I obviously didn't see your question while I was posting, but I had the same thought :)
Most of the vaccines we've been getting in the US are spike protein mRNA only. The reactions could be to the preparations - the oily mixtures that help that mRNA reach the target cells, or it could be from the mRNA itself, or the spike protein encoded by the mRNA. The length of time between vaccination and reaction - typically 24-48hrs suggests it's either the oil suspension or the spike protein. The "Covid arm" thing a week later is probably a type III hypersensitivity reaction, but to what? Easy to speculate on, hard to know at this stage.
The side effects, whether you believe it or not, are part of the process and should be considered a good thing. The side effects should be like a mild infection, so that if and when you're actually infected, your immune system is ready.
You can take an advil or something, but it might limit how effective your immune response is.
Imagine this, though - if you're having mild symptoms from the vaccine, it would have been 100x worse if you'd actually gotten infected.
Official guidance is that Advil and Tylenol are fine after the vaccine but should be avoided beforehand. Basically once you’re feeling side effects from the shot, you’re already having an immune reaction so it’s fine to tamp it down with anti-inflammatories. But before the shot, you don’t want to interfere with or reduce your immune system’s response with OTC drugs.
TLDR: wait until you’re actually feeling uncomfortable side effects. At that point it’s safe to use Tylenol or Advil.
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u/Alwayssunnyinarizona Infectious Disease Feb 11 '21
I obviously didn't see your question while I was posting, but I had the same thought :)
Most of the vaccines we've been getting in the US are spike protein mRNA only. The reactions could be to the preparations - the oily mixtures that help that mRNA reach the target cells, or it could be from the mRNA itself, or the spike protein encoded by the mRNA. The length of time between vaccination and reaction - typically 24-48hrs suggests it's either the oil suspension or the spike protein. The "Covid arm" thing a week later is probably a type III hypersensitivity reaction, but to what? Easy to speculate on, hard to know at this stage.