Disclosure: This is not intended to be medical advice. If you experience side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine please refer to the FDA fact sheet for Moderna or Pfizer. And if you experience a severe reaction you should seek medical treatment from your doctor or call 911.
This week I received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, I got the Moderna version. In the past, with the flu vaccine, I have suffered a minor sore arm near the vaccination site and some mild flu-like symptoms. I experienced more severe symptoms with this vaccine and wasn't fully prepared for this experience. I hope that this helps alleviate some of the symptoms you may experience after receiving the vaccine.
Like other vaccines, mild to moderate side effects are common. 84% experience injection site reactions, fatigue (2/3), and headache (about 50%). One in three had muscle pain or chills and one in four had joint pain, one in seven had a fever. Reactions vary from person to person, you may experience none or multiple symptoms. And most reactions last one to two days.
From the FDA fact sheet:
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE MODERNA COVID-19 VACCINE? Side effects that have been reported with the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine include: • Injection site reactions: pain, tenderness and swelling of the lymph nodes in the same arm of the injection, swelling (hardness), and redness • General side effects: fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea and vomiting, and fever.
First, let me say that these symptoms are a good thing. Although they may make you feel terrible, it is a sign that the vaccine is working. Your immune system is doing its job to create T and B cells to fight future infections. I try not to interfere too much with the immune response, so I choose to use more natural methods over something like Tylenol or ibuprofen (these are options as well). The good news is that these symptoms should only last 24-48 hours.
My experience was a sore arm near the injection site that started about 5-6 hours post-injection and progressively got worse throughout the night. It was so severe it woke me up at 3 AM that morning. I could not move or lift my arm for another 36 hours. I woke up the day after the injection with soreness in my joint. Throughout the day, I started to notice pain in all of my muscles. I had trouble sleeping both nights due to severe arm pain.
The first remedy I used was to take arnica pills after the onset of the pain. Unfortunately, I didn't think to start taking these the first night, and I think that would've helped. To take these, you dissolve two tablets under the tongue at the start of symptoms. I would recommend starting these about 2 hours after you get the injection, continue every two hours for the 48 hours or until the pain subsides. After speaking with both my naturopathic doctor and my acupuncturist, they both recommended taking thuja, a homeopathic remedy, starting 3 days prior to the vaccination and 3-4 days after. I am going to try this for my second dose.
Next, I started taking a mineral salt bath with added CBD. You can use just the mineral salts, but I will list my favorite bath salts, bombs, etc. below. I would start taking these baths the evening of your injection, making sure to soak the arm. Stay in the warm bath as long as possible, ideally 30-45 minutes. Take these baths daily for 3-4 days or until you feel better. When you get out of the bath, it can be nice to use CBD oil (this is my favorite) on any sore areas, like your neck or joints, if they feel inflamed.
My favorite bath salts for everyday use are Ancient Minerals magnesium bath flakes. When I have sore muscles, I like to add either a CBD bath bomb, this Relieve from Kush Queen is fantastic, or you can pick up these fantastic salts from Dr. Teal's (should also be available at CVS or Target). Dr. Teal's smell amazing, like bergamot, and are one of my favorites if I need to relax or have sore muscles or joints. The benefits of magnesium bath salts are helping you relax and destress, helping soothe sore muscles, encouraging better sleep, and reducing pain and inflammation. These are all good for how you may be feeling post-vaccine, and you can pick them up at your local drug store to have on hand. If you don't already use these amazing salts, I highly recommend them daily or at least weekly.
The last recommendations have around sleep. As I mentioned, I had a tough time sleeping due to arm pain. What I found is using extra pillows or a bolster to prop myself up helped. I used a bolster between my legs for side sleeping and added an extra pillow that I could rest my arm on top of, think of hugging the pillow. This helped so much since my arm wasn't hanging there, and I had much more support. If I wanted to sleep on my back, I put the bolster under my knees and used the extra pillow to prop up my arm. Having the pillows provided support and relieved some of the pain. It still wasn't a restful night, but it was much better with these extra supports.
Finally, if you are prone to experiencing inflammation and joint pain. In that case, you want to avoid inflammatory foods like sugar, alcohol, dairy, wheat, refined carbohydrates, trans fats (think fried foods), vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, and processed meats. Instead, eating whole fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, seeds, nuts, and spices like ginger, curry, and turmeric are all linked to fighting inflammation in the body, will help. If you know when you are getting your vaccination, you could eliminate these a week before.
It's crucial to get vaccinated, and despite feeling crappy for a few days, it is worth it. I just kept telling myself I will be protected, and this is all worth it. I hope these tips help if you are one of the 50% that do get side-effects. Comment below if you try any of these, I'd love to hear your experiences.
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