Can you drink alcohol before receiving vaccine?

[salamanca2]

Does anyone know if it's safe to drink alcohol before getting your Covid jab?

DH is out at the pub with some mates and he's got his vaccine later today. I'm really worried!

If he’s pi$$ed when he turns up they’d be entirely reasonable to say he can’t consent appropriately to receive the jab and send him on his way to have it on another day.

Alcohol isn’t great for assisting the immune system response. I saw some discussion earlier on about avoiding alcohol for four days (48hrs prior and 48hrs after) but this has never been officially advised afaik.

It has no effect whatsoever, you sound controlling.

There have been media reports that in the opinion of some medical professionals ( mainly abroad I think) , refraining from alcohol before and after gives your immune system a slightly better chance of getting a good response to the vaccine. To me it seemed like something worth acting on, even though its unproven, because I have high Covid risk, and dodgy immune system.
Never seen any info whatsoever that there's any kind of safety risk or contraindication with alcohol. So I would have no concern about that.

It's a bit silly really. We don't know if it will make a difference to the vaccine or not so he should err on the side of caution and avoid it.

@ScissorsBike

It has no effect whatsoever, you sound controlling.

Lol, shit stirrer. She doesn't sound controlling, she's worried!

Thanks for the reassurance. I doubt he'd be pissed but certainly a few pints in and fairly merry!

@ScissorsBike

It has no effect whatsoever, you sound controlling.

New Scientist reported otherwise. Strongly suggested (after years of data around flu vaccine) that avoiding alcohol for 3 days before and 3 days after and an upper body workout on day of were thought to assist the vaccine to do its job.

The leaflet I got with my AZ said avoid alcohol if possible for up to two weeks to maximise immune response, but if you are an alcoholic, get the jab anyway.

I wouldn't worry about that at all.

I had my first dose back at the end of February. I certainly didn't avoid alcohol in the fortnights before and after. I highly doubt that many people did either. I didn't even get to book my appointment until a few days before it.

@salamanca2

Thanks for the reassurance. I doubt he'd be pissed but certainly a few pints in and fairly merry!

If he’s clearly had a few I would decline to give the vaccine personally. There is significant controversy about the vaccine at the moment and if he were some of the unlucky ones to develop a serious side effect it would be very hard to defend having given him the vaccine if he had clearly had a few pints (and while that may sound like medicolegal claptrap, the sort of world we live in as hcp’s is one in which we have to think defensively).

I was a bit tipsy when I got mine. It wasn’t planned, no appt. A friend who is a nurse rang fairly late one Friday evening saying there was some left over and they’d be binned so would I like to quickly pop down. I told her I’d had a couple of large glasses of wine and she didn’t seem to think it mattered.

@BigSandyBalls2015

I was a bit tipsy when I got mine. It wasn’t planned, no appt. A friend who is a nurse rang fairly late one Friday evening saying there was some left over and they’d be binned so would I like to quickly pop down. I told her I’d had a couple of large glasses of wine and she didn’t seem to think it mattered.

In what way would she be an expert?

Guidance issued by U.K. Govt doesn’t cover it, but in other countries they do.

I felt shocking after my vaccine - fever, chills, headache.
There’s no way I would have wanted to throw a hangover into the mix as well.

New Scientist reported otherwise. Strongly suggested (after years of data around flu vaccine) that avoiding alcohol for 3 days before and 3 days after and an upper body workout on day of were thought to assist the vaccine to do its job.

Do you have a link for that please?

I wasn't told anything about avoiding alcohol - either before or after & went to the pub with friends after getting ours

@WiseUpJanetWeiss

New Scientist reported otherwise. Strongly suggested (after years of data around flu vaccine) that avoiding alcohol for 3 days before and 3 days after and an upper body workout on day of were thought to assist the vaccine to do its job.

Do you have a link for that please?

Trying to find one that isn’t behind a paywall.

www.newscientist.com/article/2262654-should-you-avoid-alcohol-when-getting-a-coronavirus-vaccine/

There you

It’s this article. I may still have the hard copy.

www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933213-500-the-5-best-things-you-can-do-to-boost-the-chance-of-a-vaccine-working/

The one I’ve linked is more recent than that.

It’s paywalled. The first article says nothing of the sort.

@Arbadacarba

The leaflet I got with my AZ said avoid alcohol if possible for up to two weeks to maximise immune response, but if you are an alcoholic, get the jab anyway.

That's interesting, I didn't get anything like that. I have my second jab this week. I'll avoid alcohol for a while if it might help.

I mean a Big Mac, a Greggs or a doner kebab prior to your vaccination probably won't boost your immune system either but hey let's bash the drinkers

I got really pissed after my first one 🙊 oops

They didn't say anything about alcohol when I got mine, my side effects came on pretty quickly but I did have a glass of wine the next evening. That said, I don't think someone turning up pissed would be vaccinated would they? Drunk people can't consent to medical treatment.