific thing that they are giving it to you for, then be sure to ask for the full list of what contained in the shot, so that you can take it home to read up on it in case there are any allergic reactions afterward.
Side Effects
Vaccines are known for their side effects. Yes, they are effective at treating a number of curable and preventable diseases, but they do come with their challenges. Keep in mind that no two side effects are alike when talking about different vaccines. They will each have their own unique side effects that differ from each other.
Do your research before getting your immunization. If your vaccine requires particular products to help ease the side effects, prepare them beforehand. For example, if staying hydrated eases, a side effect in a vaccine, then you want to be prepared with extra water on hand.
Some vaccines add to the very problem that they are created to solve. As was the case with Zostavax, a vaccine that was created to treat shingles that, unfortunately, caused those who received the vaccine to contract shingles.
The Zostavax lawsuit affected those who got the vaccine after 2006, but as a result of the lawsuit, a change wasn’t made to the Zostavax label until 2014. The Zostavax lawsuit claims that, “the defendants failed to warn consumers of the possible adverse health risks associated with Zostavax,” according to the complaint. This should be a loud warning to be proactive in your own research into the side effects of vaccines.
To be clear, these three reasons are not to scare or bash about vaccinations. These reasons are here to help you make an informed decision and also to remind you that, when it comes to your health, you should be a proactive participant, as well as ask a lot of questions.
