SIde effects of Tetanus shot?!
Question: My husband got a Tetanus (dTap) shot at the hospital this past Thursday night. Is it normal that his arm still feels sore now (2 days later)? I would think the pain would have subsided by now...
Answers: My husband got a Tetanus (dTap) shot at the hospital this past Thursday night. Is it normal that his arm still feels sore now (2 days later)? I would think the pain would have subsided by now...
It's not unusual to have an adult complain of soreness several days after the jab. Adults have usually had several tetanus jabs over a lifetime, and therefore have a higher proportion of antibodies floating around to attack it than children do. The tetanus jab you get contains an atenuated virus- that is one that can't reproduce. The more antibodies you have to attack it, the more overwhelming the reaction can be- and so the more soreness you can get. Try applying heat to the arm if you can, and moving the muscle as much as he can stand it. That will get more blood into the muscle to move the matter out of the way sooner. Of course, he can also take tylenol or ibuprofen if he likes, ibuprofen would be a little more effective as it can also deal with the muscle inflammation as well as provide pain relief. My sympathies- it is a nasty jab, but it does prevent a really nasty disease.
Yeah, it'll hurt for a while*
This vaccine is injected directly into the muscle. The vaccination can burn as it goes into the muscle. It is not uncommon for the injection site to be sore for a few days. I have had a few tetanus shots over the years, and they did usually hurt for several days after.
Next time you get a vaccine rub all around the injection site to spread around the serum away from the injection site. Take some Aleve or Advil for the pain & inflammation,
Yeah they hurt like heck for several days. I was in a bad car accident several years ago and had a lot of injuries. When I woke up the next day I couldn't figure out why my arm hurt so bad. The nurse laughed and said that is where we gave you a tetanus shot! It hurt worse then some of the broken bones.
Very normal. some people are more sensitive to them. Have him hold a warm washcloth or heating pad over the area a couple times a day. Be sure and use that muscle; don't favor it. Take whatever analgesic he normally takes for mild pain.
It should feel better within the next 3 or 4 days. If it looks very red and swollen, it will need to be checked out.