Should You Take Painkillers After Getting Vaccinated?
Try your very best to avoid them, experts say
People who have recently received the Covid-19 vaccine may experience pain, swelling, and redness at the injection site, together with chills, fatigue, fever, and headache. These are normal reactions to vaccination, but they can be uncomfortable, especially after the second dose. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it may feel natural to reach for common painkillers like ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen, but experts recommend avoiding them if you can, writes Robert Roy Britt in Elemental.
“Painkillers are known to interfere with effectiveness of flu shots,” Britt writes, noting that while this interference has not been studied with Covid-19 vaccines, experts say it’s possible. They also recommend avoiding painkillers before vaccination.
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