What symptoms should I expect after I get a Covid booster shot?

December 8, 2021 1:31 AM

This will be my third dose. All Moderna. After the 1st shot, I felt no symptoms at all, except a sore shoulder. After the 2nd shot, I woke the next day feeling like I got hit by a truck. I felt awful for 24 hours, but by 48 hours later, I was feeling 100% A-OK. What should I expect after I get a Moderna booster? I'm asking because I'm debating when to schedule it.
posted by 2oh1 to Health & Fitness (45 answers total)

I just had a moderna booster after two moderna shots 6-7 months ago. The second shot was really rough for me (very tired for a week at least). The booster was much better. I was tired and achy the next day, but I could still do most of my work/meetings (from home). The 2nd day after the booster I was maybe a tiny bit tired and achy but fine.
posted by melamakarona at 1:53 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

I think there's no way to know - it's individual and unpredictable. People are probably going to chime in here with their own experiences, but that's anecdata. (I personally have had different reactions to each of the three Pfizer shots than anyone I know.) So schedule for a time where if you do have bad symptoms, it won't be the end of the world.
posted by trig at 1:53 AM on December 8, 2021 [32 favorites]

Unfortunately I think the answer is that it will vary. After dose 3, I hit the sack early and stayed in bed for a day, and that’s about it. Mr. eirias was out for longer — after a Thursday shot he was out of commission most of the weekend. I think both of us felt more miserable after dose 2. But ymmv.
posted by eirias at 1:56 AM on December 8, 2021

The only noticeable reaction I had was a sore shoulder, and that was worse with dose 1 for me. Dose 2 and the booster haven't done much to me at all.
posted by LionIndex at 3:06 AM on December 8, 2021

All-Moderna guy here. I had a little tiredness after my first jab. Nothing beyond a brief bit of soreness after the second and the booster. YMMV, of course.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:07 AM on December 8, 2021

My experience, though it is very individual:
I'm in my early 50s, which may matter as I heard people react differently depending on their age. I just had my Moderna booster on Monday and I had to take yesterday off of work. For me, it was much worse than the effects from the first two doses. I expected to a bit achy and tired as I was with the first two (especially the second dose). About 8 hours after I received my booster I started feeling flu-like. 10 hours later I had severe body aches and chills and a fever. Tylenol helped. And I slept on and off all day yesterday. I was able to eat but was a tiny bit queasy. I woke up just now feeling 80% better, just weak and like I'd worked out with weights or something.
posted by marimeko at 3:10 AM on December 8, 2021

I slept for almost an entire day 24 hours after getting the Moderna booster. It was actually kind of nice. My wife and I deliberately scheduled it for a Friday so it wouldn't interfere with work (though if it were now we would get it ASAP because the Omicron is a huge threat).
posted by srboisvert at 3:33 AM on December 8, 2021

I had my Moderna booster last week.

I had a few low level symptoms for several days after the first shot, the 2nd shot was positively anticlimactic with a sore shoulder and feeling a bit tired with potentially slightly elevated temperature after the 2nd (which I had mid afternoon and was fit as a fiddle the next morning)

The booster was a bit of a surprise though. There was the sore shoulder but I also felt incredibly tired the next day and developed a splitting headache. I got to early afternoon and I was really struggling to concentrate. And my job requires me to concentrate so that was a bit of a problem. It got so bad that when a message about doing an office update that would take 2-4 hrs popped up on my laptop I decided to run that and go to bed. Perfectly fine the next day.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:49 AM on December 8, 2021

Mid-50s, all-Moderna

1st shot: mildly sore arm for 3 days, maybe a very low fever/fatigue the day after

2nd shot: about 18 hours after, fever (101-2F), chills, and exhaustion. All lasted about 36 hours. I’d taken two day off, and I needed them.

3rd shot: about 18 hours after, lower fever (didn’t break 100F), and tiredness. Lasted less than 36 hours. I’d taken 2 days off but was able to attend a series of zoom calls without too much trouble.

Nothing too drastic. As people above have noted, reactions vary immensely between people and shots. It’s probably good to schedule for the weekend or days off, just in case?
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:02 AM on December 8, 2021

My husband is in his late 40s, all Moderna, is in general good health.

He got his booster Monday and was zonked Tuesday - fatigue, feverish, fairly miserable. He took a half day from work. It seemed about equivalent to his previous two Modernas.
posted by champers at 4:29 AM on December 8, 2021

I just got my 3rd Moderna shot. I'm late 30s. My experience (yes, anecdote):

1st shot: mildly sore arm
2nd shot: mildly sore arm, then flu-like symptoms 18 hours - 36 hours after (nausea, fever, chills, tired). Then fine.
3rd shot: mildly sore arm, then flu-like symptoms 21 hours - 36 hours after - but markedly less than 2nd shot. Probably because I took medication early, knowing how shot #2 went. I'm at 36 hours now and on the upswing.

I intentionally scheduled my 3rd shot for my "weekend" (I'm off Tuesdays and Wednesdays) with nothing on the calendar except "lay on couch". I had medication easily accessible, easy meals planned, and the things I want when I don't feel good (applesauce, crackers, sprite).

Get the booster ASAP. Plan for feeling cruddy and be pleasantly surprised if that doesn't happen.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:55 AM on December 8, 2021

All Moderna for me, and the only reaction I got from my third shot was a really, really sore arm. It was still sore 4 days later.
posted by mai at 5:07 AM on December 8, 2021

It is impossible to know. As with the 1st two shots, side-effects with the booster have been very mixed.

I (39 year old man) had Moderna the 1st two times and suffered absolutely zero side-effects except the painful shoulder for 12 hours.
posted by 0bvious at 5:18 AM on December 8, 2021

All Moderna here, my first two experiences mirrored yours; I felt fine after the booster other than the sore arm. YMMV of course!

Several of my girlfriends reported that they had an odd rash on their underarms and sides for a few days afterwards but it wasn't anything to fuss about.
posted by Gray Duck at 5:26 AM on December 8, 2021

Your mileage will mostly likely vary, but another two data points here for less impactful than the 2nd dose. Both my wife and I were laid out for 12-18 hours from the second Moderna dose, but only suffered mild fatigue from the booster shot. I had no choice but to rest for an afternoon, evening, and night 24 hours after the 2nd shot. In contrast, I chose to take an 1.5 hour nap the day after the booster. Oddly, though, our arms both seemed sorer after the booster than the other two shots.
posted by mollweide at 5:33 AM on December 8, 2021

We require vaccines at work and it's my team's job to manage the data, so I've spoken anecdotally with a ton of people worldwide across a wide age and wellness spectrum about their shot symptoms. There's too much variance to say.

Generally, expect some soreness and fatigue. Individually, expect anything from no symptoms at all to sick on your couch feeling flu-ish for 3 days.
posted by phunniemee at 5:37 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

Just got my Moderna booster last Friday! My 1st shot had the sore arm, 2nd shot had very sore arm and fever/chills that lasted about 24 hours before flipping off. The booster gave me fever/chills overnight (but much milder than the 2nd shot round), and went away pretty quickly. One of my lymph nodes on my collar bone on the side I got the shot became pretty swollen a few hours after the booster, and remains slightly swollen now (wednesday morning). Overall, I'd say the booster side-effects were much milder than the 2nd shot, but I'm still glad I scheduled it when I could take it easy the next day.
posted by csox at 6:03 AM on December 8, 2021

I had the same (nasty) reaction to my booster as to my second shot. I believe the Moderna booster is lower dose than the original vaccine, which was a much bigger dose than the Pfizer, maybe a source of the worse side effects reported with Moderna. So some reason to think the booster won't hit everyone as hard
posted by dis_integration at 6:06 AM on December 8, 2021

Late 50s, Moderna x 3–
#1–sore arm with raised, red, round hive-like area.
#2–sore arm, severe chills after 12 hours, felt pretty good in 24 hours.
#3–really sore arm, low fever and severe fatigue the next day, slept 14 hours and woke up feeling good. Was very glad I had the day off after #3.
Go, immune system,go!
posted by bookmammal at 6:41 AM on December 8, 2021

My wife had an awful reaction after the Moderna booster. It was like she had a bad case of the flu for a few days.
posted by NotLost at 6:44 AM on December 8, 2021

I'm also a middle-aged, 3-Moderna person. I had mild symptoms after the first two shots - mostly fatigue and a little bit of Covid arm after the second shot. I actually received a full third dose (not the half booster shot that most people will get) due to my medical conditions last Friday. It was a significantly stronger reaction - chills about 12 hours after the shot, then feeling like I'd been beat up with a low grade fever the next day. The following morning I felt better but then relapsed that afternoon. Fortunately this was on a weekend where I could just rest. It was steady improvement after that. Five days later, my arm is still a little sore but that's it.

I'll nth what everyone else has said that it varies so widely (I've heard of others getting the third full dose that had virtually no reaction and some people with just the booster who took a week to fully recover) that you should plan to feel lousy for a few days afterward and be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen. Drink plenty of fluids and rest, knowing that your immune system is doing its thing.
posted by Preserver at 6:55 AM on December 8, 2021

Moderna here had only a sore arm after the first shot, chills and tiredness after the second and felt like I had to flu for 2 days after the booster plus a rash at the injection site.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 6:56 AM on December 8, 2021

I planned it for a day where I had time to recuperate/rest if it hit me badly, because it's so unpredictable.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:01 AM on December 8, 2021

I've had two Moderna shots and the Moderna booster. (Also, for completeness, my annual regular flu shot.) In each case, the only "symptom" I encountered was the pain of taking off the bandage due to the shot being administered to the hairiest part of my upper arm. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, is my advice.
posted by SPrintF at 7:54 AM on December 8, 2021

Late 30s cis male, all Moderna:

1st shot: Sore arm for half a day
2nd shot: Drank tons of water after the shot; next day felt like I was hungover and had hiked 10 miles when I had done neither of those things
3rd shot: Sore arm for 26 hours; afternoon after the shot I felt pretty sleepy

The 3rd shot was much, much less bad than I felt after my flu shot this year.
posted by thecaddy at 8:00 AM on December 8, 2021

I was hit for about 24 hours with Moderna 1, walloped for 72 hours with Moderna 2 with unpleasant but not threatening side effects, and had moderate side effects for 24 hours with Moderna 3, easier than 1 or 2.
posted by Candleman at 8:01 AM on December 8, 2021

Triple-Moderna, here. Early 50's, good health.

1st: Sore arm. Got 'moderna arm' a week later (couple days of red/warm arm around the injection site, but with no pain)
2nd: Mildly sore arm. Mild flu-like symptoms.
3rd: Mildly sore arm. Suddenly felt like I'd been hit by a bus the day after. Very achy. Fever/chills. Tired. Manageable with acetaminophen/ibuprofen. Symptoms disappeared as rapidly as they arose.
posted by BlueDuke at 8:06 AM on December 8, 2021

Schedule it when you have some time you can take off. Reactions vary widely. I had the Moderna booster (first two were Pfizer) and my experience was much worse this time around. Very sore arm, chills starting about 9 hours after the shot, followed by fever and a day of fatigue. I felt better the 2nd day after the shot.
posted by expialidocious at 9:05 AM on December 8, 2021

Female, 30s

Moderna booster symptoms were same as 2nd Pfizer shot: soreness, flu symptoms that started 24 hours later and ended after about 12 hours, period delayed for over a week, tired/foggy for almost 2 weeks after.
posted by greta simone at 9:41 AM on December 8, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks so much folks. You've told me what I needed to hear (er, see). I'm going to get my booster tomorrow and take the weekend to recuperate if I need to.
posted by 2oh1 at 11:57 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

I am literally right this minute experiencing life the day after a Moderna booster shot.

After the second moderna shot I had injection-site soreness, but felt relatively normal when I woke up; and then starting about mid-morning I spent about 3 hours feeling like I could Not Get Warm and piled a shit-ton of blankets and sweaters on myself until I remembered that "chills AND fever" were a thing. I took my temperature and discovered I had a fever of 101, took an aspirin and slept the rest of the afternoon. My fever broke sometime around 6 and I got up to eat some Jello and went back to sleep, and was fine the next day.

Today, after the booster - and as of this minute it is precisely 23 hours and 48 minutes since I had the shot - I have injection site soreness, and I am right now feeling a tiny bit draggy; but it's so mild that I honestly couldn't tell you whether it's a side effect from the booster shot or a sugar crash from the Cheetos I had a couple hours ago. I'm actually at work, even, and while I am contemplating asking if I could work the rest of the day from home, it's largely more due to boredom than feeling like the side effects are prompting it.

I spoke with a couple other co-workers yesterday who'd already had the booster; one person reported just the injection site soreness. Another had been clobbered by his second dose (high fever for a day and a half) but the booster just gave him a headache for a few hours.

It depends, but with a few exceptions I'm largely hearing it isn't as bad as the second dose was; this is all anecdotal, however (before coming in here I'd heard exactly one person who said that the booster had been worse on him, but that was Peter Dinklage saying that and his physiognomy is different enough from mine that I thought it safe to disregard his experience when trying to predict my own).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:02 PM on December 8, 2021

Early 50s, Moderna for all three shots. Like you, I was fine after the first shot aside from injection site soreness. After the second, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling nauseated and had flu-like symptoms for a few hours. Next day I felt rundown but okay otherwise.

Because of my mildly bad reaction to the second shot, I was anxious about the booster, but my only reaction to it was a super sore arm for about 3 days—like way more sore than the first and second times. But that was it. I drank lots of water before and after and took some ibuprofen after I got home.

Here's hoping you have little to no reaction to the booster. Crossing my fingers for you!
posted by smich at 12:48 PM on December 8, 2021

I had my third Moderna shot 23 hours ago and today I have injection site soreness and some overall draggy-ness and body fatigue, but not unlike if I'd had a bad night of sleep (and would have assumed that's all it was if I hadn't had the shot yesterday). I'm working a regular day and ran an errand over lunch and none of it was unmanageable. My first two vaccines were similar. Good luck, I hope your side effects are minimal!
posted by anderjen at 1:12 PM on December 8, 2021

My first two were Pfizer, and were uneventful besides a sore arm. My booster was Moderna. I was out of commission for a day and a half with fatigue, headaches, and a fever. I was in bed. shivering with chills by 6pm the day after the shot. It was not pleasant, but I'd do it again, and again, however many times it's necessary.
posted by TrialByMedia at 1:40 PM on December 8, 2021

Response by poster: "...but I'd do it again, and again, however many times it's necessary."

Oh, yes! I want to stress that I'm very happy about getting my booster. I only asked this question for the sake of figuring out the best time to schedule it. If the booster was no biggie, I'd do it today, but based on the comments being left here, I think waiting until closer to the weekend sounds wise... just in case.
posted by 2oh1 at 1:54 PM on December 8, 2021

Yeah, data point that I am now 26 hours post-booster and I'm starting to shiver, although I'm not at the point where I can definitely say "this is the booster" vs. "The building is just cold and it's winter". My hunch is "booster", though, but it's so mild that it's tolerable for the next little while.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:06 PM on December 8, 2021

I got the Moderna booster the day before Thanksgiving and was in bed for a week, unable to eat and sleeping round the clock, a pretty bad headache. I slowly came out of it but had significant memory loss which is starting to get better. No regrets but it had scared me a lot. I am sixty.
posted by InkaLomax at 2:09 PM on December 8, 2021

Early 50s woman who got her booster a few weeks ago. Unless you're immunocompromised it's a smaller dose. I felt a little punk with the first shot, a little punker with the second (like a day of bleh but nothing awful) and with the booster I was fine for a few hours and then had bigtime chills until I went to bed (no fever) which were aggravating but ultimately not bad and I felt a little rundown but not bad at all, able to function, by the next day.
posted by jessamyn at 4:47 PM on December 8, 2021

It varies so much!

I'm in my 60s. Got all three Pfizer shots. The first was not bad, a little achy, glad I got it on a Saturday.

The second and third were identical. Almost exactly 24 hours later I felt like a minor case of the flu, lots of muscle aches and very tired, which cleared up by the next morning.
posted by lhauser at 7:14 PM on December 8, 2021

I got an interesting tip from someone last night which may also help, and at least can't hurt...a Lyft driver said that when he got his first shot, the nurse who gave it to him told him that when he got his second shot, he should drink a big glass of water with a squeeze of lime juice two hours before the shot, and then another one two hours after the shot. This would lessen the side effects, she said. He claimed that he did precisely that and swears that his side effects were nonexistent, and his roommates all then did the same with similar results.

I can't say that is proof, but there may be something to that - since I might arguably have been a bit dehydrated when I got my booster (I went to the clinic for that straight from a physical therapy appointment, where I'd sweat a lot but couldn't have water because they'd run out of cups). The effects were still mild - I ended up running a fever for a couple hours the night after, but I still had enough energy to make dinner and do the dishes and go to bed at my usual time, and the fever broke after only a few hours and I'm fine today. It was still a lot milder than when I got the second shot, and I'm wondering if I'd been properly hydrated whether I'd have had any side effects at all.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:19 AM on December 9, 2021

I will share that the ache and cough I thought were side effects from the booster were in fact a breakthrough COVID infection.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:29 PM on December 9, 2021

Response by poster: Well... I now know my answer.

I got the Moderna booster shot yesterday and I'm sure glad I planned nothing for today. I went to bed last night at 11pm and didn't get up until almost 1pm today... and I feel groggy, grumpy and cold. But by this evening I am already starting to feel better, and I'll probably be feeling like myself again by tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.

I'm glad I got the booster shot though! And really, it wasn't a big deal.
posted by 2oh1 at 5:48 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

Awesome, congratulations! Hope you're feeling better by now...
posted by trig at 2:45 AM on December 16, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks! I slept another 13 & a half hours last night. CRAZY! That's 27 hours of sleep in 2 days... but I'm feeling much better. At this rate, I'll be 100% good as new tomorrow.

The effects of the booster shot were so different from what I felt after doses 1 and 2. All 3 were Moderna.

After the 1st dose, I felt no side-effects at all except a little bit of a sore shoulder, but even that was minimal.

After the second dose, I slept over 14 hours. The next day, I had a fever, chills, and was VERY tired with a lot of soreness. It took maybe 3 days before I felt like myself again.

After the 3rd shot (the Moderna "booster" is actually a half-dose), the chills were less severe but they lasted longer. I slept even more! But I didn't feel any aches or pains, and I'm recovering faster.

If I have to get another booster 6 months from now, I'll DEFINITELY try to schedule it for a Friday afternoon.
posted by 2oh1 at 9:09 PM on December 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I just had my second booster with Moderna. The three previous shots were Pfizer. First and third shots felt mildly a hey and tired. The second shot I felt very achey and tired, much more severe so than the first and third. Within 8 hours I got very achey and a headache. I slept 13 hours last night. Today I feel like absolute garbage, the aches and pains are terrible. Soooo spacey, too.
posted by waving at 11:59 AM on April 23, 2022