Good morning everyone
I am on Ocrevus (on Tecfidera before) and I am mostly stable. I heard everything and the opposite on flu vaccine and MS and therefore not doing it. What is your experience? Stay away or do it obviously?
Thanks
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Hello @AlexD . I had my Flu jab on Wednesday and have been getting them for years. I would worry about missing one! Bad flu or other infectious can bring on a relapse/ new lesions!
P.S as you might have heard, the flu variant this year has several mutations that are likely to make it more virulent and the effects/symptoms worse
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I agree with @Hank_Dogs if you are offered it take it, you donāt want to aggravate your MS with suffering with the flu.
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As the others have said @AlexD Iāve had the flu jab recently as it was offered to me by my GP. Unlike yourself though, Iām not on any DMD treatment so havenāt got to worry about it affecting that. Wishing you well in whatever choice you make.
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I recently started ocrevus, and had my 2 nd half dose last week. I had my flu job 2 weeks before starting ocrevus, and 2 weeks after taking my last kesimpta injection. I would always have the flu jab, every time youāre poorly it has a detrimental effect on your ms. Before changing DMT, I had an infection every month since February and itās draining to deal with.
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Hi, I would have it, flu isnāt a good thing to get, I was in hospital Feb 2024 with double pneumonia and that floored me and brought on new symptoms, I honestly didnāt think I was going to make it, it has taken me nearly 18mths to get over it, flu can be just as bad, go for it.
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I always have it. Many years ago, before MS, I had flu. Not a bad cold that people call flu but actual influenza. I never ever want to go through that again and certainly not with MS.
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Personally I would have it. I have been getting mine every year for years.
I had flu when I was in my twenties, young, fit and healthy and it absolutely floored me. I couldnāt get out of bed for 3 days, and it lasted for about 2 weeks. Awful experience.
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Iād get it all the time, every time.
Think of it as an insurance policy.
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Many thanks for your responses! I have booked it. Thank you all
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Thank you for reminding me that I must do the same.
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I have my Flu jab booked in tomorrow - have just finished the first round of Mavenclad treatment, and was advised that as long as I felt well and my lymphocytes werenāt too low (below 0.5) then I should get the flu jab 
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For what itās worth AlexD, Iām not buying anything theyāre selling since the con of the covid hoax. You do you though.
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My local health authority sent me an appointment by text for my āwinter vaccineā which I guess will be the flu vaccine and a COVID vaccine in the other arm but Iām really debating whether to get both. I was diagnosed in September/October last year and didnāt take the flu vaccine that I was offered while in rehab at a the local hospital but I dad have a COVID early this year which really didnāt agree with me. My ms nurse said that I should have fairly good immunity to covid by now so really undecided about what to do.
In the U.K. the COVID vaccine is now being offered to many fewer people and not to carers of those people who do receive it.
So donāt be surprised if you only have the flu jab!
My case was āinterestingā as I was about to start my second year of Cladribine which does impact the immune system but I was ok before I took it. Being over 70 and having had to miss it the year before may have had an influence.
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Ask yourself if there is any good reason why you wouldnāt have them?
As @crd says, itās possible that the appointment is for flu only but that could depend on which DMT you are using . I had flu and Covid jabs recently, no particular side effects other than feeling a bit āgrottā for 2-3 days
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Hi
I am just assuming that itās both vaccines, I think I might give them a call and see.
thanks for replying though, I have my Tyruko infusion a few days before my appointment.
You really need to consult with your MS team. The recommendations for each DMT will be different. For instance with Cladribine the vaccinations need to be taken before your treatment (by four weeks) or after when your lymphocytes have recovered to .8 or above. I think this to ensure you have an effective response to the vaccine.
The GP is unlikely to know all this but your record should be annotated if you are on certain DMTs so eligible for the vaccine. In my wifeās (as a carer) case the calling notice was not clear.
Did the calling notice come from the NHS or your GP?
I have just on with having flu and covid vaccines over all my time on natalizumab regardless of what happens when. No problems so far.
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It was a text from NHS Scotland