Older family member insists the last COVID booster gave her 'brain fog'

[CousinIT]

I haven't the heart to tell her that her "brain fog" is likely just a bit of aging.

I've looked everywhere (except the RW MAGAt sites where she probably picked up this bullshit claim) and there is no 'brain fog' side effect of COVID vaccines mentioned anywhere. There is brain fog associated with COVID / long COVID - but I can find nothing about the vaccines/boosters causing brain fog.

Does anyone else know of COVID vaccines/boosters causing brain fog? My last was Moderna (all previous were all Pfizer). I got tired and achy and had a sore arm each time. But no brain fog ever (not anymore than usual that is!)

[KarenS]

1. LOL I have Brain Fog,,,,

but I am 73 and I think it is just aging


But seriously, No I haven't heard of this from the Vaccines or Boosters.

[intrepidity]

2. I'd query her on how certain she is that she never actually had the disease

because, as you say, it sounds much more like long covid.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. No brain fog

My first booster I briefly had angina. And I don't have angina.

Second booster hit me like a Mack truck. I had it about 2 weeks after a flu shot. Fever, chills, pain, fatigue. Could do nothing but go to bed.

Third booster, covalent Omicron variety, was recent and a non event. Injection site was sore for a few days. Hardly swelled up.

Brain fog is a subjective symptom influenced by the power of suggestion.

[niyad]

5. All five of mine were Moderna, no side effects at all, not even a sore arm.

My head hurts so much from the ongoing traitorous insanity that it would be difficult to tell if there were some "brain fog".

Wait. . . who are you and what am I doing here??

[CousinIT]

6. . . .

[Tumbulu]

7. Every one of the 5 doses left me bedridden

for one to three days. But the Moderna was a week of bad. So, I only get Pfizer’s now.

I figure that getting Covid unprotected by these vaccines would have killed me with this much of a reaction!

All sorts of different reactions occur for people. Our fire marshal ( who was giving the shots out in the beginning when they were first available) was hit about the same way.

She could have brain fog from it. Who knows, right?

Hopefully it improves for her. I am a big fan of Lion’s Mane for my aging brain.

[brewens]

8. Can't help you. I'd have to lay off the weed to be sure. I'm 62, fully boosted and noticed no

difference though.

[NBachers]

9. My brother is a PHD neuroscientist and a lifelong liberal. He's developed long covid symptoms &

brain fog, but he's never had Covid - only vaccinations; which he's up-to-date on. He's experienced a variety of debilitating symptoms. He's been in touch with immunologists and top-level medical professionals who say this is a phenomenon they're finding in some individuals. It's too early to tell what's happening or why, but it is being investigated. And no, none of these people can be written off as conspiracy-minded MAGATS.

A lifelong friend called me last week with a story very similar to my brother's. People who have these symptoms are often told, "No, that's not happening," when it actually is.

[Deep State Witch]

13. It happened to a friend of mine, too

Young enby person, PHd student. She had a terrible reaction to her first Pfizer shot. Turns out that they had some undiagnosed autoimmune problem.

[ecstatic]

10. I say, if that's what she's experiencing, respect it

Don't try to gaslight her and tell her that she's not experiencing what she's experiencing. Sometimes different people have different reactions to a drug. It's okay. At least she got the previous doses.

[CousinIT]

18. I have said nothing to her about it. I didn't refute or deny.

She's now saying the vaccines were not tested as thoroughly as other vaccines. My understanding is that they were tested just as thoroughly - the usual steps involved with testing were combined together to speed up the approval process.

Again, not arguing w/ her. She's a RWer so argument or facts are futile and a waste of time w/ her. I don't bother.

[bluestarone]

19. If she's a RWer i'd say

The BRAIN FOG was there a long time ago! (no offense here)

[CousinIT]

26. I agree!

[lostnfound]

29. Great advice, best answer. Nt

[JCMach1]

11. With long Covid, it's definitely real. I had it following a severe case in 2020

I found it fascinating when I did an MRI for an unrelated issue, my brain showed white matter Hyperintensities you normally see in people with severe migraines for years.

I have never had migraines. So literally, it's like a kind of fog kind of clogging up some of the pathways in your brain.

[Ms. Toad]

12. Brain fog is a reported side effect.

There are a number of studies reviewing the connection.

[Emile]

14. I experienced clarity and sharpness on right wing things

that are untrue or destructive.

Maybe it was the weed?

[womanofthehills]

15. Yes, my friend had brain fog for a month after her second vaccine.

Luckily, she is fine now. Just because you haven’t had a reaction, doesn’t mean others haven’t.

The CDC runs VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) - “ 1,490,160 Reports Through December 23, 2022” - new report updates come out weekly. You can assess these reports - they are available to the public.

Also, Prof, Akiko Iwasaki of Yale is doing Long Covid studies on two groups - Long Covid after Covid 19 and another group called Long Haulers - those who appear to have Long Covid after the vaxx. Listen to the following report and she will tell you what they are studying in the first few minutes.

Prof Iwasaki is a good person to follow on Twitter for Covid info.

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=3uZcwzBy0m-3mUDOayOOfg

[wishstar]

16. Brain fog from vaccine is considered possible but very rare and may be related to other conditions

No question that people who lose sleep and feel unwell after being vaccinated will experience some brain fog temporarily for a couple of days not just from covid vaccine but possibly flu or shingles shots too if reaction is severe enough. But if problems developed later on, its very hard to rule out many other possible causes.

One case I read about involved a man in his 70's who thought he had brain fog from Covid vaccine but upon medical exam found out he had a brain tumor instead.

My 71 year old brother won't get any more Covid boosters because he blames his first shot in March of 2021 on his heart attack in October 2021 where they found severe artery calcification requiring quadruple bypass. In his rightwing mind he has decided that taking the vaccine is to blame, not the fact he is a heavy drinker and was a smoker for decades.

[Tree-Hugger]

17. It's possible

It's a rare occurrence, but it'snon unheard of and we'd do well to listen to people who report symptoms.

This is the first result that pops up when I googled "Covid vaccine brain fog:"

https://www.science.org/content/article/rare-cases-coronavirus-vaccines-may-cause-long-covid-symptoms

Science.org is *not* a right-wing rag. It's run by the American Association for the Advancement of Science ( AAAS) and contains peer-reviewed work.

I received all vaccines available to me as have my family members. We have a range of side effects - my husband gets a sore arm and mild fatigue, my kids get a fever, fatigue, and soreness, and I get hit hard for less 24 hours with fever, body aches, headache, fatigue, coughing, eye pain, sore arm, dramatic lymph nodes. Every person is different and their experiences should be taken seriously.

The anti-vaxx blowback during the pandemic has been ridiculous and they have presented real problems as far as continued spread of Covid and false reporting of side effects. Their current masturbating over Damar Hamlin in an attempt to link his cardiac injury to vaccines has been evil and vile. I think our exhaustion from this anti-vax nonsense makes us more likely to raise an eyebrow when someone reports an uncommon side effect. However, this doesn't help people who truly have rare adverse effects and we need to take them seriously.

[meadowlander]

20. The point of the vaccine is to trigger an immune response.

The fatigue and aches and chills are actually the immune system working, not the vaccine itself causing symptoms. So it seems plausible that the inflammation and demand on energy caused by her immune response is making her feel a little brain foggy or it could just be fatigue showing up as mental tiredness as well as physical aches and pains.

I was absolutely knackered and had chills and muscles aches after each vaccine dose. "Brain fog" is pretty subjective and it's hard to separate it out from perimenopause, depression, post-concussion symptoms, etc.

It's all a matter of degree. I'd be inclined to take on face value that she felt tired and not on top of her game mentally and that that could be caused in part by her response to the vaccine. I'd point out though that that's not a good reason not to get vaccinated or boosted or to discourage other people from doing so. If she got "brain fog" from her response to the vaccine imagine how much worse it would be from her response to the actual virus.

[Hekate]

21. Side effects are a funny thing. I didn't expect Shingrix to make me sick for almost a week, & it did

“A bit of aging” could be interpreted as a bit insulting, and I know you wouldn’t want to be — you clearly care.

Pay attention and see how it goes. She’s been doing all the right things, and she may be that one in a million who has this heretofore-unreported side effect. Assure her it is likely to go away soon, or soonish.

As my doctor’s weekend backup said when I called to say that Cipro was giving me a “belly full of knives” — “It only occurs in 1% of patients — but for you I guess it’s 100%”

[milestogo]

22. Joe got diagnosed with a Brain Cloud

[Mr.Bill]

23. I spent a lot of money

in the 70s getting my brain fogged.

[CousinIT]

27. . . .

[usedtobedemgurl]

25. Has she been in an accident?

A concussion can cause that. Did she have Covid? That can also cause brain fog. (As you noted) How old is she? It could be natural brain fog. Does she take medication? I know I was on one muscle relaxer which caused me trouble answering even the simplest of questions. And the list goes on.

I ask those questions, because if it was an accident, she should see someone. If it is medication, it can be changed. If it is age, doing sudoku or puzzles can help. If she had Covid, maybe see if there are new studies on what may help.

Even if it did cause brain fog (it doesn’t), I would rather have that than blood clots, heart attack, dying, etc…Note she may never admit it was something else. As someone who had a concussion, which turned into Post Concussion Syndrome, I know about brain fog. It is frustrating. It gives you a lack of confidence. You are not who you were before, and there is nothing but time that can truly help you see if you will ever get back to the original person you were.

She is most likely looking for an answer. Some tricks my therapist gave, to help me, is write stuff on post-it notes, around the house. For example, I have notes up to turn ON and OFF the stove! I have notes about flushing the toilet, brushing my teeth, etc. Repeat things three times. If I need butter and I do not have a pad around, I repeat that I need butter 3 times. If I have to remember an appointment, I imagine a single room in my house and put the appointment there, in my mind. So, I will think of the laundry room, and I will put my January 23rd appointment with my concussion specialist in that room. When I need to recall, I think of the room and what is in it. I forget what that is called, but it is named after the guy who discovered that truck. (I should have said his name three times! Lol). And lastly, associate things with something else. If I have to get butter, I imagine hot popcorn with butter. I have my association!

Not sure that will help, but it certainly can’t hurt.

[CousinIT]

28. She had the flu a couple times this Winter (so far)

BP meds, gout meds which she's been on for a while too. She is in her mid-70s so it could be age. I did tell her she should mention to her doc just in case. It could be something else and she just attributes to the booster.