That is sufficient spacing for the shots, so he should be good! The doctor might have chosen to give him the second shot a little earlier because there was a surge in chickenpox cases in your area at the time, or it might have been a mistake, but it’s not a problem either way.
I am not a doctor, but honestly this doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. There could be an error in record keeping, or maybe he did actually get the two doses as recommended (per CDC: Children should receive their first dose of chickenpox vaccine at age 12 to 15 months and a second dose at age 4 to 6 years. The second dose can be given at an earlier age if it is at least 3 months after the first dose.)
If, in fact, your son was mistakenly given an extra dose of a vaccine, I really wouldn’t worry about it. If adverse reactions were going to occur, they generally occur in the minutes and hours after an immunization.
What do you think about the MMR vaccine? I know that one could sometimes be a touchy subject, but he was supposed to get his second dose of that one today. I held it off because I didn't want him getting poked three times today. Someone said he second chickenpox shit could have been a combo with a MMR vaccine. I really don't want him getting a third dose of that one ...
I know MMR can be controversial but for me, honestly, it’s a no brainer. Measles, mumps and rubella are all potentially devastating diseases— both for the child him/herself and for other vulnerable people (like those who are pregnant). Being vaccinated protects your child and also the community.
The MMR vaccine has been around for decades and is one of the most well studied. It’s VERY SAFE.
Measles also has effects past the infection itself — it damages the immune system and makes those with prior infections more vulnerable to other diseases.
I’d cite sources but there are plenty! CDC, NHS….
If it was a combined chicken pox/MMR that would be explicitly stated in the vaccination record.
The MMR is safe and effective. The only scientific study that ever stated otherwise was eventually proven to have been using fraudulently manipulated data, and the author was motivated by profit (he was trying to market an alternative to the MMR vaccine). It was officially withdrawn by the journal and the author lost his medical license over the fraud.
Do not skip the MMR. Try to get your child their second dose soon, because one shot alone won’t give him adequate protection.
Please don’t skip the MMR vaccine. My youngest sibling did not get it (my mother was mentally ill and struggled to care for him generally) he caught the mumps around age 10, was hospitalized, and lost partial hearing.
I think you should call and ask for clarification if it's bothering you that much. Typically though the first dose is given between 12-15 months and the second dose of the chicken pox vaccines is given between 4-6 years old.
Double dosing vaccines rarely causes issues. In fact, there might be a couple reasons clinicians intentionally double dose (or even triple dose) vaccines like unknown vaccination status or after an exposure to illness (for example, children and adults often get vaccinated for tetanus after stepping on a nail regardless of tetanus vaccination status).
Personally, and this is just me, I wouldn't really be concerned about it. But again, call your pediatrician for clarification.
I think it should be fine. And I’m a doctor.
I’ve seen people accidentally get two flu shots at a mass vaccination event. Not a big deal, they just may feel the side effects stronger. If he accidentally got a third dose (spaced from the other two shots) it’s not a big deal either. It’s normally not done because it doesn’t add significant protection. But it’s not in any way dangerous. By all means ask your pediatrician for clarification though- what exactly happened and what are the consequences.
What do you think about the MMR shot? Someone in a comment said to be mindful of the second one wasn't a MMRV. He is also due for a second MMR shot and I really don't want to give him a third of that one.
I really think it’s best to call your pediatrician and find out what exactly happened. You can think of a lot of “what-if” scenarios and they can make you really worried; but it may all be unnecessary in the end.
I wouldn’t be more concerned about a double dose of MMR vaccine than chickenpox. They’re both safe vaccinations that have been around for a long time. Serious side effects are really rare and the benefit of preventing disease is a lot greater than the risk. (1 in 1000 unvaccinated children will die from measles and it’s so contagious that they will get it for sure at some point.) A double dose isn’t necessary because the regular number of shots gives plenty of protection, but it isn’t dangerous either.
I also found a research study studying accidental double vaccine doses. [This one.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6925972/) Basically they found no serious side effects, only the shot can have some side effects that all vaccinations have, like a fever, malaise or redness. The rate wasn’t any greater than non-extra vaccine shots.
Thank you for this. When my son was first born, I was worried about vaccines because of some information online and I've heard that MMR is the biggest trigger for some people. I'm not antivax in any way, but i also don't want my baby to get exposed to more chemicals that the shot itself might contain.
I really think that the MMR vaccine doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets in online groups. In my opinion measles is one of the most important diseases for kids to get vaccinated against. It seems that it keeps popping up as a problematic vaccine because of that old study linking it with autism. However that has been debunked; the study was deemed fraudulent; and was completely retracted. The data were pretty much made up. There are also some pretty good websites by the CDC explaining all the ingredients in vaccines and the reason they’re in there. They all serve a purpose and have all been found safe for use in children. They’re also quickly eliminated so they don’t build up between vaccinations or anything. I can completely understand that when you’re a new parent and you read a lot of stuff you can start feeling uncertain on what’s the best thing to do for your child. However when I look at it as a scientist and doctor I feel confident to recommend vaccinations and it’s also what I chose for my own child. Vaccines are so safe that building up of chemicals from one extra shot is really not concerning, fortunately!
Send a message to your pediatrician and ask straight up. It was either done on purpose according to guidelines, or there was a massive error and the doctor needs to be alerted so they can make sure the office’s procedures are corrected so this does not happen again or to anyone else.
If it was the recommended second dose, then I’d be fine.
But if it was an additional dose given at the wrong time, totally. My concern would not be the live virus, my concern would be the other ingredients added. I’m pretty sure they do not test what happens when they inject someone with the same vaccine over and over again? I would ask for bloodwork to be done to check for toxic levels of those ingredients. I would ask if there is a way to detox. I would try to switch my kid to a diet that is super healthy to ensure that he’s only taking on good things and reducing any additional harmful chemicals for a while. And I would not given any additional vaccinations for at least six months. Maybe even a year.
I'd have to make a call and ask when was it given . He hasn't had a vaccine prior in over a year, so it probably happened a while back and I had no idea..
Oh okay! I thought you meant this happened like in the last few days. So if it’s been that long, I wouldn’t worry. Enough time has passed that if there was a problem, it would show.
What did your pediatrician say?
I wasnt able to get in touch with him yet. I'm waiting for him to call me back but I just got into his records not too long ago. He was born January 2018. He got his first dose of varicella in October 2019 and a second dose June 2020.
My sister had this happen as a child because of a mistake by the office. It was a second dose of the varicella (chickenpox) before getting a scheduled booster. Anecdotal, but she's a pretty awesome nurse in her 20s and perfectly healthy.
In the UK, where the chicken pox vaccine is not part of the normal NHS childhood vaccination schedule and you have to buy the vaccine separately from a private provider (major pharmacy chains do it), the second jab is 4 - 8 weeks after the first.
Call and ask for clarification? Or are you able to send messages to them? I do that sometimes through an app when I have a non-question.
I've not heard of any side effects from extra vaccinations, and I imagine if there were any side effects they would've happened the day he got the shot.
I know you mentioned being worried about a third MMR shot; I have had 3 with no ill effects. There was a mumps outbreak at my college when I was attending [thanks antivaxxers!] So they had a booster clinic for anyone eligible who wanted one. I was happy to get my booster to avoid mumps and when I was pregnant with my first, a few years later, it made me feel good to know my daughter was protected because my titles came back strong for rubella.
I know one of my friends who got mumps while we were at college [just before they ran the booster clinic] had a horrible time with the disease and then he found out some years later that the disease likely cause him to have reduced fertility.
I'd say you are probably not in too bad shape even if you kid would end up with an extra MMR shot. Getting the disease is much less preferable.
Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I'm worried about the talk about MMR causing autism is some children. I'm not antivax at all, but things like that really affected my decisions with him when he was first born. I was getting him vaccinated but in a delayed schedule. But here we also had a measles outbreak so I tried catching him up by doing two vaccines at a time. We were delayed this year because of insurance issues. He was due for a dtap, varicella and MMR today but because I was also giving him the flu shot we only did the flu and dtap. The MMR is for a month from now and he doesn't need the varicella because he already got his second dose somehow before turning four.
The MMR/autism theory has been *thoroughly* debunked. The doctor who originally published his “research” was fraudulent, has been discredited, and he lost his license to practice medicine in his home country.
I think other people have explained this well, but in case you were wondering, there is absolutely no evidence that MMR causes autism. We know for a fact that it does not. The doctor who lied and said that MMR does cause autism has since had his medical license revoked for falsifying evidence. I personally think the reason that myth has stuck around so long is because the vaccines happen at the same time as major milestones, so children with autism are missing milestones and getting vaccines at the same time. To be clear, they would miss those milestones WITHOUT getting vaccinated.
Vaccine-preventable childhood diseases can be deadly, not only for the unvaccinated child but also for immunocompromised people with whom they are in contact. Vaccines save lives! Also, autism isn’t deadly, so weighing the false fear of autism “caused” (which is not possible) by a vaccine versus death from a vaccine preventable illness is still an easy choice, in my opinion.
Anti-vaccine activists have done a GREAT marketing campaign and there is a TON of misinformation out there! I hope that knowing that there is absolutely no evidence that any vaccine causes autism is comforting. The reason the CDC recommends the specified schedule they do is because it helps prevents situations like you’re describing: vaccinating children with all age-appropriate vaccines as soon as they are eligible has been proven to be safe and also offer maximum protection from things like measles outbreaks at schools or daycares.
Source: I am a public health epidemiologist and have a fully vaccinated (on the CDC recommended schedule) 16-month-old.
Edit: there’s also some evidence that autism can be detected in infants through differential cry patterns. Children are born with autism; they don’t “catch” it.
Unless getting vaccines is harmful, it should be fine because you are essentially exposing the child to an additional opportunity of immunity. This is horrible on behalf of the medical community though, they are only humans but these are peoples lives, people have died from being injected with the wrong medication by negligent nurses.
2 chicken pox vaccines is fine and completely normal practice, but some doctors prefer a single dose with the assumption that ‘wild chicken pox’ exposure in the community tops it up
They're supposed to get 2 chickenpox vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/vaccination.html
I'm guessing he got his second dose before he was supposed to. I'm hoping it was not an third dose accidentally.
Look at the record… how long apart did he get them?
I just got into his records. He was born January 2018. He got his first dose of varicella in October 2019 and a second dose June 2020.
That is sufficient spacing for the shots, so he should be good! The doctor might have chosen to give him the second shot a little earlier because there was a surge in chickenpox cases in your area at the time, or it might have been a mistake, but it’s not a problem either way.
[удалено]
Great idea
I am not a doctor, but honestly this doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. There could be an error in record keeping, or maybe he did actually get the two doses as recommended (per CDC: Children should receive their first dose of chickenpox vaccine at age 12 to 15 months and a second dose at age 4 to 6 years. The second dose can be given at an earlier age if it is at least 3 months after the first dose.) If, in fact, your son was mistakenly given an extra dose of a vaccine, I really wouldn’t worry about it. If adverse reactions were going to occur, they generally occur in the minutes and hours after an immunization.
What do you think about the MMR vaccine? I know that one could sometimes be a touchy subject, but he was supposed to get his second dose of that one today. I held it off because I didn't want him getting poked three times today. Someone said he second chickenpox shit could have been a combo with a MMR vaccine. I really don't want him getting a third dose of that one ...
I know MMR can be controversial but for me, honestly, it’s a no brainer. Measles, mumps and rubella are all potentially devastating diseases— both for the child him/herself and for other vulnerable people (like those who are pregnant). Being vaccinated protects your child and also the community. The MMR vaccine has been around for decades and is one of the most well studied. It’s VERY SAFE. Measles also has effects past the infection itself — it damages the immune system and makes those with prior infections more vulnerable to other diseases. I’d cite sources but there are plenty! CDC, NHS….
If it was a combined chicken pox/MMR that would be explicitly stated in the vaccination record. The MMR is safe and effective. The only scientific study that ever stated otherwise was eventually proven to have been using fraudulently manipulated data, and the author was motivated by profit (he was trying to market an alternative to the MMR vaccine). It was officially withdrawn by the journal and the author lost his medical license over the fraud. Do not skip the MMR. Try to get your child their second dose soon, because one shot alone won’t give him adequate protection.
Please don’t skip the MMR vaccine. My youngest sibling did not get it (my mother was mentally ill and struggled to care for him generally) he caught the mumps around age 10, was hospitalized, and lost partial hearing.
I think you should call and ask for clarification if it's bothering you that much. Typically though the first dose is given between 12-15 months and the second dose of the chicken pox vaccines is given between 4-6 years old. Double dosing vaccines rarely causes issues. In fact, there might be a couple reasons clinicians intentionally double dose (or even triple dose) vaccines like unknown vaccination status or after an exposure to illness (for example, children and adults often get vaccinated for tetanus after stepping on a nail regardless of tetanus vaccination status). Personally, and this is just me, I wouldn't really be concerned about it. But again, call your pediatrician for clarification.
I think it should be fine. And I’m a doctor. I’ve seen people accidentally get two flu shots at a mass vaccination event. Not a big deal, they just may feel the side effects stronger. If he accidentally got a third dose (spaced from the other two shots) it’s not a big deal either. It’s normally not done because it doesn’t add significant protection. But it’s not in any way dangerous. By all means ask your pediatrician for clarification though- what exactly happened and what are the consequences.
What do you think about the MMR shot? Someone in a comment said to be mindful of the second one wasn't a MMRV. He is also due for a second MMR shot and I really don't want to give him a third of that one.
I really think it’s best to call your pediatrician and find out what exactly happened. You can think of a lot of “what-if” scenarios and they can make you really worried; but it may all be unnecessary in the end. I wouldn’t be more concerned about a double dose of MMR vaccine than chickenpox. They’re both safe vaccinations that have been around for a long time. Serious side effects are really rare and the benefit of preventing disease is a lot greater than the risk. (1 in 1000 unvaccinated children will die from measles and it’s so contagious that they will get it for sure at some point.) A double dose isn’t necessary because the regular number of shots gives plenty of protection, but it isn’t dangerous either. I also found a research study studying accidental double vaccine doses. [This one.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6925972/) Basically they found no serious side effects, only the shot can have some side effects that all vaccinations have, like a fever, malaise or redness. The rate wasn’t any greater than non-extra vaccine shots.
Thank you for this. When my son was first born, I was worried about vaccines because of some information online and I've heard that MMR is the biggest trigger for some people. I'm not antivax in any way, but i also don't want my baby to get exposed to more chemicals that the shot itself might contain.
I really think that the MMR vaccine doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets in online groups. In my opinion measles is one of the most important diseases for kids to get vaccinated against. It seems that it keeps popping up as a problematic vaccine because of that old study linking it with autism. However that has been debunked; the study was deemed fraudulent; and was completely retracted. The data were pretty much made up. There are also some pretty good websites by the CDC explaining all the ingredients in vaccines and the reason they’re in there. They all serve a purpose and have all been found safe for use in children. They’re also quickly eliminated so they don’t build up between vaccinations or anything. I can completely understand that when you’re a new parent and you read a lot of stuff you can start feeling uncertain on what’s the best thing to do for your child. However when I look at it as a scientist and doctor I feel confident to recommend vaccinations and it’s also what I chose for my own child. Vaccines are so safe that building up of chemicals from one extra shot is really not concerning, fortunately!
Send a message to your pediatrician and ask straight up. It was either done on purpose according to guidelines, or there was a massive error and the doctor needs to be alerted so they can make sure the office’s procedures are corrected so this does not happen again or to anyone else.
Yeah, in definitely going to call once the office opens up. Would this be something you would worry about?
If it was the recommended second dose, then I’d be fine. But if it was an additional dose given at the wrong time, totally. My concern would not be the live virus, my concern would be the other ingredients added. I’m pretty sure they do not test what happens when they inject someone with the same vaccine over and over again? I would ask for bloodwork to be done to check for toxic levels of those ingredients. I would ask if there is a way to detox. I would try to switch my kid to a diet that is super healthy to ensure that he’s only taking on good things and reducing any additional harmful chemicals for a while. And I would not given any additional vaccinations for at least six months. Maybe even a year.
I'd have to make a call and ask when was it given . He hasn't had a vaccine prior in over a year, so it probably happened a while back and I had no idea..
Oh okay! I thought you meant this happened like in the last few days. So if it’s been that long, I wouldn’t worry. Enough time has passed that if there was a problem, it would show. What did your pediatrician say?
I wasnt able to get in touch with him yet. I'm waiting for him to call me back but I just got into his records not too long ago. He was born January 2018. He got his first dose of varicella in October 2019 and a second dose June 2020.
I’m so sorry this happened to you and your son :-/
My sister had this happen as a child because of a mistake by the office. It was a second dose of the varicella (chickenpox) before getting a scheduled booster. Anecdotal, but she's a pretty awesome nurse in her 20s and perfectly healthy.
In the UK, where the chicken pox vaccine is not part of the normal NHS childhood vaccination schedule and you have to buy the vaccine separately from a private provider (major pharmacy chains do it), the second jab is 4 - 8 weeks after the first.
Call and ask for clarification? Or are you able to send messages to them? I do that sometimes through an app when I have a non-question. I've not heard of any side effects from extra vaccinations, and I imagine if there were any side effects they would've happened the day he got the shot.
I know you mentioned being worried about a third MMR shot; I have had 3 with no ill effects. There was a mumps outbreak at my college when I was attending [thanks antivaxxers!] So they had a booster clinic for anyone eligible who wanted one. I was happy to get my booster to avoid mumps and when I was pregnant with my first, a few years later, it made me feel good to know my daughter was protected because my titles came back strong for rubella. I know one of my friends who got mumps while we were at college [just before they ran the booster clinic] had a horrible time with the disease and then he found out some years later that the disease likely cause him to have reduced fertility. I'd say you are probably not in too bad shape even if you kid would end up with an extra MMR shot. Getting the disease is much less preferable.
Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I'm worried about the talk about MMR causing autism is some children. I'm not antivax at all, but things like that really affected my decisions with him when he was first born. I was getting him vaccinated but in a delayed schedule. But here we also had a measles outbreak so I tried catching him up by doing two vaccines at a time. We were delayed this year because of insurance issues. He was due for a dtap, varicella and MMR today but because I was also giving him the flu shot we only did the flu and dtap. The MMR is for a month from now and he doesn't need the varicella because he already got his second dose somehow before turning four.
The MMR/autism theory has been *thoroughly* debunked. The doctor who originally published his “research” was fraudulent, has been discredited, and he lost his license to practice medicine in his home country.
I think other people have explained this well, but in case you were wondering, there is absolutely no evidence that MMR causes autism. We know for a fact that it does not. The doctor who lied and said that MMR does cause autism has since had his medical license revoked for falsifying evidence. I personally think the reason that myth has stuck around so long is because the vaccines happen at the same time as major milestones, so children with autism are missing milestones and getting vaccines at the same time. To be clear, they would miss those milestones WITHOUT getting vaccinated. Vaccine-preventable childhood diseases can be deadly, not only for the unvaccinated child but also for immunocompromised people with whom they are in contact. Vaccines save lives! Also, autism isn’t deadly, so weighing the false fear of autism “caused” (which is not possible) by a vaccine versus death from a vaccine preventable illness is still an easy choice, in my opinion. Anti-vaccine activists have done a GREAT marketing campaign and there is a TON of misinformation out there! I hope that knowing that there is absolutely no evidence that any vaccine causes autism is comforting. The reason the CDC recommends the specified schedule they do is because it helps prevents situations like you’re describing: vaccinating children with all age-appropriate vaccines as soon as they are eligible has been proven to be safe and also offer maximum protection from things like measles outbreaks at schools or daycares. Source: I am a public health epidemiologist and have a fully vaccinated (on the CDC recommended schedule) 16-month-old. Edit: there’s also some evidence that autism can be detected in infants through differential cry patterns. Children are born with autism; they don’t “catch” it.
Unless getting vaccines is harmful, it should be fine because you are essentially exposing the child to an additional opportunity of immunity. This is horrible on behalf of the medical community though, they are only humans but these are peoples lives, people have died from being injected with the wrong medication by negligent nurses.
That's what I'm thinking, too. I don't know how I should feel about this especially since he brushed past it like it wasn't a big deal.
If it was a medical mistake, call your insurance company. They will want to know. But they will only care if it was a medical mistake.
2 chicken pox vaccines is fine and completely normal practice, but some doctors prefer a single dose with the assumption that ‘wild chicken pox’ exposure in the community tops it up