Vaccines & Painkillers Don't Mix

November 30, 2006

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The first thing many people do after getting a

vaccination is reach for a painkiller to ward off common reactions like

fever or pain at the site of the injection.

That's the wrong thing to do, according to University of Rochester

researchers who studied the effects of common pain relievers on the ability

of vaccinations to produce antibodies in the blood.

Their investigation reveals non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),

like aspirin, Advil and Celebrex, actually inhibit the ability of the

vaccine to produce antibodies to the disease it is designed to protect

against.

The problem lies in the interaction between B cells in the body, which

produce the antibodies, and the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors found in

NSAIDs. COX -- which can cause pain and inflammation when it gets out of

control -- is actually necessary to help B cells produce the antibodies,

which would attack an invading virus.

The researchers arrived at these findings after studying the effect of

NSAIDs on the newly approved HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. While

the vaccine was 100 percent effective in clinical trials involving women,

laboratory studies conducted in mice and on blood samples taken from women

who received the vaccine revealed NSAIDs were capable of reducing its

effectiveness.

The authors write NSAIDs may have the same effect on people receiving other

vaccinations, like the flu shot. The effect could be worse in elderly

people, who have reduced immune function to begin with and are more likely

to be on regular doses of the painkillers for arthritis and other

conditions.

" For years we have known that elderly people are poor responders to the

influenza vaccine and vaccines in general, " reports principal investigator

P. Phipps, Ph.D. " And we also know that elderly people tend to be

heavy users of inhibitors of cyclooxygenase such as Advil, aspirin or

Celebrex. This study could help explain the immune response problem. "

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by

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SOURCE: Journal of Immunology, 2006;177:7811-7819

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