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Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and the side effects

999 replies

LeSquigh · 19/01/2021 06:44

Morning all

Many of my colleagues have now received the first dose of the Oxford vaccine and every single one of them has reported side effects, quite a large number have had to take time off work and been bedridden. Are we in the minority or is this true for all that have it? Not really looking forward to my turn!

OP posts:
IthinkIm · 05/02/2021 17:24

Just spoken to my parents and they are up and out of bed. Mum has sore throat but lemsip is soothing it.

Babymamamama · 05/02/2021 18:03

I wanted to come back onto this thread. I’m on day three now and having been ill am absolutely back to normal except for a new feeling of being supremely grateful to scientists. So heaven forbid anyone be worried about getting vaccinated. It’s worth it!!!!

Joelijane · 06/02/2021 09:25

I had mine at 11.50am yesterday and overnight from 9pm high temp aches in body and injection site, shivery & no sleep. Lemsip and ibu not really helping. Hopeful it'll pass in a day, dyou think it will? So far no breathing difficulties or cough despite having mild asthma. Thank god next dose is in 12 weeks rather than 2!

Joelijane · 06/02/2021 09:26

Plus headaches ugh

Magissa · 06/02/2021 10:01

I had mine at 5pm yesterday. Restless night with very little sleep. Aches and pains, headache, sore arm. When the needle went in I honestly did not feel a single thing. On waking this morning I couldn't believe how much I could feel it.
So far other than grogginess of a bad night I feel somewhat better.
Still aching all over but very very happy to have had it. It feels like a momentous occasion . Smile

GreyPaw · 06/02/2021 10:31

Myself and about 20 colleagues had vaccinations last week. A mix of AZ and Pfizer, but most had AZ. Anyone who had the Pfizer, myself included, had a sore arm and a maybe a bit of tiredness. All those who had AZ had at least one night of fever and flu symptoms. One was unwell for about three days, but that was the worst. Only one needed a day off work, the rest worked from home for a couple of days. All bounced back and are fine, I don't know anyone who regretted it.

Anyway, forewarned is forearmed, and all that. DP is due to have AZ today and at least I was able to suggest that he gets some paracetamol and a few bits from the shops, and is ok to hibernate for a day or two.

QueenPawPaws · 07/02/2021 10:14

I had AZ yesterday about 10.30am, got a headache late evening and was awake shivering/sweating/sore arm overnight. Struggling to lift my arm now
My parents are absolutely fine! They had theirs yesterday too

nooc · 07/02/2021 14:26

Hi there, hope you are over the worst now.
My other half is suffering from severe shivering/chills and is quite unwell. We do not live together and I was alarmed when I got no answer to phone calls but I eventually got through to him.
He had the jab on the 3rd Feb and said he was cold yesterday but I put it down to the weather. This morning he passed out but managed to get back into bed. I did not associate the vaccine at first [doh] but this is very unlike him so the penny has just dropped. He does not appear to have a temperature but this is difficult to assess remotely!

I will keep you posted. Fingers crossed.

ChocPud1 · 07/02/2021 16:54

@nooc passed out? That is worrying isn’t it? Specially with no temperature?

ChocPud1 · 07/02/2021 18:33

*especially - silly autocorrect

IthinkIm · 07/02/2021 20:58

Has anyone had a sore throat? My mum said hers is very sore. Had the jab on Wednesday.

MonkeyPuppy91 · 07/02/2021 21:22

I’m also emergency services and a few of us have had the AZ vaccine that would have been wasted otherwise.

I was also surprised by how unwell it made me and a lot of my colleagues.

I’ve never taken any time off sick and have never had a bad reaction to a vaccine before but I was in bed for 24 hours with shivers, temp, awful headache and body aches as was my partner.

I’m glad I had it going onto my days of because I wouldn’t have been able to go to work.

I guess I just assume as fit and healthy and no previous issues that it wouldn’t affect me as much.

I do think it’s helpful to know to expect that might happen to be able prepare for the following days.

Sharww · 07/02/2021 21:40

I do think it’s helpful to know to expect that might happen to be able prepare for the following days.

This is the thing. I understand that the severe side effects aren’t being openly talked about for fear of putting people off from having the jab. But having been very poorly (albeit for only a day or two) with the oxford jab and speaking to others about it, it seems it’s actually quite common to really struggle after. I was lucky DH was home to care for our toddler because of the timing had been different and I’d had the side effects when I was in sole charge of my child it would have been disastrous: I couldn’t walk, couldn’t operate my phone, let alone pick up my son. If I’d known how had it can be at least I’d have made sure to have emergency childcare available or that I wasn’t alone with him, things could have been really bad.

Mischance · 07/02/2021 21:44

I had mine on Tuesday and had a slight temp and mega headache and joint pains the next day. Felt better, then the last two days I have been very tired indeed and just dragging myself around. I take comfort that it means my body has noticed the vaccine and might be busy dong something about it!

Masterpieceontheshelf · 07/02/2021 21:53

I had this vaccine.
No side effects.
So have 2 members of my family (one elderly, one NHS) - again no side effects.
None of us have had COVID that we know of (2 of us test regularly) but maybe we are just quite healthy in general and good at fighting off stuff?

makingmiracles · 07/02/2021 22:23

Crikey there are some harsh responses on this thread that are quite uncalled for. So everything who’s moaned they’ve had a bad reaction is now a whimp of some sort according to some?? Jeez, just because other people have had a worse reaction than yourself doesn’t make their experience invalid!

I had mine fri, sat morning fine apart from backache, then bam by 5pm sat (30hrs later) I was burning up, 40deg temp, shivers and chills despite being under a duvet a blanket and wearing a dressing gown and 3 pairs socks, everything ached/hurt, especially back and hips. Went to bed early with some heavy duty painkillers, slept through and felt ok again this morning.

So brief lasting, but it was exactly like the actual flu-which I had 17yrs ago and was bed bound with for 2 weeks, just a much shorter period of time.

Definitely not a wuss of any sort, 5 natural births without pain relief and appendicitis that wasn’t diagnosed for a week alongside a bowl that was twisting. Very Rarely ill and rarely take painkillers.

Don’t regret it and would have it again but forewarned is better-you can put stuff in place like not working the next 48hrs and making sure you have childcare help etc and then if you don’t react that’s great but if you do at least you’re prepared.

Out of our workplace of 36, 2 of us had full blown reactions, the rest just had sore arm and felt abit tired, bit of a headache, 2 people out of 18 we support was unwell, one mildly and one with a reaction that matched ours but with vomiting as well.

Wightlink · 08/02/2021 03:27

My husband and I had COVID after Christmas quite badly but not hospitalised thankfully. He had the Astra Zeneca vaccine yesterday as he is in the RNLI. Tonight he has had an extreme reaction to it. I was woken by the bed shaking from his reaction to a fever. This is exactly the same as his reaction to COVID. I’ve given him paracetamol and ibuprofen and it seems to be working but it was a frightening reaction as it happened so suddenly. Hopefully this will be the only reaction and it will pass. @

minchinfin · 08/02/2021 10:34

None of these are side effects of the vaccine, they are the effects of your immune system mounting a response to the vaccine, as intended - and this is more dramatic if your immune system is already primed and on alert from a recent Covid infection.

I am surprised they are giving it to people so soon after they've had Covid. I'd personally wait a few weeks, being as you will have immunity for months anyway and there are other people out there with zero covid antibodies that would benefit from going first.

As someone who wont be offered the vaccine anytime soon, it is a bit galling to hear people complaining about entirely normal, expected and moderate side effects.

QueenPawPaws · 08/02/2021 10:45

@minchinfin I don't think any of us are complaining, just saying what we experienced
It was helpful for me to know not to have it done before a work day

Wightlink · 08/02/2021 11:28

@mrsminchinfin - not complaining - grateful for this site as this worrying reaction happened suddenly in the middle of the night and it gave ME comfort that this is a common reaction and I didn’t need to start dialing 111. My husband is over 60 and had 6 shouts this week with attempted suicides so it was advised that he would be safer with the vaccine at the earliest recommended opportunity. He still has the fever and chills, and he is continuing to self medicate BUT HE IS not complaining (I haven’t had the vaccine and must say I won’t be looking forward to having it but I will when my turn comes).

FlatteredRhubardFool · 08/02/2021 11:35

@minchinfin I've not had covid to the best of my knowledge and had a severe reaction.I've been shielded for most of this last year. Nice attitude you have there.

FlatteredRhubardFool · 08/02/2021 11:38

And I'm certainly not complaining. I'm very grateful of the vaccine and the hope that in a few months it will be safer for me to be out in the big wide world. I felt like death though and I'm pretty stoic. Means to an end though and a small price to pay for hopefully normal life in the near future.

IrmaFayLear · 08/02/2021 11:40

Me too. I must admit I thought people were making a fuss Blush . Luckily - unlike flu - I felt crap for 48 hours and then felt ok.

MarinPrime · 08/02/2021 12:12

I agree with PP's, it's reassuring to hear about other's experiences after the jab. Always good to be prepared.

Dowser · 08/02/2021 12:29

@Wightlink

My husband and I had COVID after Christmas quite badly but not hospitalised thankfully. He had the Astra Zeneca vaccine yesterday as he is in the RNLI. Tonight he has had an extreme reaction to it. I was woken by the bed shaking from his reaction to a fever. This is exactly the same as his reaction to COVID. I’ve given him paracetamol and ibuprofen and it seems to be working but it was a frightening reaction as it happened so suddenly. Hopefully this will be the only reaction and it will pass. @
Gosh 😱 Friend thought she might need to call an ambulance after stabbing pains in her chest, thought she was having a heart attack She’s 40