Legit Reasons Not to Get a Flu Vaccine

Can anyone give me a legitimate reason not to get a flu vaccine? And a link to a reputable source that gives the reason? I think vaccines (for anything dangerous or ect) are important, but I am curious if it matters to get one for the seasonal flu, as of the fact that I have a strong phobia of needles and have the urge to get the hell out of any situation when a sharp object is being stabbed into me.

Cuz thats how they gitcha!

There’s no such thing as the flu, all they are doing is implanting microchips in your body so they can monitor your every movement.

[quote]sufiandy wrote:
There’s no such thing as the flu, all they are doing is implanting microchips in your body so they can monitor your every movement.[/quote]
Exactly bro, the way we stop that is tinfoil armor and castration.

This new chick I’m with said I need a dick reduction.

Like wtf bitch?! Never calling her back again.

watch the first X files movie

[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
This new chick I’m with said I need a dick reduction.

Like wtf bitch?! Never calling her back again.[/quote]

Hahaha, wtf?

So me and some of my cool bros are having this convo and they were all like don’t take vaccines bro they’re steroids, then as I was looking at my hawt abz and flexing my 12 inches pipes with a face akin to a troll face I said, nah brah I already take creatine so I’m not clean bro. Then we both did assisted curls in the squat rack and spotted each other for bench press like this - YouTube (skip to bench spotting.)

I don’t pretend to have evidence one way or another and I’m willing to be convinced otherwise, but my feeling is that healthy adults who do not risk serious complications from a flu might be needlessly risking a brief period of immune system vulnerability where there is a good chance of getting run down by another bug. BUT if said healthy adult spends any time around vulnerable people, getting the shot might decrease the risk for the people around them and in that case getting the shot would be the right thing to do.

LOL @ Skyzyks. (OMG Sky I JUST noticed the palindrome there in your username. My OCD is gleeful)

The flu vaccine only protects against what are expected to be the most common viruses of the season… so, the vaccine is no guarantee that you won’t get sick. Now, if there is no copay for the shot, this isn’t really a major consideration since you’d have gotten sick either way, but it IS worth noting, I guess. Out of pocket, you might be out around $30, or so.

The shots are typically not that bad; a 25G 1" needle in the deltoid is fairly standard assuming you aren’t tubby or anorexic, but the degree to which you feel it will really depend upon who is giving the injection. If you are particularly averse to needles, the Fluzone vaccine is now offered as an intradermal injection, as well.

If you are STILL scared, consider sucking it up your nose (FluMist nasal spray). Unlike the shots, though, this method utilizes live, albeit attenuated, viruses. While you won’t get the flu from them (they are designed to be inactive at body temp), a runny nose or congestion is a possible side effect, as is a slight risk of passing these symptoms on to someone else if you get too close and sneeze/breath in their direction.

[quote]DSSG wrote:
Can anyone give me a legitimate reason not to get a flu vaccine? And a link to a reputable source that gives the reason? I think vaccines (for anything dangerous or ect) are important, but I am curious if it matters to get one for the seasonal flu, as of the fact that I have a strong phobia of needles and have the urge to get the hell out of any situation when a sharp object is being stabbed into me. [/quote]

“First do no harm” Say you have a perfectly healthy individual and some blend of many substances in a needle. Are you really going to inject those substances into the healthy body when there is no taking it back once they are injected? What if there is an unknown contaminant? What if there is an unknown allergen or sensitivity? What if there is some unknown consequence of the vaccine?

All for a vaccine that is usually ineffective. The vaccine selection is typically a guess as to what strains will circulate each season. On top of that, we (human individuals) hardly ever get the flu. I went from 15 years old until 31 without ever even catching a cold. I’ve had the flu for sure once since then, maybe twice. 48 years old-14 years as a kid =34 years and I’ve had the flu maybe twice in that time vs 34 hit or miss injections that are a crap shoot as to weather they could actually harm me? No thanks, I’ll take my chances vs nature.

For the record, my opinion (as a doctor) is immune, respiratory or heart compromised individuals should get the flu vaccine.

[quote]debraD wrote:

LOL @ Skyzyks. (OMG Sky I JUST noticed the palindrome there in your username. My OCD is gleeful)[/quote]

Oh crap, you just took away the joy I would have had when I eventually noticed it myself!

Wash your hands more and you will be good. I got a 6 hour flu last year and I got over it and with no flu shot. Bam.

[quote]Chushin wrote:
Sorry; no references, but I’ve read that number of flu shots correlates positively with chances of developing Altzhimers disease. And there was a pretty substantial increase involved…[/quote]

There will always be a plus and minus to everything.

[quote]on edge wrote:
On top of that, we (human individuals) hardly ever get the flu.[/quote]

“It is estimated that, on average, approximately 5% to 20% of U.S. residents get the flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year.”

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm#deaths

[quote]Chushin wrote:
Sorry; no references, but I’ve read that number of flu shots correlates positively with chances of developing Altzhimers disease. And there was a pretty substantial increase involved…

Edit: "The primary study linking Alzheimer’s with the flu vaccine was conducted by Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, MD, an immunogeneticist and biologist with nearly 850 papers published in peer review journals. According to his findings, individuals who received “Five consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease is 10 times higher than if they had zero, one, or two shots.”

Read more: Flu Shots & Alzheimer’s Disease | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5409913_flu-shots-alzheimers-disease.html#ixzz2DaTPghz9

http://www.ehow.com/about_5409913_flu-shots-alzheimers-disease.html [/quote]

I’m too lazy to argue the science, so how about this, instead:

Ask for a vaccine without thimerosol, or at least ask if they utilize multi-use vials. Fluzone is available as both pre-filled syringes (.25 and .5 ml) that are free of this preservative; only the multi-use vial contains this preservative at a concentration of .25 mcg/dose.

Same goes for Afluria and Fluarix, though I believe the latter only comes as single-use syringes.

FluMist doesn’t contain it, either.

[quote]Chushin wrote:
Sorry; no references, but I’ve read that number of flu shots correlates positively with chances of developing Altzhimers disease. And there was a pretty substantial increase involved…

Edit: "The primary study linking Alzheimer’s with the flu vaccine was conducted by Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, MD, an immunogeneticist and biologist with nearly 850 papers published in peer review journals. According to his findings, individuals who received “Five consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease is 10 times higher than if they had zero, one, or two shots.”

Read more: Flu Shots & Alzheimer’s Disease | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5409913_flu-shots-alzheimers-disease.html#ixzz2DaTPghz9

http://www.ehow.com/about_5409913_flu-shots-alzheimers-disease.html [/quote]

Guy is a quack.

In November 1995, the South Carolina medical board found Fudenberg “guilty of engaging in dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct,” fined him $10,000, ordered him to surrender his license to prescribe controlled substances (narcotic drugs), and placed his license on indefinite suspension. The Board’s order, shown below, said that he could apply for probationary status if he underwent a neuropsychiatric examination and was judged capable of practicing medicine safely. In March 1996, he was permitted to resume practice under terms of probation that did not permit him to prescribe any drugs. His license expired in January 2004; and in March 2004, he applied to have it reinstated. However, after a hearing in which the Board considered a neuropsychatric report issued in 2003, Fudenberg agreed to remain in a “retired” status and withdrew his application for reactivation of his license. The South Carolina board’s Web site lists his license as “lapsed.”

[quote]on edge wrote:

[quote]DSSG wrote:
Can anyone give me a legitimate reason not to get a flu vaccine? And a link to a reputable source that gives the reason? I think vaccines (for anything dangerous or ect) are important, but I am curious if it matters to get one for the seasonal flu, as of the fact that I have a strong phobia of needles and have the urge to get the hell out of any situation when a sharp object is being stabbed into me. [/quote]

“First do no harm” Say you have a perfectly healthy individual and some blend of many substances in a needle. Are you really going to inject those substances into the healthy body when there is no taking it back once they are injected? What if there is an unknown contaminant? What if there is an unknown allergen or sensitivity? What if there is some unknown consequence of the vaccine?

All for a vaccine that is usually ineffective. The vaccine selection is typically a guess as to what strains will circulate each season. On top of that, we (human individuals) hardly ever get the flu. I went from 15 years old until 31 without ever even catching a cold. I’ve had the flu for sure once since then, maybe twice. 48 years old-14 years as a kid =34 years and I’ve had the flu maybe twice in that time vs 34 hit or miss injections that are a crap shoot as to weather they could actually harm me? No thanks, I’ll take my chances vs nature.

For the record, my opinion (as a doctor) is immune, respiratory or heart compromised individuals should get the flu vaccine.[/quote]

People die from the flu every year, and not only the very old or the very young.

An unknown contaminant? Anything you eat might contain unknown contaminants & allergens.

Flu vaccine is as safe as it gets. I take it because due to all the patients that I see I get the flu every year and I don’t want to be sick for a couple of days.

You said you’re a doctor, what field are you in?

EDIT: To the OP, if you’re really scared of needles and don’t have any reasons to get the vaccine all you will potentially lose are a couple of days of sickness. On the other hand, it might be a good way to expose yourself to your needle-phobia (the usual way to threat such phobias). The flu is largely benign, you COULD die from it. The vaccine is safe but you could die from it or it might contribute in some unknown way to another disease. Everything can. A mate’s father had to take a certain drug, on which he reacted very badly (liver failure) leading to a case report and a new side-effect. Everything we are talking about are extremely small possibilities and are irrelevant, in a way even for healthcare professionals. You have a bigger chance of getting hit by a car, maybe even of winning the lottery!

I think for you the considerations should be: missing a couple days of work due to the flu VS your needle phobia (and maybe the financial aspect, I don’t know how much the vaccine costs in the U.S.A.).
The potential complications arising from both the flu and the vaccine are real but very small.