• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

How many boosters?

Hello all. Just been invited for my 4th dose of c19 jab and it is very hard in the UK to get any sensible information about risk benefit ratio. It all got very political when the PM got caught partying when he should have been isolating and since then it is topic non grata.
Has anyone found any data regarding:
1. Is there any consensus about how immune suppressing Stelara is?
2. If you have had 3 jabs does a 4th have any benefit (in terms of preventing death or serious illness)
3. Do the potential side effects (pericarditis etc) become more likely the more jabs you have and if so what is the point at which the risk outweighs the benefit?
4. Has anyone found any follow up data on the original trial participants?

I’m also interested how people are timing their winter dose if they are having one - go for it now before the next wave hits or wait until nearer Xmas as there seems to be a 8 or 12 week window before it wears off and that’s when most likely to be socialising?
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member

Ds has had 5 shots so far
Three in the preliminary series
One booster in January 2022
And the new bivalent booster a few weeks ago with his flu shot
The previous shots were Pfizer and the bivalent was Moderna

No heart issues
He is 18
Given his age and wanting to hang out with young college kids
For him it was better to get it now

He has been part of the study above
Last bloodwork I think was in June
Still showed antibodies
He was on Stelara the entire time for all shots and held his methotrexate the week before and after

He does take a second biologic (IL-1) so even with all that still antibodies

How effective-not sure
But I have seen him with flu and it was horrid without flu shot so he gets them as does the rest of the family
 

Scipio

Well-known member
Location
San Diego
I'm on Stelara and I have had a total of 5 COVID immunizations so far. 3 primaries and 2 boosters. In the US, immunosuppressed patients were recommended to get a third primary injection. I plan to get a third booster in late October that includes the Omicron variant RNA.

1. Is there any consensus about how immune suppressing Stelara is?
It seems to work pretty well in suppressing the Crohn's disease for many patients, but so far it doesn't look like it puts patients in particular COVID risk

2. If you have had 3 jabs does a 4th have any benefit (in terms of preventing death or serious illness)
I don't know for certain if it helped or not, but so far I've been very lucky and have not (to the best of my knowledge) contracted COVID-19. No illness or other symptoms. I can't help but think that the immunizations have been a big help with that.

3. Do the potential side effects (pericarditis etc) become more likely the more jabs you have and if so what is the point at which the risk outweighs the benefit?
I don't know, but logic would suggest that the greater your exposure to the vaccine the greater your risk of side effects. However, the risk of pericarditis and other side effects from the COVID vaccines is very low in the first place. After 5 shots I have had no side effects beyond a mildly sore arm.

4. Has anyone found any follow up data on the original trial participants?
I have not, but I haven't been following the COVID research as closely as I once did.
 
Last edited:

Bufford

Well-known member
I've been taking the shots as they have been suggested and offered with no problems, side effects were sore arms at the injection site and some lethargy the following day. I figure if the shots are providing protection, why not take them.
 
I can't answer most of your questions, but did want to check one thing. You probably would have mentioned it, but figure it's worth asking...have you been infected with Covid at all in the past few months? Is it the bivalent booster you are considering?
 
Last edited:
I can't answer most of your questions, but did want to check one thing. You probably would have mentioned it, but figure it's worth asking...have you been infected with Covid at all in the past few months? Is it the bivalent booster you are considering?
I haven’t had covid at all so far but have been pretty careful although there are limits to what I can do as I have a child at primary school who brings germs home pretty regularly. Covid rates are rising fast again here in south west England so I went for the jab and had flu plus Pfizer (the new one I think).
I find it weird that there is so little information these days it’s just a case of if you are vulnerable get another jab. I like to know the data and make as best informed decisions as possible about health because like all of us here have learned the hard way that you can’t take health for granted. If the original doses pretty much rule out serious illness/ death and the nature of the side effects means the more jabs the more likely a problem then that’s a very different picture to if the jab protection from serious illness wears off and the side effects are a type that you get if certain genetics otherwise you don’t.
 
I haven’t had covid at all so far but have been pretty careful although there are limits to what I can do as I have a child at primary school who brings germs home pretty regularly. Covid rates are rising fast again here in south west England so I went for the jab and had flu plus Pfizer (the new one I think).
I find it weird that there is so little information these days it’s just a case of if you are vulnerable get another jab. I like to know the data and make as best informed decisions as possible about health because like all of us here have learned the hard way that you can’t take health for granted. If the original doses pretty much rule out serious illness/ death and the nature of the side effects means the more jabs the more likely a problem then that’s a very different picture to if the jab protection from serious illness wears off and the side effects are a type that you get if certain genetics otherwise you don’t.

You ask good questions. One of the leading authorities on vaccines here (Paul Offit, MD) voted against the bivalent booster for those who do NOT have health issues like Crohn's, etc, but if I recall correctly he does feel it may be worthwhile for those who are a little more at risk of secondary infections. He seems to think the original shots still protect people from death, etc, but like I said, he seems to be only questioning it for those without conditions and/or medications that impact immunity. He actually prefers the regular booster over bivalent, which it sounds like is the one you got? He gives a long explanation which i am sure I would mess up. Unfortunately, like with the flu shot, to get the bivalent out in time they could not do as much research as some would like, but as far as they know it is very safe.

We had Covid late August, so we will decide with our son's GI doctor whether he needs when we are maybe 4 months post infection and hopefully more data has come out (some experts say wait at least 4-6 months post infection, but CDC says 3 months).
 
Last edited:
Top