You shouldn’t take pain relievers before getting a COVID vaccine. What to know
Health experts warn against taking pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen before getting a COVID-19 vaccine to prevent uncomfortable side effects the shot may cause.
Although existing research suggests these medications might affect antibody responses to the jab, no tests have been done involving COVID-19 vaccines.
The advice comes as coronavirus shots begin to roll out among other groups aside from health care workers and nursing home residents that states deem most vulnerable to infection, such as older adults, those with underlying health conditions and essential employees such as teachers.
“There are data in the vaccine literature, long predating COVID-19 and almost all [done] in children, that premedication with [fever-reducing drugs] like acetaminophen or ibuprofen decrease the antibody response to the first dose of vaccine,” Dr. David Cennimo, an infectious disease physician and assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Healthline.
Medications such as Advil and Motrin do this by interfering with the body’s natural inflammatory response to a vaccine, which appears as the normal side effects of fever and aches.
This response is expected and proof your body is creating a defense against the vaccine by spurring antibody production. But with anti-inflammatory drugs in your system, the ability for your body to respond with its fullest capacity could be thwarted.
People who regularly take pain relievers are an exception.
“If you regularly take aspirin, acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) and ibuprofen (e.g., Motrin, Advil) for other medical conditions, continue to do so as directed by your physician or as needed,” according to experts with UCI Health in Orange, California. “Otherwise, do not pre-medicate.”
Giving pain relievers to kids before vaccinations is common practice for some parents who want to avoid a fussy child, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t specify if the tactic is safe.
Taking medications to reduce uncomfortable side effects after your COVID-19 vaccine is OK, health experts agree.
“Antipyretic or analgesic medications (e.g., acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) may be taken for the treatment of post-vaccination local or systemic symptoms, if medically appropriate,” the CDC says.
“However, routine prophylactic administration of these medications for the purpose of preventing post-vaccination symptoms is not currently recommended, as information on the impact of such use on mRNA COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody responses is not available at this time.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 3:10 PM with the headline "You shouldn’t take pain relievers before getting a COVID vaccine. What to know."
