General RFK Jr. says agency will reveal causes of autism in September

Citysnaps said:
Any tips? Or is it one of those "just the way it is" things?
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Everyone is different, I guess. I’ve heard the 2nd dose is worse than the first. In my case I had the dose 6 months after i actually had shingles, so maybe it was equivalent to a 2nd dose. Haven’t had my actual second dose yet - waiting for a doctor to ok it next week.

I don’t think there’s much you can do to prepare - I had chills, extreme fatigue, fever, and night sweats. Drink a lot of water and do it on a day when you can afford a day or two of down time.
 
Cmaier said:
Everyone is different, I guess. I’ve heard the 2nd dose is worse than the first. In my case I had the dose 6 months after i actually had shingles, so maybe it was equivalent to a 2nd dose. Haven’t had my actual second dose yet - waiting for a doctor to ok it next week.

I don’t think there’s much you can do to prepare - I had chills, extreme fatigue, fever, and night sweats. Drink a lot of water and do it on a day when you can afford a day or two of down time.
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Thanks for the tips... appreciate it!
 
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Citysnaps said:
Any tips? Or is it one of those "just the way it is" things?
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My reaction to Shingrix was worse than my bout with Covid, though I took Paxlovid for that. I willingly put up with it because shingles is horrible. You can take pain relievers for symptoms, but not prophylactically before the vaccine. Cold compresses also help.
 
Roller said:
My reaction to Shingrix was worse than my bout with Covid, though I took Paxlovid for that. I willingly put up with it because shingles is horrible. You can take pain relievers for symptoms, but not prophylactically before the vaccine. Cold compresses also help.
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Thanks!

Around 10 years ago I had a shingles vaccination (I don't remember the name of it - not Shingrix) and had no adverse side effects. I'm wondering if Shingrix is more effective. Any thoughts on that?
 
Roller said:
You can take pain relievers for symptoms, but not prophylactically before the vaccine.
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May I ask what this is based on?
As I have posted here more than once, I have been taking a single dose of NSAID like Naproxen an hour before any vaccines for the last couple of years, and that has completely eliminated the systemic symptoms (fever, chills, tachycardia, aches) I experienced after my early Covid shots.
I also checked the literature before starting this, and the consensus was no decrease in vaccine efficiency - have you seen anything to the contrary?

e.g.:
Laughey W, Lodhi I, Pennick G, Smart L, Sanni O, Sandhu S, Charlesworth B. Ibuprofen, other NSAIDs and COVID-19: a narrative review. Inflammopharmacology. 2023 Oct;31(5):2147-2159. doi: 10.1007/s10787-023-01309-7. Epub 2023 Aug 21. PMID: 37603158; PMCID: PMC10518289.
Ooi, E.E., Dhar, A., Petruschke, R. et al. Use of analgesics/antipyretics in the management of symptoms associated with COVID-19 vaccination. npj Vaccines 7, 31 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-022-00453-5

Thanks
 
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Citysnaps said:
Any tips? Or is it one of those "just the way it is" things?
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Since everyone seems to react differently, you don't even know what to prepare for. I was fine after the first dose of Shingrix. After dose 2, I spent 24 hours throwing up. (I didn't even throw up during chemo.)
 
Alli said:
Since everyone seems to react differently, you don't even know what to prepare for. I was fine after the first dose of Shingrix. After dose 2, I spent 24 hours throwing up. (I didn't even throw up during chemo.)
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Agreed, it's different for everyone. My wife and I had opposite reactions to the first and second shots. I was fine after the first one, but laid out on the second one for a couple of days. I am finding it's the same with the Covid boosters. Last April I, was fine, the shot yesterday has me moaning and groaning.
 
Screenshot 2025-09-05 at 7.10.23 AM.png
 
rdrr said:
Agreed, it's different for everyone. My wife and I had opposite reactions to the first and second shots. I was fine after the first one, but laid out on the second one for a couple of days. I am finding it's the same with the Covid boosters. Last April I, was fine, the shot yesterday has me moaning and groaning.
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Yesterday’s covid/flu shots haven’t caused me much discomfort. I did take a couple ibuprofen right afterward, and again this morning. A little arm soreness - less than usual - and feeling a bit warm. This morning I really didn’t want to get out of bed. But all in all a much milder reaction than I’ve had in some previous years. Also, spoons now stick to my nose.
 
Whole family on deck for a flu/Covid too! We will schedule on a day when we've got a few days of no travel, no school, which according to my calendar, does not exist :D
 
cbum said:
May I ask what this is based on?
As I have posted here more than once, I have been taking a single dose of NSAID like Naproxen an hour before any vaccines for the last couple of years, and that has completely eliminated the systemic symptoms (fever, chills, tachycardia, aches) I experienced after my early Covid shots.
I also checked the literature before starting this, and the consensus was no decrease in vaccine efficiency - have you seen anything to the contrary?

e.g.:
Laughey W, Lodhi I, Pennick G, Smart L, Sanni O, Sandhu S, Charlesworth B. Ibuprofen, other NSAIDs and COVID-19: a narrative review. Inflammopharmacology. 2023 Oct;31(5):2147-2159. doi: 10.1007/s10787-023-01309-7. Epub 2023 Aug 21. PMID: 37603158; PMCID: PMC10518289.
Ooi, E.E., Dhar, A., Petruschke, R. et al. Use of analgesics/antipyretics in the management of symptoms associated with COVID-19 vaccination. npj Vaccines 7, 31 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-022-00453-5

Thanks
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Thanks. I'm familiar with those studies and have read several others too. I agree that the consensus is that post-vaccination analgesics don't affect the humoral immune response. But what's unclear is whether prophylactic administration is the same, though it doesn't make sense that taking an NSAID an hour or so prior to vaccination would make a difference, whereas doing the same an hour or two later wouldn't. The effects on cellular immunity haven't been studied as much.

In the absence of certainty, I take a perhaps overly cautious road and reserve medication for systemic symptoms, mostly fever and chills, which are usually delayed. As well, because humoral immunity wanes fairly rapidly, I think it makes sense to avoid anything that may blunt the response. The CDC (yes, I know) continues to advise against prophylactic use. Also, I've been pretty much asymptomatic following Covid, flu, and other vaccinations in the past few years. The Shingrix vaccine was a notable exception, but that was five years ago.
 
Since we're on Covid, I thought I'd mention a study that was just published in JAMA Internal Medicine (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4283). It was a randomized clinical trial that compared azelastine nasal spray to placebo in preventing Covid infection in healthy adults. (Azelastine is a common antihistamine.)

In short, the azelastine group had significantly fewer Covid and rhinovirus infections, with the caveats that statistical significance doesn't necessarily mean what it seems and the understanding that this research had some limitations.

Azelastine is available as a prescription and OTC. Are these results sufficient to recommend routine use for prevention? Probably not, but they are interesting and encouraging. This study also highlights the importance of stopping respiratory infections at the point of entry, often the nose. If we had a functional public health system in the U.S., there would be much more work on this.
 
Roller said:
Since we're on Covid, I thought I'd mention a study that was just published in JAMA Internal Medicine (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4283). It was a randomized clinical trial that compared azelastine nasal spray to placebo in preventing Covid infection in healthy adults. (Azelastine is a common antihistamine.)

In short, the azelastine group had significantly fewer Covid and rhinovirus infections, with the caveats that statistical significance doesn't necessarily mean what it seems and the understanding that this research had some limitations.

Azelastine is available as a prescription and OTC. Are these results sufficient to recommend routine use for prevention? Probably not, but they are interesting and encouraging. This study also highlights the importance of stopping respiratory infections at the point of entry, often the nose. If we had a functional public health system in the U.S., there would be much more work on this.
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Thanks very interesting.
We have been using other nasal sprays Enovid (VirX, bought in Germany) with nitric oxide. This one is more difficult/expensive to get and harsh in the nose and could have side effects.
Then we switched to Betadine or Salinex that both contain sodium chloride and carragelose, a iota-carrageenan derived from red algae.
Both sprays are for prevention and first symptoms, for both Covid and rhinovirus infections.
The Betadine or Salinex is very simple and seems effective so far. Easy and low cost, you can buy it over the counter
In our family we have one doctor and one scientist who suggested us those. Having young kids at school and someone with immune systems compromised, nasal sprays are helping.
Who knows when the famous nasal vaccine will be available as well as the patches instead of needles.
 
Just got this from Kaiser, and good for them for bucking this shit.

[td]

Your COVID-19 vaccine update​

[td]The 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine will be available at no cost for Kaiser Permanente members 6 months and older. We are receiving vaccine supply from manufacturers and will begin providing vaccines September 15.
Each year, we review the latest scientific evidence and consider clinical guidance from our physician experts and many sources, including leading medical societies, to develop our COVID‑19 vaccine guidance. Vaccination remains one of the safest and most effective ways to help protect against severe illness. This includes children and families whose health would be at risk if they got COVID‑19.
Visit kp.org/covidvaccine for more information on how to get the 2025–26 COVID‑19 vaccine.
[/td]
[/td]
 
Had my neurologist appointment today. He told me, essentially, “hey, dummy. you already had shingles. I don’t care what your doctor said, you shouldn’t have gotten shingrix, and you should wait 10 years before you get another round of it.”

So I won’t get my 2nd shot!
 
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