Should Lyme disease patients with an impaired immune system get the COVID-19 vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted mRNA COVID-19 vaccination considerations for people who have a weakened immune system. “People with HIV and those with weakened immune systems due to other illnesses or medication might be at increased risk for severe COVID-19.” [1] Individuals with Lyme disease, who may have an impaired immune system, have expressed concern over the vaccine.
People can have an impaired immune system from an overactive and underactive immune response. “A strong immune system responds appropriately to the challenge; a weak immune system may over-respond or under-respond,” explains Kostoff and colleagues in the journal International Journal of Molecular Medicine. [2] Should Lyme patients get the COVID-19 vaccine?
They added, “A weakened immune system appears to be the main determinant of serious/fatal reaction to viral infection (for COVID-19, SARS, and influenza alike).”
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are examples of an over-response of the immune system. Lyme disease is another example of an overactive immune response. [3]
The CDC report touched on the risk to individuals with a weakened immune system in developing a severe COVID-19 infection. [1] It acknowledges that there is limited safety data on the use of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with an impaired immune system. “Information about the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people who have weakened immune systems in this group is not yet available.”
The report pointed out that, “People with weakened immune systems should also be aware of the potential for reduced immune responses to the vaccine, as well as the need to continue following all current guidance to protect themselves against COVID-19.”
The CDC guidance report was issued to allow individuals with a weakened immune system to make “an informed decision about receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.”
The authors point out that there is little information above the vaccine’s impact on individuals with autoimmune conditions. “They should be aware that no data are currently available on the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for them.” Nevertheless, the authors advised treatment.
Editor’s note: It is clear that COVID-19 can be severe for some individuals. There is a paucity of information on the risks and benefits of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccination for Lyme disease patients. I have been advising my patients to take the mRNA COVID-19 vaccination based on a review of the risks and benefits. Some doctors have advised against taking the COVID-19 vaccination based on their risk and benefit assessment.
Related Articles:
Are you reluctant to take the COVID-19 vaccine?
Opinion: Low COVID-19 vaccine trust among Lyme disease patients
References:
- Vaccination Considerations for Persons with Underlying Medical Conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/underlying-conditions.html Last accessed 12/31/20.
- Kostoff RN, Briggs MB, Porter AL, Aschner M, Spandidos DA, Tsatsakis A. [Editorial] COVID19: Postlockdown guidelines. Int J Mol Med. Aug 2020;46(2):463-466. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2020.4640
- Aucott JN, Soloski MJ, Rebman AW, et al. CCL19 as a Chemokine Risk Factor for Posttreatment Lyme Disease Syndrome: a Prospective Clinical Cohort Study. Clin Vaccine Immunol. Sep 2016;23(9):757-66. doi:10.1128/CVI.00071-16
cheryl meehan
07/11/2021 (9:11 pm)
I have had the two Moderna shots and now feel like I am riddled with lyme. My joints hurt, I’m stiff and I have neuropathy. I feel 20 years older and I’m 62. Has this happened to anyone else?
Karen Van Dyke
08/05/2021 (5:48 pm)
I am reading because my disabled son is being tested today for Lyme disease snd we were leaning towards him being vaccinated with moderns in next couple weeks( before we knew about Lyme).
I have been bit by 100’s of ticks in my lifetime, but have never thought I had Lyme disease, but after the Shots I hsve had difficulty with joints and feel 20 years older. In fact, they gave me a hip replacement, but I don’t think my hip was causing the difficulty walking thst I now have agsin. Just read an article saying it does not cause issues with joints and arthritis and sadly thst tells me it does.
Carrie Morales
08/30/2021 (12:01 am)
Yes, I came to research for that very reason. Since I have been fully vaxd with Moderna since April, I feel like the Lyme beast has awakened within me. Neuro especially.
Tamara Flores
09/04/2021 (1:17 am)
Hi Cheryl, yes, I feel awful. I received my 1st dose 3 weeks ago and I was rushed to the ER two weeks later. Today, I almost went back but managed to take the pain. It’s been awful. My second dose is scheduled for tomorrow. I will be skipping out. It’s such a scary time.
Isabel
07/07/2021 (6:43 am)
I had my first case of lyme 15 years ago , at that time Drs were not aware of it, I thought I was on remisión after being very ill for 7 years and got bit again and had a Bartonella, and a Babiesi coinfection this time I went with a lyme specialist and ,lyme has been under control after being very ill another 4 years ago, I have done everything in my power to stay healthy, my protocol is 300 dollars a month, I’ve had 4 surgeries in the last 4 years, I will not put myself at a health risk knowing there is no data on long term effects with the vaccine, my lyme Dr recommends it’s best not to take the vaccine, I am 69 years old and I refuse to put myself at risk of being ill again, my chances of getting Covid are way lower than getting sick or dying with an experimental vaccine.
Terry Sullivan
09/21/2021 (3:37 am)
I have had Lyme disease in the past which was basically dormant. I had been very healthy and active. I am 65. Four days after I received an RNA Covid 19 vaccine, I developed severe knee pain in both knees and neuropathy in one foot, and sciatica. I tried a course of doxycycline and visited a chiropractor and am trying Dr. Buhner’s Lyme protocol. I plan on trying acupuncture also. My sciatica is gone and the neuropathy is better, but the joint pain is still too severe to return to my activity level. The terrible side effects are under reported.
Stephanie
06/30/2021 (9:10 am)
I’m in the same boat. Stressed about it everyday. One dr says not to get it one dr says to get it . I’m so torn and confused . I usually get the bad and rare reactions to everything also so there’s that.
Btw I love dr cameron he was my lyme dr for over 2 years.
Diane Willard
06/28/2021 (12:15 pm)
I’m curious has anyone had covid, then gotten the first Pfizer shot, had a flare of symptoms (still on going 3 weeks later), and then gotten the 2nd shot. If so, how did you do? Thanks!
Elizabeth Dinges
07/14/2021 (7:53 pm)
Diane, the same thing happened to me! I had covid in November then got my first Pfizer shot in March and it flared my Lyme up badly. I still don’t feel like I have recovered and it has been 4 months. I am unsure of what to do about getting the second shot for fear it will make me even worse. What did you find out??
Julianne Philp
06/26/2021 (11:15 am)
I had the first Pfizer shot on 3/22. Took my antibiotic on day 5 and 7 after the vaccine. On 3/30 my body created a severe Lyme storm. Burning, pins and needles, chest wall pain and chills all night. Brain inflammation a result and included blurry vision, brain fog, high sensitivity to light and sound, motion sickness and extreme anxiety along with inability to sleep. I was put on bed rest for 2 weeks. Returned to work for 4 days thinking I was good. That weekend, couldn’t get out of bed. Showed up for work on Monday 4/19 and was sent home with weakness and pounding heart. Have been on sick leave ever since. Ended up being in bed for around 8 weeks. LLMD put me on Invermectin which helped at first but eventually had to stop due to increased pain. On June 1st started IV Rocephin.
Started to come out of it. Dr ran bloodwork again for Lyme and co infection testing. Tested positive for Bartonella which was undetected before the vaccine. Now on oral antibiotics for Bartonella. And the kicker- no antibodies or T cell response from the Pfizer vaccine. Now what? I’ve never been so sick in my life and I’m still unprotected from Covid. I need to go back into the classroom in September. What can I do to protect myself?
Dorothy
08/03/2021 (10:58 pm)
Why would you take an antibiotic 5 days after a vaccine? What was the purpose? The vaccine builds up your immunity – for a period of 3 weeks (and then you take the 2nd shot) but you wiped out your immunity when you took the antibiotic. It sounds like such bad timing to follow a vaccine with antibiotics. Please explain. ???
Dr. Daniel Cameron
08/04/2021 (7:29 am)
I would appreciate it if you could have any evidence to support your concerns. Antibiotics kill natural bacteria in the nose and gut. Antibiotics also can lead to a Herxheimer reaction. And, there is also the concern of leaving a persistent tick-borne infection untreated.
Julianne Philp
08/09/2021 (9:56 pm)
Hi Dorothy,
I continued my antibiotic treatment under the care of my LLMD. I was taking my antibiotic 3 times a week and a second antibiotic every 7 to 10 days. So I had the vaccine and continued with my Lyme treatment.
I hope this makes my post more understandable.
JOANNA
10/13/2021 (7:44 pm)
ABX do not affect viruses, only bacteria.
Annie
08/30/2021 (9:59 pm)
Julianne,
I feel for you. I had to stop teaching many years ago when I collapsed from severe multiple chemical sensitivities.
I also have a Lyme co-infection, bartonella, and two other auto-immune conditions along with low immunity.
I have been helped with any flu symptoms by liquid herbs and supplements called Buried Treasure, made by a co. called ACF.
Maybe some of the herbs that well-known herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner recommends as anti-virals would protect you from covid. They were tested before covid-19 came along, with SARS patients. Buhner thinks SARS was similar enough to covid-19 for the same herbs to be preventive. I dont know whether he has written anything about the Delta variant and whether the same herbs
work for that. You can find the full list of herbs in one section of his book, Herbal Anti-Virals. They include lomatium, scutellaria baicalensis, houttynia, ginger tincture, licorice tincture (I would take deglycerized licorice–easier on gut), isatis and others. (Some of these are only available online.) I don’t know whether they work on the Delta variant. Maybe glutathione would also help you?
A friend with dysautonomia and other Lyme symtoms was helped by IV Vitamin C and was on antibiotics for a long time. And, while this may sound far-fetched, people have used strong anti-viral herbs— thyme, oregano and eucalyptus— for centuries for plagues. You can make a steam tent with a towel over your head held over a pot of boiling water with thyme and oregano in it and breathe it in. Careful to keep your head high enough to avoid burns. Or, you can use these as essential oils diluted in a pure oil like olive or coconut and put the mix into a diffuser. As long as you breathe them in, it’s fine. Cinammon and lemon or lemon balm EOs have been tested in some study and shown to help reduce viral load. I use them altogether in a diffuser. Just to be clear, all of this is to protect against covid, not to treat the Lyme. I hope some of it is helpful. And I really hope the LD / vax reactions clear up very soon so that you can get back to the classroom.