I'm thinking of getting boosted, and honestly the side effects have me worried about timing it. I had two Pfizer shots - which I understand had lower side effects. After dose 2, I spiked a 104 degree fever, had such severe bone pain and then had a migraine the next day that lasted for 5 days. I get migraines but I have never had one like that. I have plenty of PTO at work, but I also have a lot of responsibilities and now through the holiday would be a terrible time to be out with side effects if they are the same or worse. I'm just getting to 6 months out from shot 2 but I'm in a very public facing industry with a lot of travel. To make things more complex, I kind of was thinking about getting moderna, in case that would provide greater immunity as some say.

I have a lingering headache for days after my Moderna booster.

DP - I got my moderna booster yesterday and no side effects other than a bump at the site. Hope you feel better soon, OP

Anonymous wrote:So, is the Moderna booster 1/2 dose? How about the Pfizer booster?

Just treat any headaches, body aches and fatigue as any other illness you normally get. What do you do previously before the pandemic when you are tired, fatigue, or have a headache? Rest and take a Tylenol? Or just rest and drink lots of water like most doctor recommend? Do that.
I usually take a Tylenol if any headache that seem to get worse after 3 hours. I don't take anything for a possible headache that is coming up.

OP here. Yes Moderna is a 1/2 dose, Pfizer is a full dose (but less than the Moderna 1/2.)

I’m feeling somewhat better but the headache is just not responding to the Advil. Can’t wait to feel better.

So, is the Moderna booster 1/2 dose? How about the Pfizer booster?

Just treat any headaches, body aches and fatigue as any other illness you normally get. What do you do previously before the pandemic when you are tired, fatigue, or have a headache? Rest and take a Tylenol? Or just rest and drink lots of water like most doctor recommend? Do that.
I usually take a Tylenol if any headache that seem to get worse after 3 hours. I don't take anything for a possible headache that is coming up.

OP here with an update. Shot was 11:30am yesterday. Some fatigue and headache last night but responded to Advil. Slept okay until about 5am when I woke up with aches, terrible headache and some queasiness but not full nausea. The queasiness subsided after I ate and took some Advil. Headache dulled some but is still pretty rough.

So far better than dose 2, but not as mild as I was hoping.

Same thing happened to my GF who got her Moderna booster over the weekend. She was down for the count for two straight days. She alternated between Motrin and Tylenol.

I also felt like a time bomb. I waited until my temperature started to creep up and then started with the Advil. With the second dose I hit almost 102 afterwards by stupidly trying to ride it out but this time by acting earlier I never went above 99.5.

Anonymous wrote:Were the last two moderna also?

Yes. I debated Pfizer booster but ended up just getting the Moderna (1/2 dose.) Hope I don’t regret it. If it’s awful I will definitely get the Pfizer booster next time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The guidance from the CDC is not to medicate in advance. It can dull your immune response. I had a rough time with the Moderna booster but I managed to avoid Advil until the lingering headache would just not go away after two days. Which is not to say you should be a martyr but I would not take it proactively.

I think they rescinded this and said it doesn’t matter.

Why trust the CDC at all?

Anonymous wrote:The guidance from the CDC is not to medicate in advance. It can dull your immune response. I had a rough time with the Moderna booster but I managed to avoid Advil until the lingering headache would just not go away after two days. Which is not to say you should be a martyr but I would not take it proactively.

I think they rescinded this and said it doesn’t matter.

The guidance from the CDC is not to medicate in advance. It can dull your immune response. I had a rough time with the Moderna booster but I managed to avoid Advil until the lingering headache would just not go away after two days. Which is not to say you should be a martyr but I would not take it proactively.

If you have already gotten the vaccine, it's OK to treat any side effects you have. If you feel fine, I wouldn't take anything. Definitely never take something BEFORE getting the vaccine.

Were the last two moderna also?

Had horrible flu symptoms from dose 2. Should I just start medicating now. I feel like a walking time bomb.