New job...looking for input.

[googly389]

So I'm going to be hopefully getting a full-time job with excellent pay, benefits, bonuses the whole package. Now the only requirement once I'm hired is that I will have to get a mandatory rabies and smallpox vaccine. This is due to the fact that I will be working around vials that I will be filling with vaccines themselves for animals (the company is Merial). So, we've all heard about the rumors that vaccines may be the cause of seizures in a minority of the epilepsy population but mostly when given at a young age. Do you think since I'm 20 (close to it anyways) that I will be safe and mot have a bad reaction to the shots (I've heard something that the blood brain barrier gets stronger or something as you get older)? I have a history of 'milder' seizures if you will, and I really don't want to permanently aggravate the situation. Thanks!

[skillefer]

You should be ok. As a person gets older, the immune system gets stronger. I'd try to schedule the vaccinations for a time when you know you are well....you know, not after being exposed to the cold, flu, or other nasty bugs if at all possible. Maybe even try boosting your immune system ahead of time. Also, see if you can have the vaccines scheduled for different days. That way, if you do have a reaction to one, it gives you time to recover before jouncing on another vaccine. If I remember the research I had read, the primary concern with vaccines was because they were given in combos, such as the MMR vaccine. Reactions to the vaccines were less likely to occur when they vaccines were taken seperately.

[joan]

COngrats and good luck on the new job. Sounds interesting.

If it is 2 shots, Id also recommend doing them a few weeks apart. Id speak to your Drs as well.

I wish you well.

joan*

[Crazy Monkey]

I have had many vaccines due to travelling and I have never noticed any heightened absence seizure activity, but I am not sure about t/c's

But maybe as Skilly said don't have the shots at the same time, I normally have mine a week apart from each other.

Good luck with your new job

[Ann T.]

Googly:
If the vaccinations are a mandatory requirement & this job looks very promising, you most likely will have to get vaccinated. HOWEVER, if you are worried, I would discuss it w/your neurologist or your primary care M.D. before you sign any job contract & see if they can write a letter disclosing a reason why you should be exempt from(not be given) the vaccinations. By disclosing the reason, your employers will most likely know that you have epilepsy, regardless of its severity.

[Bernard]

Congrats on the new job!

I suspect you would be OK with the vaccines. The main concern is with thimerisol/mercury (especially in babies who's brains/CNS are still developing). You might search around Google and see if the rabies and smallpox vaccines still contain thimerisol or not.

Secondary concern is that vaccines are meant to trigger a response from the immune system. While that's the whole point (so the immune system gets stronger), some people do experience increased seizure activity when their immune system is stressed. This would be a short term and transient concern.

[googly389]

Thanks everyone! I hope all turns out well, and I'm pretty sure the rabies is a series of three over three weeks or so. My main concern came from a temporal lobe epilepsy book I have about a guy who received a rabies shot when he was 12 after being bit by a raccoon. He reacted to the shot, his brain swelled, left a scar and he later developed a milder form of seizures like I get. However, this was a post-exposure shot and it was back in the 1930s or '40s when he received. Again, thanks!

[TeeTees]

Congrats on the new job googly. I'd be inclined to give the Doc a call, just to run it past him/her if you're really worried about it.

[brain]

Congrats on the job! And like it was posted, if you
have concerns or second thoughts, it does not hurt
to consult the Doctor for advisories --- OR --- even
recommendations (Doctors loves to hear this part,
anything that gets their egos going *grins*) ... and if
the Doctor hears this part, you can be assured they
will talk! Listen closely and make notes!

[RobinN]

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW JOB!!!

I just found some information that states that if you have eczema the smallpox vaccine is risky.

The C.D.C. doesn't recommend that individuals with eczema or a history of the skin disorder, also known as atopic dermatitis, be vaccinated unless necessary. Given the rise in the number of people who suffer from eczema, up to one-half of the US population may be ineligible for routine smallpox vaccination. The Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health is negotiating with a private company to produce a smallpox vaccine using a weaker form of vaccinia that would be safer for people at risk from the current vaccine.

www.mercola.com

Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
DTaP Acel-Imune Lederle Laboratories
Tripedia Pasteur Merieux Connaught Certiva
North American Vaccine DTwP (All products) DT (All products)
Td (All products) TT (All products) DtwP-Hib
Tetramune Lederle Laboratories TriHIBit
Pasteur Merieux Connaught HibTITER (multidose) Lederle Laboratories
ProHIBit4 Pasteur Merieux Connaught Hepatitis B virus
Engerix-B SmithKline Beecham Recombivax HB
Merck Influenza (All) Meningococcal
Menomune A, C, AC and A/C/Y/W-135 CLI Pneumococcal
Pnu-Imune 23 Lederle Laboratories Rabies
Rabies Vaccine Adsorbed

I would definitely see if there is a Rabies vaccine that doesn't contain Thimerosal.
Many have been made. Ask to read the ingredients though, because many are being given without the patients knowledge. At least I have read reports of such.