Should I get flu shot when family physician don''t want to give it to me?

[sasa]

I am 20 weeks pregnant, my OB instruct me to get flu shot from my family physician. But my family physician refuse to give it to me when I went and ask for a flu shot.

He said he don''t give flu shot to pregnant patients because he don''t think there is enough study on it. He called my OB and they had a talk, his office called me today to tell me that I can come in for flu shot, but what he said before make me really uneasy about flu shot now...

I''m happy to hear some opinion from u guys.

 

[TravelingGal]

Timely post, as I was going to post about this on the preggo thread...

first of all, congrats on your pregnancy!

The CDC recommends flu shots for all pregnant women. However, I have learned to trust no one, so two nights ago, I spent a few hours researching.

While certainly not proven, there is a camp out there that believe thimerosal (the preservative in vaccines) might be one of the culprits that cause autism. So a few years ago, to be on the safe side, thimerosal was taken out of vaccines given to young children/babies.

EXCEPT for the flu shot. There ARE flu shots available that are thimerosal "free". However those are in much shorter supply. We as pregnant women are told not to consume too much canned tuna and certain kinds of fish because of the levels of mercury, but flu shots are recommend when they have a lot more mercury in them? Didn''t make sense to me...even though I''ve also read it''s a "different" kind of mercury.

Still, I don''t want to get sick with the flu while pregnant. My pilates instructor has an autistic child. For whatever reason, she is convinced it has to do with the crippling flu she got when she was 7 months pregnant. Everyone has a theory...

So I searched for which manufacturers made thimerosal free flu shots in the hopes of getting one of those. Guess what...7 states have banned giving flu shots with thimerosal in them to pregnant women and children under 3, and one of them is my state...California. Here is the link of some info I found which lists the states. The organization that put this out was pretty vocal in the press and you''ll find them quoted in different news sites.

http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/f.5.pdf

And here''s the california list of approved flu shots

http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/izgroup/pdf/Orderingfluvaccinefor07-08.pdf

Therefore I''ll be getting the thimerosal free version, but I am going to ask to make sure. In California the law only came into effect last year and was even suspended temporarily because of shortage.

Hope that helps!

 

[chrono]

I opted NOT to get flu shots while pregnant (both times) because I was too concerned with the uncertainty/unproven concerns about mercury in the formulations. I would only do so with the thimerosal free vaccines.

 

[sasa]

Thank you TravelingGal for the information, I also live in California. I''m going to ask my physician if their flu shot supply has thimerosal in it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/26/2007 12:12:27 PM
Author: Bobo ^__*
Thank you TravelingGal for the information, I also live in California. I''m going to ask my physician if their flu shot supply has thimerosal in it.

If it does, it''s illegal to give it to you...

Good luck!

 

[sasa]

just talked to a nurse from the doctor''s office. Their flu shot supply does contain thimerosal. I guess I''m not getting it there.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/26/2007 5:29:29 PM
Author: Bobo ^__*
just talked to a nurse from the doctor''s office. Their flu shot supply does contain thimerosal. I guess I''m not getting it there.

Obviously all health care professionals don''t know about the law here in California, which is why it''s important that we need to educate ourselves. The Internet is a great thing...

Ask your OB''s office. One would hope they would know about the law.

 

[TravelingGal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20996847/

Interesting article on Thimerosal today. What I find striking is that most of the docs who did the study are probably strongly pro drug company...

 

[sasa]

Thanks for the article..I agree with you.

I think I will skip flu shot this year because my family feel strongly about the flu shot and i''m uncertain about it. Also my OB office doesn''t give flu shot so..

I guess lot more hand washing and mask if necessary if people around me are sick...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/27/2007 11:59:32 AM
Author: Bobo ^__*
Thanks for the article..I agree with you.

I think I will skip flu shot this year because my family feel strongly about the flu shot and i''m uncertain about it. Also my OB office doesn''t give flu shot so..

I guess lot more hand washing and mask if necessary if people around me are sick...

Yeah, I may have skipped it too, except that I am doing a decent amount of flying during the season, including one trip to Australia. Two years ago, I sat next to someone very ill on a flight to Sydney and soon thereafter I was knocked out with one of the worst flus I have ever had for almost two weeks. Great way to spend my vacation.

If you change your mind, your OB office may know where the thimerosal free shots are given.

 

[icekid]

Date: 9/27/2007 11:48:51 AM
Author: TravelingGal
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20996847/

Interesting article on Thimerosal today. What I find striking is that most of the docs who did the study are probably strongly pro drug company...

I am not personally bothered by the fact that the researchers have previously worked for/ with drug companies. Nor do I think it makes them pro-pharma necessarily either. Leave it to the media to sensationalize things. Much of our medical research is pharma funded, as they are the ones with the $$$. This study was published in one of the most respected medical journals in the world. Of course, it is important to read the actual study (I have not yet) and take a look at their methods and statistics before drawing your own conclusion.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I haven''t read the article, but being a publishing professional who worked for a leading medical journal I have to chime in.

All doctors who do research and publish in medical journals MUST declare their connections with any drug company associated with the study and some line about it is usually published with the article. It''s standard practice to declare your connections, and unethical not to.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Source article can be accessed here: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/13/1281

and standard disclaimer
"Supported by the CDC.

Dr. Thompson reports being a former employee of Merck; Dr. Marcy, receiving consulting fees from Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, and MedImmune; Dr. Jackson, receiving grant support from Wyeth, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis, lecture fees from Sanofi Pasteur, and consulting fees from Wyeth and Abbott and serving as a consultant to the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee; Dr. Lieu, serving as a consultant to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; Dr. Black, receiving consulting fees from MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Merck and grant support from MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Merck, and Novartis; and Dr. Davis receiving consulting fees from Merck and grant support from Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported. "

I wouldn't say that they have ulterior motives or an agenda with their findings, but I would never base a decision like this on one study. I would wait to hear what the CDC report on thimerisol and autism shows.

 

[TravelingGal]

I agree HH...in the meantime, we all have the responsibility to do what is best for our bodies and our (unborn) children.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Oh, without a doubt. Trust your intuition.

I may jinx myself saying this, but I''ve never gotten a flu shot and you know what? I''ve never had the flu. However, I do know it can be frustrating for a pregnant woman to be sick and not able to take anything except Tylenol to help.

Best of luck everyone!

 

[pavelover]

hi travelin gal
i am so glad to read this post. I have been a bit stressed out about the whole flu vaccine thing. I am a nurse and did you read also that the flu vaccine is now mandatory for health care providers? I have never gotten the flu shot but thought I would this time becasue I am pregnant. But the poster at my job has information that you shouldn''t get one if you are allergic to thimerosol(sp). so that means it must contain it. I do not understand how they are going to try to force a pregnant woman to get a shot that contains thimerisol. I don''t have my first ob appt until oct 12th. I am definitely not doing anything until I talk to the doctor and get more info. thanks for the info.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/27/2007 12:58:47 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Oh, without a doubt. Trust your intuition.

I may jinx myself saying this, but I''ve never gotten a flu shot and you know what? I''ve never had the flu. However, I do know it can be frustrating for a pregnant woman to be sick and not able to take anything except Tylenol to help.

Best of luck everyone!

I''ve never gotten a flu shot either and wouldn''t have even considered it during either of my pregnancies. Getting the flu sucks, but I use it as an excuse to lay around on the couch while my husband takes over parenting duties - like grocery shopping. hehehe

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I think I only have gotten the flu shot once a few years ago. According to the nurse who taught one of our baby classes Thimerosal and mercury are no longer used in any vac. Hard to know what to believe (just like the whole BPA issue).

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/30/2007 9:15:28 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I think I only have gotten the flu shot once a few years ago. According to the nurse who taught one of our baby classes Thimerosal and mercury are no longer used in any vac. Hard to know what to believe (just like the whole BPA issue).

Not used in any vaccine for young uns, but the flu shot still has it.

If I didn''t travel as much as I did, I would avoid the shot altogether since I work from home when I am not on a plane. But too many people just are not considerate and do travel while contagiously and virulently il. Almost every time I get sick, it''s because of some bozo on a plane.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 10/1/2007 12:35:49 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 9/30/2007 9:15:28 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

I think I only have gotten the flu shot once a few years ago. According to the nurse who taught one of our baby classes Thimerosal and mercury are no longer used in any vac. Hard to know what to believe (just like the whole BPA issue).

Not used in any vaccine for young uns, but the flu shot still has it.


If I didn''t travel as much as I did, I would avoid the shot altogether since I work from home when I am not on a plane. But too many people just are not considerate and do travel while contagiously and virulently il. Almost every time I get sick, it''s because of some bozo on a plane.

Oh ok. Good to know. I am certainly NOT against vaccines. But there do seem to be a few out there that aren''t life or death (ie flu shot, chicken pox...)