COVID vaccine water weight gain?

dragon_girl26
dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is purely a curiosity question....but did anyone else experience a water weight gain when receiving the vaccine? I got my first dose Wednesday, and the next day I had a 3 lb jump on the scale! Since then I've been up about 2 lbs. I'm not fretting about it..I just thought it was interesting and wondered if anyone else noticed something similar! :)
«1345

Replies

  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited March 2021
    cmriverside wrote: »
    I was up nearly three pounds, but I was also super thirsty and drank a LOT of water the day after. I mean, so much water that I felt like I couldn't get enough.

    Makes sense, the immune system kicks into high gear which I'm assuming creates inflammation (?) That part about immune system/inflammation is a guess based on other illnesses I've had: hoping some healthcare professional will chime in....

    Yeah, I'm curious to see how the second dose will go now. I don't recall getting extra thirsty after dose 1 (although I drink a lot anyway). Makes sense though.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    we got our vaccines a few weeks ago. I don't recall noticing any water weight gain. we had the Johnson &johnson one. not sure if that would make a difference or not.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    edited March 2021
    I got Moderna shot 1 (so far). I have not noticed any weight changes that cannot be accounted for by other factors. But everyone's body is different.

    Day of the vaccine I got tired in the afternoon and went to bed early.

    Following day I felt okay except for arm pain as if punched in the arm the day before (similar to when I had shingrix vaccine #2 several weeks ago) Took it easy out of an abundance of caution.

    Day 3 was uneventful and the arm pain was decreasing. Normal activity.

    Day 4 (yesterday) on a longer-than-average walk I had about 30 seconds of mild sensation of spinning, then developed a headache that lasted until the end of the day. This was on top of a hill next to a cow field and studded with oaks; I am allergic to grass pollen and oak tree pollen and so it's possible this was allergy related rather than shot related. Also I drink tea daily and had a lower-caffeine variety that morning so it might have been caffeine withdrawal. Also due to the long duration of the walk and warm weather it could have been dehydration. Also I had been looking up in the trees and walking on the hill without much attention to my walking so I might have created some kind of conflict between my visual and vestibular systems or twisted my neck without realizing it, to generate a slowly building tension headache. I have also had migraines in the past but the more typical aura for me is visual scintillation not a sense of spinning.

    Subjective sensation of warmth and coldness later in the day, but may have been the result of over- and under-dressing, hot and cold drinks, and hyper-vigilance due to the headache. Thermometer revealed no actual change in temperature. Took an Aleive (Naproxen) at bedtime and ran a hepa air purifier in the bedroom, woke up okay today. My main concern (since this was 4 days out) was less that it could be a shot reaction and more that I might have been exposed and caught Covid at the shot site, as it would be typical for symptoms to begin 4-5 days after exposure.

    Traces of allergic response on a typical daily walk today, but not enough to create a headache. Yesterday was pretty windy so more pollen might have been aloft.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    No change in weight for me.
    No reaction of any kind on the day, bit of a headache next day.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    Aside from the weight change, I didn't experience any other side effects other than a sore arm. Everyone keeps telling me the 2nd dose is the bad one, but then others have said they had no issues. I get round 2 of Pfizer in about two weeks so I guess I'll found out!
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    I did, but that’s because right before I got my shot I treated myself to falafel, pickled stuff, fresh pita, baba ganoush, rosewater lemonade,!and pistachio baklava at a favorite restaurant on a side of town I rarely visit.

    Am so looking forward to the second shot.

    Baba ganoush and homemade pita. Mmmmmm..........

    I also think, based on this, I need to make myself a good plan for my second shot too!! Lol I loooove baba ganoush.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    springlering62 wrote: »
    I did, but that’s because right before I got my shot I treated myself to falafel, pickled stuff, fresh pita, baba ganoush, rosewater lemonade,!and pistachio baklava at a favorite restaurant on a side of town I rarely visit.

    Am so looking forward to the second shot.

    Baba ganoush and homemade pita. Mmmmmm..........

    Oh, man: I could've gotten Ethiopian take-out. It was *right there* on the way home, within a block of the vax drive-through site, and it was almost lunch time, after both of my doses. Why, oh why, did I not think of that!?!? (Now I want Ethiopian . . . .).

    Um, oops: No, I didn't experience any noticeable water weight gain after either shot 1 or shot 2 (Pfizer, if that matters). I honestly didn't experience much of anything after, truthfully.

    I can see how some water retention could happen in theory, though, immune system revving, inflammation, blah blah blah, everybody's different, yaddaYadda. 😉😆

    Happy near-total immunity against symptomatic disease or dangerous symptoms!

    Thank you..and I'm glad to hear you didn't seem to experience any of the rougher side effects with either of your shots. I also got the Pfizer.

    And yeah, the more I read this thread, the more I keep thinking about mapping out a good celebration treat after the second dose!
  • greyhoundwalker
    greyhoundwalker Posts: 21 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    Aside from the weight change, I didn't experience any other side effects other than a sore arm. Everyone keeps telling me the 2nd dose is the bad one, but then others have said they had no issues. I get round 2 of Pfizer in about two weeks so I guess I'll found out!

    I had my second Pfizer yesterday, I just have a sore arm nothing else. After the first one I had sore arm, headache and thirst for a couple of days, though I’m in the UK and we have a 12 week gap between doses. Hopefully you will be fine, it’s a good feeling to get them both done.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,935 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    Aside from the weight change, I didn't experience any other side effects other than a sore arm. Everyone keeps telling me the 2nd dose is the bad one, but then others have said they had no issues. I get round 2 of Pfizer in about two weeks so I guess I'll found out!

    I had no real side effects (both doses done, Pfizer) other than needing a nap the day after the first one and thirst after the second one and the arm tenderness which everyone should expect a little bit with an intramuscular injection.

    I was ready for a bigger reaction after that second one but I'm very happy it was pretty easy.

  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,039 Member
    edited March 2021
    Did anybody here who got the two shots adjust their exercise or diet before and/or after? I am getting shot #1 this week.

    I know that grapefruit and grapefruit juice are literally off the table when taking certain meds. Also fish oil supplements are sometimes an issue. Not sure if there are any dietary do's and don'ts for the vaccine.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,935 Member
    The CDC doesn't list any advisories on food or exercise before or after the vaccines.

    I planned on doing nothing the day after.


    They do say to NOT take any OTC pain meds, anti-inflammatories or allergy meds to mitigate possible side effects until AFTER the vaccines. Obviously if you already have to take them for other reasons that would be an exception.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,883 Member
    In the 5 days since my first Pfizer shot, I've been up 0.8 pounds and down a pound from my weight the morning of, so, normal fluctuations.
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    MsCzar wrote: »
    Did anybody here who got the two shots adjust their exercise or diet before and/or after? I am getting shot #1 this week.

    I know that grapefruit and grapefruit juice are literally off the table when taking certain meds. Also fish oil supplements are sometimes an issue. Not sure if there are any dietary do's and don'ts for the vaccine.

    As cmriverside said, if possible, avoid any medication that includes aspirin, ibuprofen, etc beforehand.

    I would recommend treating it afterwards as if you were sick, since your immune system is doing the same kind of work it does when ill and you want to help it do a good job.

    Take it easy, drink plenty of fluids, eat nearer to maintenance.

    Or not. Plenty of people have done fine changing nothing.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,039 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »

    That slight "take it easy" was partly that I wanted to let my immune system have plenty of bandwidth, but also that I felt a bit more fatigued than normal . . . but I don't whether from the vaccine or having had a shorter sleep to make it to the early appointment. 🤷‍♀️

    Thanks! I am not at all concerned about a temporary weight gain. I probably skip the scale for a few days. I've also made an early appointment and know that will mean less sleep than usual. I plan to skip my workout on vax day - and if I'm feeling up to it, going very light the following day. Lots of water and lots of rest are on the agenda.

    Think I'll make a big ol' pot of chicken soup this week on the off chance I feel wonky afterwards.

Categories