Joan

I have had flu jab for past 5years with no adverse effects but if worried would check with GP.Flu vaccine is a dead one so would not think it would be an issue

I don't know much about this, the reviews appear to be mixed.  I have chosen not to have a flu shot, mostly because of the additives and preservatives in the injection, not because of any fear of the inactivated flu viruses themselves.  My gut feeling is that if one is in the middle of a flare, or attemping to reduce pred to the lowest levels it might not be a good idea to stress the system further, but there is some new research indicating that getting the flu shot on a regular basis over many years (I've missed my chance!) contributes to general reduction of inflammation in old age.  No right answers, everyone is different.

I am reducing to 1.5mg of pred. have had flu jab and have been fine, but we all seem to react differently.  

I had flu jab for the first time this year with no adverse effect. I have always been reluctant to have it. I was at 11mg then and now at 10. 

I have been having yearly flu jabs for the last 20+ years and have never had any problems or side effects from them.

Anhaga, I have always been puzzled at my seeming ability to avoid, evade, and just not get any kind of infections (not that I want them) even working in an air-conditioned office and when the rest of the staff were going down at a rapid pace, so perhaps it's the flu jabs and not steroids which worked this piece of magic for me. 

In October 2013 I had the flu jab and became ill, months afterwards it was found I have PMR, I seemed to me that the flu vaccine had caused it.

i did have the flu vaccine again in 2014 without any side effects at all. This year I had the flu jab in October whilst on 3 and 4mg of pred on alternate days.    I suffered with aches and pains at the injection site and upper arm muscles for around a fortnight, I am ok now and have since reduced to 3 mg.

i just think it was coincidence that I commenced with PMR At the same time as the flu vaccine.

hope that helps you come to decision..

 

There is no one thing that causes PMR to "happen" and, as angelcake has said, if you appear to develop PMR or even have a flare after a flu jab it is most likely to be coincidence. I'm not saying that is 100% certain and some people do feel rough after a flu jab, possibly as a result of something else in the vaccine or simply that it happened to be the thing that broke the camel's back and sent the immune system haywire.

I developed PMR without ever having had a flu jab and I have had one since I have lived here in Italy with no problems at all - not even a sore arm. Two years ago my husband was unwell the day he went to get it and she said not until he was better. He forgot and caught the flu. He spent 2 weeks in bed (unheard of, even when he was having chemo for cancer) and developed pneumonia and fluid on his (rather dodgy) lungs which took 6 months to clear. He won't be forgetting again!

But it is a personal decision.

As polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disease, our immune systems tend to go from defending our bodies to attacking them. Getting a flu vaccine prepares your immune system for the flu. A flu vaccine teaches your immune system to recognize that virus as a threat. While some people may still get the flu after having a flu shot, they'll probably have a milder form of the illness. That's because antibodies made in response to the vaccine can still provide some protection.

Get one every year !!

Dave

Never had a problem with any Flu shot with or without PMR.  As a lot have said we are all different.