The flu shot and being prone to arrythmias

My question is if a person gets a flu shot can this cause any symptoms of any type of arrythmias whatsoever? I am scared to take any medicines or get any treatment nowadays with my relentlenss skipped heart beats and racing arrythmias.

[ddavey]

you need to get a flu shot....   my daughter has had a flu shot every year for the last 3 1/2 years since her diagnosis of cardiomyopathy....  even with coreg, vasotec, inspra and digoxin and an ablation she still has over 30,000 (48 hr holter) arrythmias.  she has never had a bad experience with a flu shot, or a pneumonia vaccine.

[stormwatchtoo]

I used to faithfully get a flu-shot every year and I always ended up getting a horrible sinus infection and congested lungs. (Since it happened every time it is hard to believe it was coincidence)

The last two years I have not had the shot and have not been sick either.  I'm not saying no one should get the shot but in my case it clearly was not beneficial.

[Sweetwaterguy]

Please understand that I am not trying to scare you or anyone away from a flu shot, because I believe they are important.  Two years ago I had a flu shot and developed flu like symptoms that evening.  I believe it was a reaction to the shot, perhaps an alergic (allergic) one.  I had been controlling my a fib quite well with sotolol up to that point.  That evening following the innoculation, I became sore in my joints, started sweating, had chest pain, and a recurrance of my a fib.  Needless to say, I went to the emergency room where heart attack was ruled out and I was converted to normal rhythm.  Two days later, my heart again went into a fib, and this time it wasn't so easy to convert and I ended up spending the night in ICU.  I had short episodes for about a week before it all cleared out of my system.
     Since then I have talked to five cardiologists about that.  Four say that the flu shot is a non issue, and one says "maybe."  I even posed the question on the doctor forum on this web site.  The Cleveland Clinic doc did not think the flu shot would contribute to  developing a fib.  My family doctor said he couldn't imagine that it wouldn't cause it.   Who knows?  I just firmly believe I had a rare reaction and it did cause it.  
   Since then I have had a successful ablation, but have avoided yearly flu shots.  I think now, however, it is time to try it again.   I have become a strong believer in ablation, and would certainly encourage you to look into that treatment as a way to solve those ahrrythimia problems you are experiencing.  

[Momto3]

I have gotten the flu shot for the past several years (except for one year when I skipped it and ended up with an awful case of the respiratory flu that last 3 weeks!).  I have gotten the shot when I've had chronic PVCs as well as recently with very few PVCs, and I have never noticed any effect on the PVCs.

Since we are all different and have a different set of circumstances, it's best to talk with your doctor and weigh the pros and cons for your particular situation.

[sonny372]

I am confused now. I do not have insurance or anyway of seeing a cardiologist anytime soon. I am still afraid to get this shot. I do think that If i get the flu it would literally kill me. I think my heart would simple seize up on me. I remember about ten years ago when I did not deal with this problem that I had got the flu and was bed ridden for 3 weeks. Imagine what it would do to someone with a week heart.

[Sweetwaterguy]

Since I believe I am the only one on this forum who has believed a flu shot triggered a fib, and none of the several cardiologists I have talked to have ever known of a person that developed a fib as a result of a flu shot, then my situation was one of two things:
The first possibility is that my situation was extremely rare and very unlikely to happen to anyone else.  The other possibility was my a fib was not related in any way to a flu shot.  
   With regard to your concerns, I firmly believe flu prevention is absolutely necessary for those  whom developing flu might be life threatening.  The risks of getting the flu are far greater than the risks of a reaction to immunization.  I would not hesitate.  In fact after posting my first response I made arrangements to get my flu shot tomorrow.  

[sonny372]

I never looked at it the way you put that. If i do get the flu this is going to be way more serious then me just getting a shot to combat it. Your 100% right on this one. On a different not I feel that people who may get sick from this shot may have been injected with a virus that was not totally dead as it should be. Thank you for your input it is greatly appreciated. Good luck to you and your battle with arrythmias. We are all right there along side you.