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Post Exposure Rabies Vaccine.... Do's and Don't's?
by moonshinerat, Oct 25, 2007 08:28PM
Hi, I recently was bitten by a rabid dog in Ecuador where I am currently living. The wound was just a scratch made through my jacket and no blood was drawn. As a precaution I am now receiving post exposure rabies shots. However, after surfing the net for several days I cannot find the method of treatment I am receiving or the do's and don'ts whilst being treated.
All websites state a series of five injections in the arm but I am receiving seven injections, one daily in the abdomen followed by one after ten days then twenty days then twenty eight days... ten in total. Also the nurses tell me that I strictly cannot drink any tea, coffee, hot chocolate (decaf or normal), alcohol or exercise or have sex (protected or not) for four months. I cannot find this information anywhere on the internet and nobody else having rabies vaccine seems to have been told the same. Please can anyone clarify this treatment and the advice I have been given. Where I live is pretty cold and not being able to have hot drinks is hard enough without the added stress of not being able to celebrate my first wedding anniversary properly.
Many thanks.
All websites state a series of five injections in the arm but I am receiving seven injections, one daily in the abdomen followed by one after ten days then twenty days then twenty eight days... ten in total. Also the nurses tell me that I strictly cannot drink any tea, coffee, hot chocolate (decaf or normal), alcohol or exercise or have sex (protected or not) for four months. I cannot find this information anywhere on the internet and nobody else having rabies vaccine seems to have been told the same. Please can anyone clarify this treatment and the advice I have been given. Where I live is pretty cold and not being able to have hot drinks is hard enough without the added stress of not being able to celebrate my first wedding anniversary properly.
Many thanks.
Post Comment
Thanks!
BUT....who knows what kind of vaccine they are giving you. Are all anti-rabies vaccines the same? Do you know a doc in the States you can call? Or email the CDC or public health.
I would first find out the chemical name of the vaccine and what is in it.
In any case - GOOD LUCK.
Just to let you know that I had another problem in Ecuador which prevented me having access to my last two shots. I have spoken to someone who worked at the Centre for Tropical Disease in London. The vaccine still remains nameless in my case, but I have been told that there are three mainstream vaccines out there. Mine was probably an older type vaccine as used in Europe upto 15 years ago, made from chicken proteins.
It has now been confirmed that the no hot drinks rule was to stop abdominal pain, nothing to do with caffeine or anything. The last three shots of my ten were just precautionary. The over-exertion thing is to stop the disease from spreading throughout your body quicker. I would definitely take note of this as Rabies effects parts of your nervous system and anything that slows it down will give the vaccine more time to work. As for the alcohol, this isn't too important to me but i have had two glasses of red wine on my anniversary without any noticable effect, and the guy from London just told me not to over do it in case the vaccine reacts with the drink.
Hope this clears a few things up for you guys, I'll press on with finding out more about named vaccines.
Anyway, my shot schedule had written instructions not to consume alcohol, tea, spicy food, sour food or garlic until a week after my last injection. I've been looking all over the web and the only things I've found to support this have been 1. from foreign countries (I'm American) and 2.only alcohol/tea related.
I'm sure healthcare in these countries is completely standard, but I've experienced some really weird Chinese superstitions regarding healthcare and do's and don'ts. Has anyone actually seen this in writing from a Western country?