AZ vaccine - how to deal with anxiety

[elizabethalice]

Hello, I should get my vaccine in the next couple of weeks (age 28 in UK). I have read that there are more AZ vaccines than others in my area and I am worrying about it, despite knowing that the chances of anything bad happening are minimal. I think I'm fretting more about the idea of being worried about a blood clot for 4 weeks after than the actual threat of a blood clot itself - I know that the chances of getting a clot are tiny but the chances of me being anxious are a lot higher! I will definitely have AZ if there are no other options - I know covid is much more dangerous - but I will try to get pfizer or moderna if I can. If I do end up getting AZ, i was wondering how other people dealt with anxiety about it?

[pulisa]

I don't think you will be offered the AZ in view of your age? It will be in all likelihood the Pfizer vaccine so don't worry.

[Mei]

If you're in the UK and under 40, you will probably be given an mRNA vaccine as per the newest recommendations. But I live in a country where no age restrictions apply for AZ and I'm a 27 year old woman, so I can completely relate to the stress in case you were to get this vaccine. I've had my second dose a bit over two weeks ago, and the first dose went fine, since when I took it there were no reports of the blood clots yet, so I was completely tranquil. But after the second dose I did have some anxiety. The good news is that at least for me the anxiety was worse before the vaccine than after. Of course I am hypervigilant now and get nervous whenever I have any pressure in the head (frequent for me since I work at the computer a lot and get eyestrain), but so far I have managed to keep it under control and haven't rushed to the hospital yet. Of course everyone's experience is different, but I hope I can offer some reassurence about the anxiety. I was most scared before. After it was done, I was mostly relieved and in the mindset of "whatever happens, happens". I am conscious of possible symptoms, but not freaking out nearly as much as I was before and each day closer to the one-month mark without a clot makes my anxiety subside even more (the reasoning is "if I were getting a blood clot, I would have noticed by now"). So as someone who was really scared of the second dose of the AZ, I can now say that it was worth it, I am relieved to have been vaccinated, and I would do it again if I had to, though I would prefer not to

All medications have possible side effects, and those clots are really rare. The most reassuring thing is that now we know it could potentially happen (though it's very unlikely), so if you were to get any worrisome symptoms after your vaccination, the doctors know what to look for and those clots are very treatable.

[LondonRain]

Hey Im 32 and in London and received my text yesterday to get my first vaccine also..I am expecting to get either the pfizer or moderna jab, All I can tell you is that when I go to the center to get it if they tell me its the astrazeneca vaccine I will just refuse it and go home.. I insist on taking the alternative to AZ...I'm not taking that jab. simple.