Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Vaccine anxiety? NOT an anti-vaccination thread

14 replies

jj90914 · 02/12/2020 19:03

Happy vaccine-news-day everyone!

Ok. This is embarrassing, and I know my problems are minor compared to what people have been through, but I’m curious about if anyone else has this issue.

I had a terrible anxiety problem all my life, and taking drugs and vaccines are one of the things that set me off.

All the anti-vaccination people are getting me into a state already.

I know it’s irrational, and I know all the anti-vaccination stuff is based on either no evidence or pseudo-science.

But I can’t help it. I know I’m going to have panic attacks when I have the vaccine (and following the anxiety, always comes depression). Even if I never saw another anti-vaccination rant again it will still happen.

Does anyone else with anxiety/depression have this problem with taking drugs? Or am I a lone oddball Grin

The silly thing is, the medication I take for depression literally saved my life. But I still have this problem about taking anything... 🤷‍♂️

OP posts:
Original poster
jj90914 · 02/12/2020 19:04

Oh I just thought, maybe the coronavirus forum isn’t the right place for this. If there’s mental health forum or something, would an admin mind moving it? Thanks a lot Flowers

OP posts:
LemonTT · 02/12/2020 19:22

Best thing I would recommend is to use the sites being set up by your Local GPs. They are experienced vaccinators and know you / have access to your complete medical history.

They may be able to book you in late or early when they have more time to talk to you.

QueenBlueberries · 02/12/2020 20:24

I really feel for you. This is awful. Your feelings are valid, there is so much misinformation at the moment it's insane. They are all over Mumsnet, twitter, facebook, it's a bit like the trump elections all over again. I'm sure there will be one on here very soon...

Does your GP know about your anxieties? Is there any medicine they could prescribe to take before you get the vaccine to help with the nerves? Maybe if you speak to your GP they might be able to provide you with some support and help, I'm sure you are not the only person in this position.

Stay strong

Iwanttobefreetobeme · 02/12/2020 20:27

I feel the same OP, I’m terrified of anyone I know having it as I just don’t understand how the long term safety can be assured

QueenBlueberries · 02/12/2020 20:33

Ah yes, the long term effects.

OP, that's exactly what I was talking about. Stay strong.

amicissimma · 02/12/2020 20:36

@Iwanttobefreetobeme

I feel the same OP, I’m terrified of anyone I know having it as I just don’t understand how the long term safety can be assured
Can the long term safety of catching Covid be assured?

Like so many things in life, it's a balance of risks. If you consider yourself very unlikely to be harmed by catching Covid and possibly harmed by the vaccine OR if you consider yourself very likely to be harmed by having Covid and less likely to be by the vaccine, then it's easy. But for the rest of us, we have to weigh up the risks, the likelihoods and, possibly whether we care more or less about being harmed by something we've decided to do or by something that 'just happens' (although it might not have happened if we'd done the other thing).

There's no guarantees either way.

QueenBlueberries · 02/12/2020 20:44

There is a lot more guarantees in having the vaccine than not! Come on. Look at how many people have been affected directly and indirectly.

Vaccine technology has gone to the moon and back since the start of the pandemic. People working internationally, literally round the clock. Best scientific brains in the world.

The vaccine is safe.

meditrina · 02/12/2020 20:51

The BBC was running a piece which said that people showed more anxiety about the jab when they had been exposed to wrong anti-vax information than when shown uncontroversial factual information about immunisations.

WHO has previously published on internet trolls and the threat to public health, and how accounts known to be associated with Russian trolls are active antivaxxers

Original poster
jj90914 · 03/12/2020 01:40

I don’t have any concerns about the “long term safety” of the vaccine.

If we demanded absolute proof of the long term safety of everything we did then we’d never leave the house.

How long term is long term enough? 10 years, 20? Better make it 30 years to be sure? Or how about 80 years to be on the safe side?

Has there ever been a case of a patient suffering adverse consequences of taking a vaccine 20 years later? Show me one example.

Rationally I know the anti-vaccination people are absurd.

But anxiety and depression aren’t rational things, so it doesn’t help much.

After I’ve been vaccinated, I’m almost certain to have anxiety and panic attacks for days (maybe weeks afterwards) at the slightest sign. My brain seems to demand absolute physical perfection at all times! 😹

At least I can laugh about it I suppose.

OP posts:
Nonagoninfinity · 03/12/2020 07:34

I sympathise. I have all the jobs available and will have this one when it's my turn.

To a much lesser extent I do have a bit of a panic after the jab, waiting for 'something to go wrong'. This is completely irrational and is linked to my health anxiety. I know on every other level it'll be fine, but as you say, anxiety isn't rational.

I've found meditation helpful. I've done it on and off for years and somehow I can 'sit with' my worries a bit better now waiting for them to pass (rather than getting swept along with them).

Good luck, anxiety is awful but you are incredibly strong to deal with this in the face of so much scaremongering and misinformation. You've got this!!!!

Iheartmysmart · 03/12/2020 07:40

I’m not anti-vaccination at all, my son has had all his, however I had a severe anaphylactic reaction to a vaccination as a child and haven’t had any since and am now in my 50s. My allergies have become much worse with age and something similar happening does scare me. Especially as it seems it won’t necessarily be administered in a health care setting.

frozendaisy · 03/12/2020 09:33

Can you explore some CBT therapy about taking medication?
You say you feel this about all medicine but your depression medicine saved your life. Can you think back to how you felt before you took that medicine and to now how it has helped? That medicine had been developed and tested to help people like you. A similar group of pharmaceutical researchers have worked tirelessly to develop this vaccine to help as many people as they can.

If your brain can begin to make a link between medicines contributing to a perfect working body (as your brain is working better with medicines) you might not feel so anxious about medicines in the future.

Treaclepie19 · 03/12/2020 09:54

Yeah I can sympathise. I struggle a lot with taking any medication. I always do and I always get my jabs (and have been very excited about the news this week) but it will cause me to worry.
I'm worried about covid too though so I'm telling myself the worry has to go somewhere and it's not the cause of it that's the problem.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page