CAN ALLERGY SHOTS CAUSE MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN?

I know this is a an old post but the eXACT same scenario happened to me..healthy very active 42 yr old woman ..gym everyday..running, weights..can't run anymore..have zero wrist strenght in left arm and can barely hold a 3 pd wt now..used to lift 8-10 no problem...soooo frustrated!!!!

I started around august of 2011 but now i am experiening joint pain in my left arm, shoulders, hands and feet and muscle pain in my legs i had little joint pain but it is worst now mostly in the morning when I am sleeping it hurt and it wakes me up. I see Mr Gordon in Tucson, Az my allergies seem better and I can breath thru my nose before my nose was always stuffy but i don't know if it joint pain from allergies or menospause I am 51 years old so it could be both.

Allergy shots over 2 years now and I have had the same arm pain and paresthesias off and on, massive upper arm swelling after the shots for 3 to 5 days, and residual hard lumps in my arms that ache/ feel tender to touch/ slightly interfere with arm extension. Finally they put me on Q2weeks last month. I've complained to no avail. But, for some of us with history of sensitivities, maybe shots should NOT be recommended IMO.

I just began receiving allergy shots for Dust, Ragweed, Cats, and Dogs.  My first shots (one in each arm) were on the April 20th, and I had no issues afterward.  I got my 2nd round of shots on April 26th at 10:30 AM.  Around 1 PM, my right inner thigh felt irritated and as the day went on, I began to develop a tingly feeling in my legs, especially in my calf muscles and feet.  I experienced the same symptoms and Friday and Saturday and to a lesser degree today.  My allergist said that shots in my arms wouldn't affect anything in my legs.  My family doctor didn't have an answer, but didn't seem to buy that it wasn't the allergy shots that caused this. 

It seems obvious that the allergy shots led to this...to those that have experienced symptoms, how long did it take to get back to being symptom-free?

I started getting allergy shots last year in February.  One in each arm for molds, dust, ragweed, cats, grasses, pollens.  I felt horrible for the first few months.  Very achy, joints hurt, lethargic, crabby, off balance.  My sinuses would swell up to the point that I needed prednisone 3 separate times.  Now, after a year, I barely notice getting the shots. Sometimes my arms itch and swell at the site but I no longer feel achy and sore and weird.  I did want to quit doing the shots but kept at it.  My nurse in the allergy office thought I was crazy.  She said nobody had ever reported such issues with their shots.  She was not the least bit compassionate and made me feel like I was complaining.  My doctor, however, said I was so allergic (severe allergies) that it did not surprise him at all.  Our bodies react in different ways.  I am happy I kept them up - I dreaded Tuesdays thinking about those shots - the day I got the shot was a bad day.  I always felt so weird.  Now, it is much much better and I notice this spring I don't need an allergy pill.  I say, hang in there and even give yourself a break one week or repeat a dose for two weeks - I did that a few times and it helped alot.

Thanks Lori, that really helps.  My allergist said they wouldn't affect my legs at all and made me feel like I was crazy.  I am VERY allergic to these things - I got a 4 on the 1-4 scale for each one.  I think if I know that it is the cause of my leg issues, it won't bother me moving forward with the shots.  It's the fear that it's NOT the allergy shots causing this and that it's more serious that scares me. 

The best I can describe it is that my calf muscles feel very tight - like they need stretched out.  Does that sound similar to what you experienced?  I've also been very tired and crabby. 

Steve, I don't think it is a coincidence that these symptoms started after the allergy shots. It does sound similar. I felt so achy, even feverish, lack of energy and oh my muscles hurt so bad. I am a yoga instructor so I stretch alot. I see a chiropractor and she said this is very common for people that get allergy shots - she is convinced they weaken your joints. I usually get a chiropractic adjustment once a month and when I started getting allergy shots, I needed to go once a week for about months. My back and hips kept going out and my neck. It was so strange. I am back to my once monthly adjustment now. I strongly considered stopping the shots. It really shocked my system for almost a year - but now I have to say, things are back to normal. I am very allergic also. My allergist said he hasn't seen allergy reactions like mine in a very long time. I live in NE and I hear it is about the worst place you can live if you have allergies. I moved here from Chicago and my allergies were not nearly as bad there. I would advise you to really watch your nutrition - make sure you get enough B and C vitamins - drink lots of water and really take care in the beginning. I get massage once a month and get good nights of sleep too. I eat right and always feel better when I do!! I hope this helps. I really thought I was crazy when I started my shots - I had such a reaction to them - my whole system felt off and and nobody believed me - that is why I posted on this website to see if others felt the same way. You can try yoga too! That is awesome for stretching and getting blood and oxygen to all your muscles!!! Namaste! Lori

Lori,

Thank you once again for your reply. I've been better today - a little tingling, but most just that tight feeling in my calf muscles...definitely not as noticeable yesterday. I'm hoping that things get better in a few days. While I check out well health-wise (BP, Cholesterol, etc), my diet could certainly be improved. I've also started taking a multivitamin, so hopefully that helps as well. Thank you again for the reply...it makes me feel 100 times better knowing that I am not crazy and that others have experienced this!

For those that experienced symptms, how long should it be before I feel normal again? (I've halted the shots for now)

I'm going on about three weeks now and still having a lot of discomfort in my feet.  Any suggestions? 

Yes I have the same problems after getting injections and do have muscle and joint pains. Maybe this should be investigated by the professionals

I've been on the allergy drops for about six weeks now, and I'm having the same problems people are reporting here.  I've developed muscle and joint pain in my knees, back, elbow, wrists, and feet. And when my joints aren't hurting,  I'm having tremendous muscle aches.   I've never had anything quite like this before and all of the sudden it occurred to me it might be from the drops.  So I came to the web and discovered this site.  I'm going to stop them immediately.  I too am worried about how long it will take for me to recover.  My problems were mostly mold allergies.  What if I'm so sensitive to it that even this tiny bit they are giving me is too much?  I do experience a lot of sensitivity to medications. What a pain!!!

I just started the allergy shots, and it is terrible. At first my allergist gave me shots (they were painless), and now my Mom does. And when she does it, it hurts badly. After I got my shot, my right arm started burning. I could feel where I was punctured. How long will it hurt?

I received my first allergy shot May 10th, 2012. The next day my right hand became severly swollen and painful. I went to a walk-in clinic on Mother's Day and was prescribed medication. Two days later I saw my family doctor who ordered x-rays and blood work. The blood work revealed a positive rheumatoid factor. I had called to report it to the allergy clinic staff, who told me it was not related. And so each time I went for another shot, I told them about my hand. Four weeks later, on Father's Day weekend, both my hands were so painful and swollen and I couldn't use either one. I had to go to emergency for treatment, dilaudid and toradol. The following Monday, I woke up with a mild pain in my right upper leg. I went to work with my right hand wrapped but left in the early afternoon due to the pain I was having. I laid down for an hour and when I woke up I couldn't bear weight on my right leg. By the early evening, the pain was excruciating and I couldn't put any weight on it at all. A friend took me back to the emergency department, where they gave me morphine, gravol, toradol injections and oral prednisone. The next morning I was seen by a rheumatologist who gave me cortisone in my right hip and prescriptions for toradol and prednisone. I also had bloodwork done which revealed I had a lot of inflammation going on in my body. I lost 7 working days because of this and I never take time off sick. I also have never had any of these type of problems prior to the allergy shots. I met with the allergist, who told me he's never seen anything like it in 28 years of practice but would stop my allergy shots immediately. I do not believe he has not seen this before, as I have heard from others receiving allergy shots that staff where they go have seen this. I recommended the allergist do screening bloodwork before starting shots for any patient they see. He told me the blood work would show a lot of false positives. I DO NOT CARE!! This has been a life changing event for me and now I have to deal with the repercussions. As far as I'm concerned, his staff did not do their due diligence by reporting this to him and letting him and I decide whether this was related or not. I am a clinical research coordinator and deal with the side effects of medications every day at work. I know the allergy shots did this to me and I am extremely upset about it. I am still on anti-inflammatory medications and prednisone.

I saw my primary care doctor and told him about the muscle pain and join pain that I have been having ever since I started allergy drops six weeks ago.  I expected him to tell me there couldn't be a connection, but instead, he said "Oh, I would stop those right away.  The drops are monkeying around with your immune system, and things related to rheumatoid problems are very likely to be an immune problem."

I do find that now that I am off the drops, things are very gradually getting better. I have been off the drops almost two weeks now, and the joint pain is pretty much gone, as are some of the muscle aches.  I still get attacks of the muscle aches at some point each day, but the problem is definitely improving. I can't thank the people on this board enough for sharing your experiences!