A 42-year-old member asked:
is getting a vaccination painful?
3 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Robert Kwok answered
Pediatrics 33 years experience
No, not really: Every day, hundreds of thousands of people get vaccinations to protect themselves and their family and community members from dreaded diseases such as measles, whooping cough, pneumonia, meningitis, etc... Oral and nasal spray vaccines have no pain at all. Shots have a tiny bit of pain for a few seconds.
6290 views
Dr. Brad Goldenberg answered
Pediatrics 36 years experience
Can be: The important thing to remember to lessen vaccination pain is to avoid tensing up or contracting the muscle where the injection is going . I am a Pediatrician, and I find the best way to avoid painful responses to injections is simply to divert attention away from the needle, it is very useful!!
3905 views
Dr. Mark Fisher answered
Neurology 34 years experience
I'm confused.: Says here you're 45 and you live in Palo Alto which is not exactly a Third World area. Haven't YOU ever had a vaccination? If not, why not?
2940 views
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A member asked:
Is it painful to get a vaccination?
4 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Douglas Tzanetos answered
Allergy and Immunology 19 years experience
Yes: (but only a little). Often a child's reaction is a function more of a parent's reaction rather than the actual amount of pain from the shot. Distraction can help rather than overemphasis on the shot that just occurred. Some studies in infants have actually shown that giving a small amount of sugary solution (from a dropper or syringe) just before the shot can diminish the perceived pain.
6618 views
Dr. Nguyen Nguyen commented
Pediatrics 50 years experience
I have been using the "cold distraction method" that works well too: I rub some hand sanitizer on the child's forearm, have him/her and the parent blow on it to get it cold while I give the shot somewhere else. Older kids say it helps, some young infants (4 month old) don't even cry with the shot! (Some, not all):)
Jul 22, 2014
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
Last updated Nov 27, 2017
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