Sam goodrich Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 Hello Everyone, I am new to this site. I am 27, Male. I was diagnosed with POTS in 2012. Took me a few years to recover and get back to a pretty normal lifestyle. I struggled with finding jobs I could handle, so 3 years ago, I started my own carpentry business and have been quite successful, considering my circumstances. I recently received a flu shot for the first time since I was a child, two weeks ago, And have had a major crash, feel like I’m back to ground zero. Has anyone else had this problem with the flu shot??? And if so how long did it take them to recover? Any information would be helpful. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutch Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 What’s your symptoms that are worse now then before the shot ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StayAtHomeMom Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 The smallest things can cause what you call a crash. Was the shot a live virus shot? Maybe it was just a coincidence. Anything else in your life that could trigger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 Yes - I had a major POTS flare following my only ever flu shot - but I am still not sure if it was the shot that caused the flare. Anyway - I have not had a flu shot since then. ( This is not what I would recommend but in my case I would rather take the risk of the flu then getting a flare. ). I guess I am a scaredy-cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 I had major crashes after B12 shots earlier this year. My doctor was stumped. However she thought it could be caused by an additive in the B12 or she thought more likely a reaction to just having a shot, itself. The latter made no sense to me b/c I have had flu shot each year with no POTS response, and even this year, I had the flu shot again with no particular reaction. It does seem like small things can set us off. So sorry, hope you feel better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam goodrich Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 On 12/28/2018 at 2:53 PM, Hutch said: What’s your symptoms that are worse now then before the shot ? Severe dizziness/ lightheaded and fatigue. Hadn’t felt that way for years. Happened within a hour after flu shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam goodrich Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 On 12/28/2018 at 2:55 PM, StayAtHomeMom said: The smallest things can cause what you call a crash. Was the shot a live virus shot? Maybe it was just a coincidence. Anything else in your life that could trigger? The doctor said it was not a live virus. I haven’t had a crash this bad since 2015. Have worked my way up to climbing mountains and working 12 hour days . I believe it was the flu shot, I went downhill a hour after the injection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam goodrich Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 23 hours ago, Pistol said: Yes - I had a major POTS flare following my only ever flu shot - but I am still not sure if it was the shot that caused the flare. Anyway - I have not had a flu shot since then. ( This is not what I would recommend but in my case I would rather take the risk of the flu then getting a flare. ). I guess I am a scaredy-cat. I would rather have the flu than a pots crash. Haven’t had one this bad since 2015. Almost forgot I had pots. until I got the flu shot. How long did it take you to recover after the shot?? It’s been two weeks for me, and still struggling very bad. I will never get another shot of any kind. I am sure it was the flu shot. Before I got it I was 90 percent better, just some occasional lightheadedness after standing to long or hiking over 2 miles a day. Going on a few years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam goodrich Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 21 hours ago, MomtoGiuliana said: I had major crashes after B12 shots earlier this year. My doctor was stumped. However she thought it could be caused by an additive in the B12 or she thought more likely a reaction to just having a shot, itself. The latter made no sense to me b/c I have had flu shot each year with no POTS response, and even this year, I had the flu shot again with no particular reaction. It does seem like small things can set us off. So sorry, hope you feel better soon. Hmm that is odd. Everyone’s different I guess. I am certain it was the flu shot that triggered my pots again. I worked hard for years to defeat pots and had succeeded to what I had thought was a normal life again. Until crashing hard a hour after the shot. Rapid heart rate upon standing/ vertigo / impaired thinking. Going on two weeks. How long did it take you to recover after the B12 shot???? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 11 hours ago, Sam goodrich said: How long did it take you to recover after the shot?? It’s been two weeks for me, and still struggling very bad. I will never get another shot of any kind. I am sure it was the flu shot. Before I got it I was 90 percent better, just some occasional lightheadedness after standing to long or hiking over 2 miles a day. Going on a few years now. Dear @Sam goodrich - it was years ago so I do not really remember. I think it was several weeks but back then I was really unstable. I believe - and this is just a theory - that the flu shot triggered the immune system and that caused the flare. I guess that is what the flu shot is supposed to do - build up immunity. And that simple step - I believe - caused the flare. We are so sensitive to any changes within our bodies that something like that can do it. Hope you get well soon - hang in there and hydrate!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 16 hours ago, Sam goodrich said: Hmm that is odd. Everyone’s different I guess. I am certain it was the flu shot that triggered my pots again. I worked hard for years to defeat pots and had succeeded to what I had thought was a normal life again. Until crashing hard a hour after the shot. Rapid heart rate upon standing/ vertigo / impaired thinking. Going on two weeks. How long did it take you to recover after the B12 shot???? Thank you In my case with B12 shot--I also crashed within hours of receiving the shot. And at first I thought it was a fluke bc I was in a POTS relapse. However I had two more and each time, within hours, I was in a worse state, severe tachycardia, dizziness, weakness, muscle pains, unable to stand or walk well. I was already in a relapse as it was. It took 2 months for me to come out of the relapse. The relapse did not start with the B12 shots, IMO it started due to my B12 going too low. I was diagnosed with low B12 which is why I was getting the shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StayAtHomeMom Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 On 12/29/2018 at 6:44 PM, Sam goodrich said: The doctor said it was not a live virus. I haven’t had a crash this bad since 2015. Have worked my way up to climbing mountains and working 12 hour days . I believe it was the flu shot, I went downhill a hour after the injection I am not sure then. Maybe it was just the shot itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam goodrich Posted December 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 On 12/30/2018 at 5:38 AM, Pistol said: Dear @Sam goodrich - it was years ago so I do not really remember. I think it was several weeks but back then I was really unstable. I believe - and this is just a theory - that the flu shot triggered the immune system and that caused the flare. I guess that is what the flu shot is supposed to do - build up immunity. And that simple step - I believe - caused the flare. We are so sensitive to any changes within our bodies that something like that can do it. Hope you get well soon - hang in there and hydrate!!! How are you doing now? How long have you had pots? Have you had a flu shot since? I will hang in there, hope all is well for you now. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam goodrich Posted December 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 On 12/30/2018 at 10:14 AM, MomtoGiuliana said: In my case with B12 shot--I also crashed within hours of receiving the shot. And at first I thought it was a fluke bc I was in a POTS relapse. However I had two more and each time, within hours, I was in a worse state, severe tachycardia, dizziness, weakness, muscle pains, unable to stand or walk well. I was already in a relapse as it was. It took 2 months for me to come out of the relapse. The relapse did not start with the B12 shots, IMO it started due to my B12 going too low. I was diagnosed with low B12 which is why I was getting the shots. Swell it’s good to know others have had reactions to shots. Kinda crazy how a shot can set us so far back. It’s been years since I had a pots crash that I wasn’t able to shake of in a day. Going to be more cautious with shots now. I hope you are doing better now? Have you had any more shots recently ? I’m slowly starting to snap out of it. I get such bad anxiety from pots. Seems to be hardest symptom to get under control. Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 2 hours ago, Sam goodrich said: Swell it’s good to know others have had reactions to shots. Kinda crazy how a shot can set us so far back. It’s been years since I had a pots crash that I wasn’t able to shake of in a day. Going to be more cautious with shots now. I hope you are doing better now? Have you had any more shots recently ? I’m slowly starting to snap out of it. I get such bad anxiety from pots. Seems to be hardest symptom to get under control. Thanks ! Maybe you had some other trigger and the shot simply amplified it for some reason? It is frustrating that it is so hard to know why we crash. I am far better now. I did get flu shot in early November and had no issues at all. I understand regarding anxiety. It's hard not to feel anxious with some of these symptoms. If you can find ways to control the anxiety it can help, in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted January 1, 2019 Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 On 12/29/2018 at 6:54 PM, Sam goodrich said: Hmm that is odd. Everyone’s different I guess. I am certain it was the flu shot that triggered my pots again. I worked hard for years to defeat pots and had succeeded to what I had thought was a normal life again. Until crashing hard a hour after the shot. Rapid heart rate upon standing/ vertigo / impaired thinking. Going on two weeks. How long did it take you to recover after the B12 shot???? Thank you Unfortunately Dysautonomia is a condition that waxes and wanes in a way that is beyond our control. The best of us cn relapse even though we work hard at our fitness, etc. Usually the initial diagnosis is the hardest and the next time around it is easier. Getting a bad case of the flu is also something that can cause a relapse so most doctors do advise to get the shot. I’ve gotten it every year. I have felt dizzy sometimes right after getting the shot but it has gone away in a few hours. I hope you’re back to your baseline soon.have you checked in with your doctor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunny Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Keep in mind that many "normal" people have reactions to the flu shot. My SO (normal health) got the flu shot in '17 and it knocked her on her butt for about a week. I generally have a very good immune system, BUT, it's very energy intensive and drains me when it engages. This of course makes me more symptomatic. On the flu shot, I don't get them. Why? I'll let the CDC's own studies speak for themselves: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/effectiveness-studies.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toomanyproblems Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 POTS is really a syndrome not one disease. It can be caused by different things. In my case it's thought to be caused by autoimmune disease. If this is the cause of your POTS, it could be that the adjuvant in the vaccine caused the reaction. An adjuvant is something added to a vaccine that helps boost the general immune response of the body so that a specific immune response, such as the one the flu vaccine is trying to illicit, can take hold easier. An adjuvant usually acts on the body more quickly than the new desired immune response such as the flu immunity response. Because it's a general immune response booster, it has the potential to get autoimmune disease stirred up, although this is not always the case because they're very sophisticated these days. Because you report feeling worse very soon after the vaccine, it could be from the adjuvant, which **might** have stirred things up for your especially delicate balance with POTS. It can cause even healthy people to feel bad. Or, as others have written, another additive might have somehow unbalanced your unique system. Personally, I haven't had a flu shot in 30 years. I've had other pretty severe autoimmune diseases for many years even before I knew I had POTS. The last time I got one I was sick for six weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potsie1990 Posted January 29, 2019 Report Share Posted January 29, 2019 I can not have vaccines, flu shot, or Botox without a severe crash and relapse!!! The last vaccines I got before my trip to Africa (before I knew I had pots) I was soooooooooooooo sick. Took months to recover; and never did fully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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