Have you ever come across advices that ask you to take Panadol pills right before and after the Covid-19 vaccine?
According to the advice, it is common that people experience mild side effects such as fever and muscle ache for a few days after the shot, and Panadol pills will help relieve them.
As Malaysians puzzle about whether to take them, a pharmacist, Amir from Ministry of Health (MOH) had clarified that it is not recommended to take Panadol pills before the vaccination.
He said that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend taking any painkillers before vaccination for the purpose of trying to prevent side effects.
This comes after experts said that it is not known whether painkillers have any effect on the vaccine, where there are possibility it may affect the effectiveness of the vaccine.
In addition, Amir says “Hence, it is safer to only take Panadol after getting the jab, if you have fever or body aches. If you don’t experience these, don’t take Panadol either.”
Even so, there are several types of Panadol in the Malaysian market and it is best to understand their effects before consuming them. He continue explaining that Panadol Actifast, Panadol Soluble, and Panadol Extra are not recommended for people with hypertension as Actifast and Soluble contains added sodium and Extra contains caffeine, which may elevate the blood pressure.
“The function of Sodium is to accelerate the absorption of Paracetamol at the small intestine. We’ll feel the effect of the medicine faster, however, it is less suitable for patients suffering from hypertension.”
Lastly, he reminds everybody that the maximum dose for paracetamol is 4000mg, or 4g a day, which is equivalent to 8 tablets.
Read the full thread from Amir here:
