Can taking Tylenol minimize the effectiveness of the Covid-19 Vaccine?

Now that millions of people are getting one of the available Covid-19 vaccines daily, a lot of questions and concerns are popping up, like possible side effects, bad reactions, and the like.  One question is whether or not taking Tylenol to prevent possible side effects, which seems like a logical, good idea, could minimize the effectiveness of the vaccine.  The concern is that premedicating with a pain reliever like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), which can prevent side effects like arm soreness as well as fever or headache, might also blunt your body’s immune response.

The experts say that you should not try to stave off discomfort by taking a pain reliever before getting the shot, but, what if you already have?  Did you just “ruin it?”  Do you need to get another vaccine?

While it is possible that taking a pain reliever before your shots might have dampened your body’s immune response, vaccine experts say you should not worry, and you should not try to get a new round of replacement shots. Studies of other vaccines suggest that while premedicating can dull the body’s immune response to a vaccine, your immune system can still mount a strong enough defense to fight infection. A review of studies of more than 5,000 children compared antibody levels in children who took pain relievers before and after vaccinations and those who did not. They found that pain relievers did not have a meaningful impact on immune response and that children in both groups generated adequate levels of antibodies after their shots.

The high efficacy of all the COVID vaccines suggests that even if taking Tylenol before the shot did blunt your body’s immune response, there is some wiggle room, and you are likely still well protected against COVID-19. “You should feel reassured that you’ll have enough of an immune response that you’ll will be protected, especially for vaccines that are this good,” said Offit.

That’s what the experts say about pre-medicating for the vaccine, but what about taking a pain reliever after the shot?  “It’s OK to treat” side effects with a pain reliever, said Offit, but if you do not really need one, “don’t take it.”

While most experts agree it is safe to take a pain reliever to relieve discomfort after you get vaccinated, they advise against taking it after the shot as a preventive or if your symptoms are manageable without it. The concern with taking an unnecessary pain reliever is that it could blunt some of the effects of the vaccine. (In terms of the vaccine, there is no meaningful difference if you choose acetaminophen or ibuprofen.)

It is really important to point out that during the Moderna trial, about 26% of people took acetaminophen to relieve side effects, and the overall efficacy of the vaccine still was 94%.

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