Hep B shot side effects!! - Hepatitis Message Board

JodyB · 04-20-2004, 08:51 AM

Hi Everyone,
I'm going to China in about 8 months. My husband and I are adopting a child from an orphenage. We were told to get Hep B shots. In February I got my first shot. 4 Days after the first shot I got an excruciating pain in my upper left back. It lasted for 4 weeks. During that time, it migrated to my upper right back. I finally went to my primary care doctor who thought I might be having a reaction to the stabilizers and preservatives in the hep b vaccine. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and an antiinflammatory. I took that and it seemed to help. I waited two months before my second shot.This past friday I had the second shot (out of the series of three) Well here it is Tuesday and my back is killing me! The pain is back!! I took a muscle relaxer last night and it did nothing for me! Has anyone out there experienced this? Is this common?

sean · 04-20-2004, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JodyB

Hi Everyone,
I'm going to China in about 8 months. My husband and I are adopting a child from an orphenage. We were told to get Hep B shots. In February I got my first shot. 4 Days after the first shot I got an excruciating pain in my upper left back. It lasted for 4 weeks. During that time, it migrated to my upper right back. I finally went to my primary care doctor who thought I might be having a reaction to the stabilizers and preservatives in the hep b vaccine. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and an antiinflammatory. I took that and it seemed to help. I waited two months before my second shot.This past friday I had the second shot (out of the series of three) Well here it is Tuesday and my back is killing me! The pain is back!! I took a muscle relaxer last night and it did nothing for me! Has anyone out there experienced this? Is this common?

WEre you told to get the shots for your own or the baby's protection? Cause If for your own, then you might choose not to get the third shot. You probably have achieved considerable immunity, and anyway, this medicine obviously does not suit you.

If for the baby's protection, your choices are much harder.

Your doc might want to be certain that your reaction is not an allergic one, 'cause if it is, recurrence could be very serious. I am an advocate of vaccination, but if I were in your shoes, I'd proceed with great caution.

sean

JodyB · 04-21-2004, 08:57 AM

Hi Sean,
I was told to get these shots for my own protection. Appearantly HepB can be common among infant orphans.
Maybe a blood test would tell me if I had enough anti-bodies?

Jody

sean · 04-21-2004, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JodyB

Hi Sean,
I was told to get these shots for my own protection. Appearantly HepB can be common among infant orphans.
Maybe a blood test would tell me if I had enough anti-bodies?

Jody

I don't want to offer false reassurance nor false worries, and therefore think the doc's opinion matters greatly here (although it also seems the doc did not pick up that your reaction was really severe. You might want to emphasize this a ln talking to him.)

Your blood tests would no doubt show some anitbodies after the first two shots. Public health experience, though, is that the whole series is needed to achieve a comfortable level of immunity. So, the answer is grey, not black or white. In my understanding, that is, and I am no doctor. I am just urging that you get your questions asked clearly, and answered clearly, allowing an informed judgement about this choice.

To take a step back: who told you to get the shots? does the adoption agency require it? If it is not required, I know the adoption process is a long one and the child can be tested easily for hep b either while in China waiting, or at worst, once back here at home. Then you'd know if there were anything to worry about.

sean

JodyB · 04-21-2004, 12:02 PM

Hi Sean,
The adoption agency does not require you to take the shots. They recommend it only. In my infinite wisdom I decided to rush in and get the shots done right away. There is so much you have to do for an international adoption that this just became one more thing on the list to check off. I'll definitely talk to my primary doc. about my second reaction and see if maybe I can take the third shot by a different company, maybe they use different stabilizers and preservatives.