Flu Shot Help

kneill15

Im 20 weeks along and it being flu season and as reccommended by my doctor I went to receive my flu shot at our local Rite Aid pharmacy. After filling out the papers, the pharmacist says "I don't know which one to give you since your pregnant." And I asked what she meant and she said "I don't know which brand is better than the others for you." So she emailed someone to ask and after an hour of waiting no reply. So I called my Dr and the nurse said to just get the standard flu shot........which didn't help me when the pharmacist was saying that some brands were better than others...and eventually she picked the one with the least amount of preservatives in it...


So my question is, has any one done research on if It matters what brand you get? Or does it all do it's job the same. And is my little one going to be fine with having the flu shot.

cmerribury

The biggest thing is to NOT get the nasal spray. However, I have it written down on a paper somewhere from my OB, that there is a specific type she prefers for pregnant women. I'll look tonight and get back to you.

kneill15

@cmerribury that would be great thank you! I called the pharmacy where I got the shot and they said it was Afluria. So I am hoping that this one is okay.

kynbar5

Not to be an ass but does it matter if you already got it? What I mean is, you can't take it back so I'm not fully understanding unless you decided not to get it while you were there.

PinkSunglasses16

If the pharmacist was that unsure of what to give, I would not have gotten it there.

ecwk

PinkSunglasses16 said:

If the pharmacist was that unsure of what to give, I would not have gotten it there.

Yeeeeah. Alarm bells! I'm sure it's fine OP though

kneill15

@kynbar5 guess it really doesnt...but the question was more for a peace of mind thing rather than a wanting to take it back thing. No need to be rude....

ramosmonster

Both my doctor, and HR at my job told me there is a flu shot for pregnant women without thimerosal, which is better for pregnant women. So i assume the brand without thimerosal is the one to get.

by the way, "Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound (an organomercurial)"

kynbar5

Wasn't trying to be rude, as I clearly stated "not to be an ass" but honestly, like the pp have stated- if the pharmacist wasn't even sure what to give you, then maybe that should have been your clue to walk away. I assure you, there could have been much more rude responses than that.

cmerribury

ramosmonster said:

Both my doctor, and HR at my job told me there is a flu shot for pregnant women without thimerosal, which is better for pregnant women. So i assume the brand without thimerosal is the one to get.

by the way, "Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound (an organomercurial)"

Yep, this was it, OP, thimerosal. I guess you can research and see if the shot you got had that. If it did, I'd check with your OB.

kneill15

Thanks for all of the replies! The Afluria doesn't contain the mercury as long as it's a single dose, so I guess we're in the clear! Sorry for the argumentative comment, I was just posting as a concerned momma to be, not trying to be mean.

oceanchild

My OB only orders the kind with mout thimerosal, but I am not a huge fan of the idea of getting vaccinated at a pharmacy, either.
And @kynbar5 definitely wasn't rude. She was just asking what most of us were already wondering.

kneill15

@kynbar5 I owe you an apology. I'm sorry I was just frustrated at the time with the situation, and concerned.

kynbar5

It's no problem at all and no apologies needed.

oceanchild

=D> @kneill15 cool move, pulling up the BGPs!
And like someone else said, i am sure everything will be fine! the only thing I've heard is that the flumist nasal spray is a no-go while preggo bc its live virus, so maybe one injection might be slightly better than the others, I'm sure it's not a huge deal, if you're comfortable getting it to begin with.

maelic

They're all fine, really. No preservatives is better, arguably, but there's no issue there either. 

The main thing is to not get the nasal mist, as the influenza virus in that is only attenuated, not inactivated.