Flu Shots and Pain Medications

Pain Meds Decrease Flu Shot’s Effectiveness

It’s conventional wisdom that it’s helpful to give kids a dose of Tylenol or ibuprofen before they got shots, such as for flu or even now the H1N1. Turns out, that wasn’t good advice.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered that giving many common pain killers– including Advil, Tylenol, and aspirin–at the time of a shot, might decrease the effect of the shot and even have a negative effect on the immune system. These drugs seem to dilute the production of necessary antibodies to protect against illness.

So this means that a little pain (the shot) means more gain (better protection).