Don't Take a Pain Reliever Before Getting COVID Vaccine

The day of your COVID-19 vaccination has finally arrived. There are likely many things going through your mind. Here's one thing you don't want to forget.

It may still be a couple months before I'm able to get the COVID-19 vaccine and my excitement level grows daily of being able to put some of my fear of getting sick behind me.

Since the pandemic began, we've be fortunate to have had quite a variety of experts on the show on the subject of the Pfizer vaccine. We talked to a man who was in the clinical trial and we've had several conversations with SwedishAmerican physician, Dr. Bill Renk. Both of them spoke of almost no side effects from the two shots. One side effect that they shared, was some mild pain in the arm where they received the injection. That doesn't mean it will be the same for you, but it could be. Maybe for you the arm pain could be a little worse. In any case though, it is recommended that you not take anything that you would normally take to alleviate pain or discomfort.

ABC News recently spoke with some experts who strongly advised refraining from taking any kind of pain medication before getting your COVID vaccine. No acetaminophen or ibuprofen. And the reason, it's possible that the medications could reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine.

"Vaccines work by activating the immune system; anti-inflammatory medications like Tylenol and Advil "prevent parts of the immune system from working and slow down the immune response."

It's hard to say exactly how pain medications will affect the COVID-19 vaccine specifically, since there isn't a whole lot of data yet. ABC News cited a Duke University study that looked at the practice of giving kids pain relievers before they received their childhood vaccines and found a correlation between fewer antibodies. Experts seem to be divided still on if pain killers should be avoided post-shot, too.

When it comes to pain killers, if you already take one for a condition you currently have, you should continue to do so.

Nothing is better than being completely informed. Read more from ABC News, HERE.

Steve Shannon is host of The Steve Shannon Show on 97ZOK. On the air weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. and a special 'Rewind' show, featuring favorite moments from previous shows, on Saturday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m.. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.