The flu shot...is it worht it?

I've never gotten one, and since I discovered Airbourne 2 years ago I haven't had the flu. I've gotten some minor colds, but the symptoms were kept in check by the Airbourne and they only lasted 2 or 3 days instead of a week to 10 days. So I don't see much needs to get one. When my son's old enough I'll probably get him a flu shot every year, because he doesn't take medicine most of the time. As a general rule, if I want to give him medicine I have to put it into a drink for him, which means it might take 2 hours for him to get 1 dose into his system.

...The second poster is correct. Scientist try to predict which flu bug is likely to strike. There is no quarentee they have picked the right one. ...Never have I been able to get the shot, because I am allergic to the base used. I have also heard of people getting ill from the shot. My girlfriend's son got chicken pox from the vaccination. ...However, if you have a weak immune system, it is better to get the shot and have a chance of evading the flu bug than trying to fight it at a disadvantage. An educated guess is better than a shot in the dark, so to speak. ...Great thread! Peace be with you. =(^;^)= Della

Depending on hwere you work (for example I work in a hospital) it can be madatory. If you work in a place i.e. a school or place were there is a high chance to come into contact with the flu then it might be a good idea. The flu shot is a bening, or no deadly strain of the influenza virus. Please note that the "flu" and influenza are two toatlly seperate things. What most call the flu usually includes high fever, nausea, vomitting, aches and chills, body aches, etc. But your body and possibly over the counter medicines can overcome the symptoms and return to normal with in a few days. Influenza is a possibly deadly virus that requires hospitalization and intensive care to cure. The way to tell the difference is usually done through a blood test. The influenza vaccine was used to stop the influenza pandemic, which killed thousands of people just in the US, from coming back again with the force it did before. With that said it is ultimately your choice. The indluenza vaccine does not prevent all types of influenza.

I never got one as an adult because I never needed one, even though my employer of 12 years offered it for free. In the period I only got it twice. But now that I'm going to be fifty years old I will have to discuss with my doctor if I need to start since that's the age it is recommended to start. I would rather not though, and let my own immune system take care of it. It's been good to me thus far.

I have only had the flu once in my life, and I do what I can to stay healthy. Taking the flu shot is not an option for me, as I am allergic to eggs, and if you have that allergy you can't get the flu shot.

i listen to the radio and its talking about the golden rule for flu. Flu to other as you flu to you. or To flu or not to flu. So i think it is important to protect your imune system when there week especially during the winter so you don't get the superbug that is spreading and its resistant to anibiotic which is serious and i learned about it today very interesting. Also protect your family so u can get the flu over quickly. Flu shot recamended.

I am at high risk. I take the flu shot every year. I am one of those folks that can die from a simple case of the flu so even if there is a shortage, I am one who gets a shot. * It was so bad that my doctor wouldn't let me out of his office until I schedualed a flu shot. Liability. He didn't want me croaking on him.

My company is offering the flu shot for free. I drive a school bus. That means lots of kids and all their germs. They sneeze and cough without covering their mouths or noses. YUK! I am definitely getting the flu shot! PEACE

The flu shot is a valuable tool to help your body to be able to fight the symptoms of the flu(which each year many people die from the flu)... I always get a flu shot and so does my husband and 5 year old son, I take them and my grandchildren each year...I feel that it is extremely important to give them the best chance of NOT suffering with the flu. I have included a link to give you key facts about the vaccinations... http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm Hope that this provides you with some useful information...

I use to get flu shots every year when I was a kid and it always worked! I got the flu from the shot every single time :) I haven't got any flu shots as an adult. One of the comments here mentions that it's a crap shoot, exactly right. They have no idea which strain of influenza may or may not be prevalent from one year to the next. They try to make an educated guess about which strain will break out then they make huge amounts of vaccine that is ONLY good for that strain. If you are ederly or have a small child, it may be worth it for yourself or a child to get the shot. It's certainly no guarantee you won't get flu or get sick from the shot itself but if you're lucky, that might just be the prevalent strain this year and getting sick from the shot is a bit lesser symptoms than getting the live virus from the wild. If you're a healthy adult, I would recommend against it, take your chances.

I don't belive in getting the flu shot. I have seen people who have gotten the shot get sicker, than people that haven't. I have never gotten a flu shot, and have been fine. I belive if you take care of yourself and eat right, plus try to avoid sick people you will be ok. I think it just depends on your system. And what you do to protect yourself.

To me, the better shot to get is the pneumonia one. I got the flu shot every year and still got the flu. So every time I would ask what was up with that. The strain mutated, we vacinated for the wrong type of flu-a different one hit here, on and on with the excuses. But the pneumonia vacination, that really works and I haven't gotten that since. Pneumonia is way worse and the shot really works. The flu shot, questionable at best. Some say that you still get the flu and it lessens the inpact. I was hospitalized every year for several years with the flu, so you can't prove it by me! Since I stopped taking the flu shot, I've done much better. I think I got the flu from standing in the dang lines for it! Take care and good question. P. S. consult your doctor, individual experiences may vary.

The choice is yours ultimately. Having the flu shot will guarantee you won't get a flu for a year. But of course, there are people who prefer not to take the flu shot because it makes their body resistance lazy. Without the flu shot, you can definitely recover from the flu after few days, but that also helps to build your body resistance stronger. There is no right or wrong way, as long as it helps solve the problem.

well if you can get it for free, why not? couldn't hurt, my employment also offered it for free and i jumped on the offer

I always take my flu shot each year.It is a very good thing i think.I do know that it contains the flu virus and that is suppose to keep you from getting the flu,some people still think that it gives you the flu but it doesn't...It is a very small dose of the virus and it works the same way as any shot you take...Its not really enough to actually give you the flu but i do know that some people have gotten the sniffles from it, but it is better than getting the full affect of the flu,which can really mess you up for a very long time,and if you get the flu it has all kinds of side affects,and it is a virus and antibiotic's does not help a virus, so I always take my flu shot to keep from getting the flu..On occasion when i get the shot i feel a little pruny the next day but that goes away real fast...I di get a bad case of the flu once and it was horrible,i never want to go through that ever again.So I always take the shot...

Well there are many strains of the flu virus out there. So you may even get the flu even if you get the flu shot. I doubt the flu shot would make you sick.

I haven't tried getting a flu shot. I agree with what you think, there are lots of flu viruses out there and you can't say that once you got a shot you won't have a flu anymore. Will if the company will shoulder the expenses then why not give it a try. You won't lose anything in trying.

Although they aren't of much use in most cases, prevention is perhaps better than curer. So just get it over and done with and get on with your life. You have much more important things to worry about then this, such as myLot :)

whenever it's offered to me for free i take it. but i can't just go pay $30 per shot at some places who offer it. but when my kid was a baby and he was in daycare and i at my full time job, our doc said he was at high risk, and stressed for us all to get one. and we did. but since now i work at home and my son isn't in school nor daycare, i'm thinking about skipping this years shots. they really want the elderly and babies to get shots, as the virus affects them very hard if they DO get the flu. BUT getting the shot and then getting sick is basically a myth my doc has told me. IF you go in to GET a shot you won't get sick, unless you already are a tad sick, and you may not even know you're sick. it's some kind of live substance, but it doesn't make you sick unless you are a lil sick already, then it goes to fight the sickness if you're already a tad sick, and you feel it more i think. but i wouldn't worry about all that. get it while you feel great, and i'm sure you'd be fine. and when you're around a lot of people and out in the public a lot, it's not a bad idea, the flu virus seems to get worse and worse every year, more deadly ya know? and there are so many germs and nasty people out there, those who never wash their hands, sneeze and cough all over the place, it's VERY easy to catch the virus!!

i get it almost every year. My uncle is a docter so i basically get it for free. SO why not.. eh? haha