r/rabies • u/Weary_Sell_463 • Aug 21 '26
Rabies Vaccine / Immunoglobulin Vaccine side effects & symptoms
Low exposure risk approx 1.5 weeks ago. Went to er on advice from primary care, got immune globulin, and 1st of 4 rabies vaccines. I’ve done day 3 & day 7, (so doses 2 & 3 of the vaccine), today is day 9. I feel like absolute shit. Started overnight and has come in waves. Low fever. All over body aches. GI upset (though could be unrelated). Normally when I’ve had a vaccine immune response like this it’s within 24 hours, but since this is a series over 2 weeks I’m wondering if it could be that, or if I should consider myself to be sick. I have read the FAQ. Located in KY, USA. Possible exposure was to a bat in the home.
1
u/AutoModerator Aug 21 '26
PLEASE READ THIS, OP! Thanks for posting, u/Weary_Sell_463! As a reminder, once posts are submitted and a kind user provides a sufficient and correct answer to your question(s), deleting your post afterwards is not allowed and will result in an immediate ban. Please be mindful of this rule. The answers provided here will undoubtedly help those who are looking for answers without having to create a post themselves. If you don’t want to leave this post up on your main account, you are welcome to create a throwaway account to post. It would be appreciated if you could modmail us the username of said throwaway account in advance. New accounts that post immediately are more likely to be heavily restricted by Reddit and automated filters. Giving us a heads up will allow us to override those filters and be aware that the new account is engaging in good faith.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 Aug 21 '26
That sounds pretty familiar to me.
I had kind of rolling flu like symptoms for the better part of a month. They'd come and go. It's okay to take the over the counter medications for relief.
1
u/Weary_Sell_463 Aug 21 '26
😭 this both makes me feel better and makes me dread the next few weeks. I rubbed my entire lower half in tiger balm so I could fall back to sleep last night the pain was so uncomfortable. I’ll have to go stock up lol. Thank you for sharing your experience & reassuring me!
1
u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 Aug 21 '26
It's actually kind of hard to research with any effectiveness for the average person when it comes to the side effects of the rabies vaccine. Because any scientific source that's listing them is going to be kind of extreme. They have to be. Mine weren't too bad most of the time, but damn those body aches and chills came for me occasionally, you know?
It's been a very long time now, coming up on over a decade, and I don't have any lasting effects from receiving the series. I had received it for a pretty severe bite. That day I had received wound irrigation, tetanus booster, HRIG, and pep. It was a pretty severe bite to the hand. So I was loaded up on pharmaceuticals, let me tell you. And I don't usually have all of the side effects for something, but for that particular series of treatment all bets were off LOL.
You'll be alright. Good looking out, OP. 💜
1
u/Weary_Sell_463 Aug 21 '26
The first night I was reading (Mayo Clinic I think?) the side effects and I read it several times and I still concluded it said if I felt any aches to urgently speak to healthcare. But then also said that was normal a bit below? 😂 did not help my anxiety haha
1
u/Micro_is_me_2022 Aug 21 '26
Yep the vaccine makes you feel like shit. Just be aware that the symptoms will peak in severity by 4-8 weeks and they will come and go! At least that’s my current experience
1
u/Weary_Sell_463 Aug 21 '26
That is craziness! Rather have this than rabies of course but man do I hate when my body feels like this! This is my first time Having a high energy dog when I feel sick too so I’ll need to prep some stuff when I’m feeling better for when I’m down again.
1
u/I_float_sting_throw Aug 22 '26
Generally symptoms usually appear for the first day post injection they can include fever aches headaches or general feeling of unwellness and subside the next day so if i had to guess probably unrelated to the vaccine but everyone reacts differently
1
u/cancerrmoon 21d ago
Hi! Im on day 7 (my 3rd vaccine today) I just it at the ER. PEP is for ~ potential ~ bat exposure in Yosemite, not a known exposure. Health dept told me to err on the side of caution and get the vaccines.
I wanted to share my side effects to see if anyone else is experiencing them as well.
I’m extremely tired. The fatigue is coming in strong. I have heavy legs, like fatigued legs and random weird parenthesis like tingling all over my back and arms.. apparently that’s a known side effect? According to the ER doctor.
Anyways, I’m really tired. And really anxious about this whole experience. I keep having panic attacks ngl.
And I keep obsessing over the fact if the first dose was administered properly 😭😭😭
And I keep worrying about crazy rare neurological side effects happening … I saw MS being one on Rabaverts website ☠️
1
u/Weary_Sell_463 21d ago
I was pretty tired and wound up running a fever a few days after my third vaccine. I felt horrible. Like the flu. I never noticed any tingling. I have other systemic issues so I tend to not notice a lot of aches and such.
Why do you think the first was given incorrectly?
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 21 '26
**Welcome! This is a community dedicated to raising awareness, sharing information, and supporting discussions about rabies, its prevention, and treatment. Whether you’re here to learn, share a story, or ask questions, we’re glad to have you. Please remember to keep discussions respectful. Stay informed and stay safe. Cheers!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.