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Unsure about Synagis shot

Zacks-Mom
0 Recommendations

Zack is 5 mos (corrected to 3 mos). He is doing great. He is happy, healthy and 13lbs already! He just had his routine immunization shots. He was screaming for about 10 minutes afterwards and it left him a bit cranky and fussy for that night and the following day (which is not like him at all). I just got called that he has been schedule for his 1st synagis shot Nov 20th. I hate the thought of giving him more needles. Has anyone experienced any bad side effects with this drug? Has anyone debating whether or not to actually get this done? Everywhere I have looked on the net it is just assumed preemies get this shot. Anyone else feeling unsure about it like I am?

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Asthma Pneumonia Tylenol Common cold Fever

15 replies

laurakennedy77

I never had any reservations about giving my daughter the Synagis shots, she received them for 2 seasons. I know that it is crucial for preemies to receive Synagis and I know that there are many who simply cannot afford it and their insurance denies the claim. So I felt lucky that we were approved by our insurance and would not think about forgoing the shots becuase of the needle causing some physical discomfort and emotional trauma. RSV can cause a child to be hospitalized, intubated and can cause death. All of which are more painful and traumatizing than the monthly injection. My daughter never had any side effects other than mild fussiness for the next day. She is now almost 4 years old and does not have a phobia of doctors, needles, etc. She never contracted RSV. So in my opinion, it is well wirth the temporary discomfort that comes along with the monthly injection.

Tinkerbellas_Mama

we did have reservations about giving our Bella the synagis shot. scary side affects and no guarantee she wouldn't get rsv. we went on 'preemie lock down' last season - as we are now. only visitors are nana and grandpa and uncle - as long as they are healthy.

Tinkerbellas_Mama

- ultimately decided against synagis.

mygirlsmom

My girls caught RSV when 3 months old, about 5 weeks after they had their synagis. Thank God for Synagis, or they likely would have been hospitalized or worse, they were soooo sick - but without it, they would have been so much worse. RSV is deadly to preemies. I can't tell you how many preemie moms would love to be in your position, b/c many cannot get their insurance to cover it. So please, get it. Kids get over little pricks in the arm, but a lifetime of asthma or even worse, well, they don't get over that.

Mgnsmom

I never doubted Synagis and would highly recommend it. I second Mygirlsmom that preemie Moms pay hundreds of dollars to get it. If it wasn't covered for Megan, I would have paid any price for it. We got Synagis and still went on winter lockdown.

flutegirl7

RSV is so incredibly common, and can be deadly to preemies. DD has had 2 doses already. Even though she's up to 11 lbs and "looks healthy" I know that inside, she is not ready to handle something like RSV. So, I never doubted Synagis.

Henrysmom

I also highly recommend getting Synagis for your son! RSV is VERY common!!!! It just usually only looks like a cold. This is an excerpt from my blog in Oct last year... (BTW - I got my info from www.cdc.gov and www.marchofdimes.com)

As you may all remember, Henry spent five long days on a ventilator and three (+) weeks recovering from RSV and pneumonia in April/May. RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children worldwide. Although most babies and children get only a cold from RSV, it’s the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants under age one. It is so common that virtually all children contract it by the age of two. Premature infants are at an increased risk of developing a serious RSV infection.

RSV is highly contagious and spreads easily from person to person. It may even be transmitted indirectly by contact with contaminated objects, such as bathroom fixtures or clothing. Individuals can be contagious one to two days before symptoms appear and can last as long as two weeks after symptoms disappear. Symptoms are similar to that of the common cold: runny nose, wheezing and coughing, low grade fever, irritability and restlessness.

katek

It probably isn't as necessary if your lockdown is air tight.

Our son's first year at home, we only had my parents over to our house, we didn't go out to crowded areas w/ or w/o our son (meaning no movies, no plays, no basketballs games b/c it isn't enough not to keep baby away from crowds, the caregivers have to stay away from crowds too!), and we only shopped (w/o baby of course) during off hours. My husband works from home which meant that he wasn't exposed to germs in the work place. I, however, was the problem making our situation not as air tight as we would have liked. I teach at a university. College students aren't known for their hygiene. I taught smaller courses that first semester (meaning on grad seminar and one "smaller" undergrad class of 30 people). Second semester, I had a large lecture of 110 students.

Consequently, we got our son the Synagsis shot. The side effects are miniscule based on the research. You can ask for the results of the trials from the doctor.

Given that 125,000 kids are hospitalized with RSV each year and 1-2% of them die from it, we wanted to make sure that our son was as safe as possible. Frankly, he had defied the odds so many times already, we preferred to play it conservatively.

Good luck with your decision!

P.S. I am by no means a "must get all shots" kind of person. I weigh each shot against the costs and benefits. Synagis was one of those shots that I felt compelled to get for our son b/c it seemed clear to mean that the benefits far outweighed the risks.

Brayden123

My son got his first shot today! I have seen firsthand RSV take the lives of even the healthiest of kids that didn't have prematurity against them. I have seen it CAUSE chronic lung disease in children that had no previous lung issues. i know it is harsh but it is such a HORRIBLE disease and it kills me that not ALL infants can have access to synagis. My son did ok with the shot. I gave him a little tylenol before we went to the doctor and he is teething so he is fussy anyway so the tylenol is hopefully killing two birds with one stone. In the last month he has gotten his 6 mo immunizations, 2 flu shots and Synagis. In 3 weeks he will get H1N1 vaccine, then a week later 2nd synagis! OUCH! It sucks and i hate to see him cry but I know how awful the consequences could possibly be (I work in a very large pediatric ICU) if I don't. Good luck with your decision and I hope our stories help!!

quadmomma

no reservations at all. most people would do anything to get approved for these shots. i personally have not heard of any bad side effects from getting them. on the flip side.... the stories i have heard about babies who did not recieve them.... not so good.

hth

Zacks-Mom

Thanks everyone for all the info! I have decided that I am going to go ahead with the shots. I am feeling very fortunate that I have them covered under our health care plan. I just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing! Thanks again!!

MyMilo

I agree with what pretty much everyone already said:

10 minutes of crying because of a shot sure beats the potential for spending a week in the hospital on a ventilator: it's a no brainer. Of course there is no guarantee that he won't get RSV, the shot provides anti-RSV antibodies that naturally wane after administration (hence the monthly shot). But it is practically a guarantee against severe disease (bronchiolitis, pneumonia, mechanical ventilation, respiratory failure). Not to mention increased incidence of asthma and wheezing in babies that have severe disease.

M-and-D-Mommy

Hi,
It seems like you may have already made your decision, but I thought I'd chime in with my experience:) The 2nd set of shots, for their 2nd RSV season was not covered by our insurance. The girls caught RSV (turned to pneumonia) in October (with pretty good precautions in place). It was AWFUL and involved the hospital, breathing treatments, oxygen, IV's, etc. My girls were about 15 1/2 months old and it still hit them HARD. I was a little nervous about the 1st season's shots, but did what was advised by the NICU and the ped. I am glad we did! I can't imagine what position mine would have been in the 1st season - when I see how bad catching it the 2nd season was. I would REALLY advise you to get the shots for your little one. Good luck!!

krissy777

My little one got the shot a few days before another preemie in the NICU actually got RSV. That preemie was moved to level 3 and had to get the breathing tube/feeding tube reinserted. The family was quarantined. It was quite frightening for all of us in the NICU. We had a nurse practioner explain the benefits/risks of synagis. This was very helpful. There really weren't many risks, other than soreness at the injection site. Synagis' effects start helping immediately after the shot is given. My understanding is that adults can also get RSV, but to a lesser degree. I would talk it over with a nurse or a doc in the NICU if you had concerns. = )

jturner1228

It's true adults actually do get RSV quite often. In fact, I read something a few years ago when DS was getting Synagis that said that 98% of all children will have had RSV by the time they are 5. Most people just think it's a bad cold and go about their business, because to them that is all it is. For our preemies and any person with lung issues RSV is very serious. We are ones whose insurance partially covered Synagis. We still had to pay over $400 a month to get the shot but we never hesitated. The following winter the insurance wouldn't cover anything so we couldn't get it and DS got RSV, pneumonia and bronchiolitis. Fortunately he didn't have to be hospitalized but we did have to do home breathing treatments for several weeks (and even off and on for a few months) and now his lungs are weak. I say if you can get the shot then do it.

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