COMMENTS
I have a 15 yro daughter that had a seizure in January 2008. She had her last dose of the hpv vaccine October 2007. She had another seizure on Friday, June 27th at 3:00a.m. We have no history of seizures in our family and the doctors have not figured out why she is starting to have these seizures. I believe that the hpv vaccine has caused her seizures. She is a healthy child with no medical problems until now. Is there anything we can do to reverse the effects of this vaccine. Or who can we talk with
to get the right diagnosis. Arleen
You wrote that you wanted to know how other people have found out about your blog on Gardasil side effects. Well, for myself, my daughter has rec'd her 1st shot(out of 3) and was discussing it W/ a friend when that friends mother piped in about a news story(CBS?, CNN?) reporting WORSE side effects than we were informed of. My daughter gets 'worried' so I go searching. You posted a comment on the discussion page at Wikipedia and here I am. Personally, I believe there are too many hysterical moms out there of my generation who over react and over protect thus creating adverse responses by their children which are really more psychosomatic than truly physical.(had my own expeience w/ that behavior while working as a preschool teacher. Moms, kids cry because they KNOW you expect them to & because YOU, yourelf, are sooo worried and distraught, they don't want to let you down...)However the delivery process of this vacine seems new(?!) and if I could I would research THAT and see if these reported severe side effects are related to THAT part of the vacine.(Wikipedia-Gardesil)The way it's made is suppose to be WHY it hurts more upon injection than a 'regular' vacination.
*On my earlier post, my apologies-it is spelled VACCINE not vacine
*upon commenting about distraught moms, I meant to write YOURSELF, not yourelf
*in reference to the way this vaccine is made, I looked at Dictionary.com in the encyclopedia section. There, under VACCINE, you will find descriptions of different forms/makes of vaccine.
I have a 12 yr old daughter, had her first HPV vaccine in Nov 2007, second May 2008. She had a seizure April 2008, which they thought was caused by a "virus", now had 2 more seizures on 7/7/08. She's an extremely healthy, athletic girl, all her tests are coming back good. It seems we need to make the medical professionals really start taking a look at this vaccine. There is alot of similar stories all ranging around the time the vaccines started. I will definately NOT have her get the final dose, and will NOT have my 15 year old finish with her final 2 doses.
I had the 1st shot earlier this year, and fainted straight-away. The nurse said I had a seizure while I was out. For the next two days, I had hives on my hands (mostly on the same side that I hda the injection), was dizzy and nauseous. Also for the week after, I had pins and needles feelings in my hands. I have a previous history of allergies and asthma. Also, I do get hives when I'm not on my allergy med, Zyrtec, but they are completely different than the ones I was getting. The ones I was getting were large welts on my hands. When I told my doctor, she said I couldn't prove that anything I was experiencing was related to gardisil because of that history of allergies. It was like she didn't believe me and thought I was making it up, even though the nurse who helped me after I fainted told me she personally wouldn't be comfortable giving me the second gardisil shot. My gyn was the only doctor who actually filed a report of my symptoms and sent it in. Did anyone else have a similar experience? Oh, btw, I'm 25, 5'7", 133 lbs.
Oh, sorry, forgot to mention that my middle, ring and pinky fingers on my hand (same side as injection) got very swollen (especially the middle finger)the morning after the shot and lasted that way for 2 days, along with the hives. Also, since then, I've had worse menstrual cramps that I used to (I used to have little to no menstual discomfort).
I am a news producer in Dallas looking for any TX women/girls who have experienced adverse reactions to the Gardasil shot. Please contact me directly at mjmanning@ktvt.com
Thank you.
My comment to "dee" is that your daughter obviously has not experienced what so many other girls have experienced. My daughter's reaction to Gardasil was totally unanticipated and certainly not an overreaction. Nor do I think the majority of posters are overreactors. Unforunately these reactions are real. I think it's wonderful that your daughter has not had a negative reaction, but believe me, if she did, you would think VERY DIFFERENTLY. My daughter celebrated her 20th birthday today and we CELEBRATED HER LIFE because if she had received her 3rd Gardasil vaccine I do not think she would have made it to her 20th birthday. Until you have been in a position where you are not sure if your child is going to survive, you can not really COMMENT on it. Hopefully, you will not find yourself in such a position. Until you have walked in our shoes, you should RESERVE YOUR COMKMENTS. WHAT THESE GIRLS HAVE EXPERIENCED IS IN NO WAY COMPARABLE TO A PRESCHOOLER BEING LEFT BY HER MOTHER. This comparison is indicative of your ignorance of the situation being faced by these girls and families. Think again before you comment.
Mary Knight -- how is your daughter? I have worried about her for months.
My 19 year old daughter had her first Gardasil vaccine on 5/22/07 and immediately became nauseated, dizzy and faint. After resting for about 20 minutes she reported feeling listless and was still slightly nauseated. She went away to college 3 months later and while home for Thanksgiving she had her first known grand mal seizure. This is a perfectly healthy, atheletic and health concious woman who does not do drugs and takes care of her body. She's had no previous history of seizures and no family history.
She has had 4 seizures since November of 2007 and remains on anti-seizure medication. This appears to be an serious trend! Something has to be done and this drug should be pulled and more studies conducted. This before more young women's lives are turned upside down in their prime.
Don't even talk about this being overreaction by parents or teens. There is a problem with this vaccine!!
Dear Dee:
As a nurse I can assure you that grand mal seizures and respiratory failure are not psychosomatic. They are very much involuntary responses and can not be "faked". I don't care how "hysterical" I may be as a mother, there is no way that I could cause my daughter to seize. You obviously have not witnessed these types of reactions first hand.
i am a 21 year old healthy athletic college student and i am due for my 3rd gardasil shot, now i am having second thoughts. the only side effect that i experienced from the vaccine was pain at the ejection site, which subsided after a few days. all this talk about seizures is really scary, i am wondering if i should skip the last shot or if it is too late and i should just take the risk and complete the vaccine. if you know anything about the seizures in relations to when the shots are given please post it! also i had a thought that maybe getting the last shot would complete the vaccine and therefore not create side effects??? i tried to find information on the difference between the three shots. for example if they contain different ingredients or what... i did not find much of anything. you all seem pretty knowlegable, if you know anything please share.
thank you for your time.
Amber: Talk to your health care professional about your fears. Find out if it would be ok to wait on the third shot until this can be further investigated.
Most of the girls who are now having seizure (from what I can tell by reading postings on line)had fainting, dizziness and lingering weakness after the first shot. I do believe that all the injections contain the same product. Maybe you're in the clear....I hope so. Good luck.
On Tuesday 7/15/08 I took my healthy 15 year old daughter to the doctor to get her TD booster for school and well child checkup. Both the Doctor and Nurse were adament she should also get Gardasil along with the meningitis vaccine. Within 10 minutes after the injections, as we were walking out of the doctors office, my daughter collapsed, lost consiousness and had her 1st ever tonic/clonic "grand mal" seizure that was so severe, she wet herself. Once she regained consiousness she had no peripheral vision in one eye, complained of a feeling of "heavyness" in her ears, a headache (maybe from the fall?)and vomited repeatedly. She traveled via ambulance to the hospital where she received a CT scan and blood work. The vision and ear problems subsided within 15 minutes or so but the vomiting did not stop until she was administered anti-nausea drugs through an IV. She was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health that night. The headache is still with her 2 days later. I have been terrified about what is wrong with her. Will it happen again? No medical professional we encountered that day ever even suggested that the Gardasil could have been the culprit and that what she was experiencing was an allergic reaction. They would only call it a syncopal episode. I have been online researching seizures to try and find an answer when it finally occurred to me last night to Google the words "Gardasil" and "seizure". You have no idea how happy I was to find this page and find out that we are not alone! I could only cry as I read story after story that are identical to my daughters. I am so happy to have found the answer, but I am furious at Merck and the doctor. Can someone tell me - is my daughter out of the woods?
I'm so relieved that I found this website. My 23-year old daughter (who was 22 at the time of her 3rd injection) had a grand mal seizure while driving to work at 9:00 a.m on 28 November 2007, exactly 7 days following her 3rd vaccination. She has had no history of seizure nor has anyone in our family on either her paternal or maternal sides. Luckily prior to the seizure her vision began changing so she slowed down and began to pull over to the side of the roadway. She was traveling in a suburban area so her speed was in the 25 to 30 mph range. She doesn't remember anything after she began to pull over. She wasn't wearing a seat belt and she slumped down in her seat and evidently her body weight hit the accelerator. Because she was pulling over at the time of the onset of her seizure her SUV hit a telephone pole but would have ran into the side of a house if the pole wouldn't have been in her line of travel. Her SUV then bounced off the pole and entered a 4 way intersection (thank God another driver with the right-of-way noticed and stopped) and then her car ran into an autobody shop hitting a repaired sedan and running up the side of a boat before stopping. A County Sheriff who was radaring noticed her SUV coming through the intersection without a driver and he was there immediately upon the final impact. She completely lost her bowels and was foaming at the mouth when the sheriff arrived. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital where a battery of tests was administered following a seizure and nothing was found outside of the range of normal. Luckily she only sustained some bruising from the impacts but her car was a total loss. She was referred to a neurologist who has put her on anti-seizure medication. Since the initial seizure she has had 5 more seizures and 2 additional ambulance rides. Her last seizure was in May 2008, and at that time the neurologist changed her medication. To date she has not had anymore seizures, but continues to be take medication daily with some side effects, e.g., trembling, hair loss, and the potential side effect of horrific birth defects if becoming pregnant. She has had an EEG, MRI, blood tests, etc., and no cause has been identified. She also has a low BMI which I noticed seems to be a link that has been identified in earlier posts. I would advise any parent or girl over 18 to think very seriously before even considering getting this immunization. The risks far outweigh the benefits. My daughter has been lucky - she could have very well ended her life or some elses during her first seizure. She is once again on driving restriction, per the laws in our State which mandate 90-days in which the driver's license must be surrendered, and the driver must remain seizure free before the license will be reinstated. This drug is NOT safe!!! With all of these occurences someone (Merck / FDA) MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!
My 12 year old daughter had a seizure Jan 2008 after receing her 3 Gardisil shots and another one this week almost exactly 6 months later. We have no history of seizures in the family and the neurologist cannot find any reason why they are occurring. I am thankful to hear the other similar stories. Where do we go from here? Is some type of litigation forming?
sharie, darci and jodie,
I am so sorry to hear that this has happened to your loved ones also. Holly's life at 20 years old was turned upside down due to this dangerous medication. You all know what it's like. No driving, problems with future pregnancies and the fear linked with the possibility of another seizure. (Both for parent and daughter) I haven't found any class action suits to being filed at this time but if any of you want the name of an attorney, go to the following web site. Also file a report there. They were very supportive and helpful. It's the National Vaccine Information Center at
www.909shot.com. Also, I totally can relate to how scary a seizure is for a loved one to witness. I'm a nurse and I had flashbacks and crying spells for months after my daughter's first seizure. At 19 she slept in the same bed with me for weeks because she was afraid she would wake up with emergency personel surrounding her bed and poking her with needles. It's gotten easier over the months and Holly will be leaving the state to attend college in just 3 weeks. My advise to everyone is to encourage your daughters to lead as normal of a life as possible at this point, because worry and anxiety will not change what they have been dealt. (Doesn't that just make you all furious!!!!)
Also, when I told our family physician what I was learning about others and the relationship to Gardasil, he wasn't aware that there was any problem!!!! So........tell everyone you know, everywhere you go, write your congressmen and the media, and make them understand that Yessss. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS VACCINE!!!! Keep your eyes and ears open.....There will definitely be a class action suit and I want all of our daughters to be well compensated, a message must be sent that drug companies can no longer get away with "fast tracking" products.
I'm so sorry that we are all in this boat. God bless you all.
My daughter received the first dose of Gardasil on 7/8/08. She went to the movies with friends a few days later and suffered a seisure during the movie. I too believe that the HPV vaccine caused her seizure. I am not allowing her to receive any further shots. Is there anything that can be done to reverse the effects of this vaccine? What is the best course of action to take now?
i took my 14 year old daughter for her first shot and she always faints when she has any type of shot. this was differant, her whole body was frozen and crippeled up, her feet her hands her eyes were in the back of her head her back arched her legs feet and hands were completly numb when she woke for a good 20 mins. her hands stayed in the crippled like possion for a good 30 mins she was crying of the pain this was causeing her, she still has pain in the injection sight . she has never "fainted" like this befor the nurse said she fainted i have seen her faint many many times befor and never have a seen such a thing.she goes for her sencond shot and im not sure if i should finish with the shots or not.
To those of you who have begun the vaccination series, had an adverse reaction and are unsure whether to go on with further injections: Here's some information that you should be aware of.
Cervical Cancer is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases. This means that it affects less than 200,000 people in the US population. Cervical Cancer incidence is 1 in 20,923.
Also, of those cases most are between the ages of 30 and 50. A simple yearly pap test can detect precancerous cells on the cervix and with a minor procedure those cells can be removed, preventing the progression to invasive cervical cancer. Even with the Gardasil vaccine, Merck recommends that you still receive a yearly pap exam because...your risk for cervical cancer can be increased by HIV infection, most (if not all) STDs increase your risk and some common vaginal infections such as yeast will increase your chances of developing cervical cancer. Also Gardasil protects you only from 2 of the HPVs that may increase your risk for cervical cancer. In short, invasive cervical cancer can be prevented 100 percent by having yearly exams and by following through on Dr recommendations for treatment. You should also be advised that it is not known how long Gardasil is effective. There is a very real chance that those who receive the vaccine now will need a booster shot within 5 years to continue to be protected.
Just thought you should have some facts.
I'd like to know what everyone is doing about controlling the seizures. Since my daughter now has had two, we need to decide whether to put her on anti-seizure medicine. I'm worried about the side effects. Is anyone else taking a wait and see if it occurs again approach? Are you using anti-seizure medicine? Please email me with any advice. montrose2@adelphia.net Thanks, Sharie
I recently received my first shot of the series and am experiencing side effects. I was at the movies and felt so ill they had to call the ambulance. 8 hours of waiting in the ER and a TON of tests and they told me nothing was wrong. I'm not going back for the other shots, I have never felt this sick in my life. I had to sit down in the grocery store because I was so dizzy.
I've been trying to find if other people who have had similar symptoms to mine because I want to know how long it takes for them to dissipate. I have a feeling the doctor's aren't going to be any help if my tests just keep coming back normal.
My symptoms are:
- fever
- severe dizziness
- weakness in my limbs
- shortness of breath
- hot and cold flashes
- headaches
- nausea
I guess I got lucky with these less severe symptoms :/
As I wrote prior, my 12 year old daughter has had 2 of the 3 HPV shots. She has experienced 3 seizures within a 3 month period. The Neurologist just told us both her EEG and MRI are clean..nothing wrong. We started her on anti-seisure meds about 10 days ago, very low dose. She started experiencing "weird" feelings in her feet, and now has started happening coming up her leg. She gets dizzy/lightheaded and nautious. Basically the Neurologist up'd the meds and now she is a limp noodle that can't hardly get out of bed, can't eat and has to be forced to drink. As a parent, I don't know what to do next. The doctors aren't listening to us about the vaccines, and this Neurologist acts like this is just something my daughter needs to deal with in life, and "see you in 4 months..keep taking the meds". I am so extremely frustrated and worried about my daughter. Has anyone else experienced this with the anti-seisure meds...and what are your Neurologists saying?
Lori: So sorry to hear about your daughter. The "medical professionals" seem to not be ready yet to accept the fact that Gardasil is causing these problems.
My daughter, Holly has a very similar story.....2 shots, multiple seizures. She is 20 years old. Holly is on the medication Lamictal. She actually was somewhat lethargic and sleepy within the first 2 weeks of meds but those side effects went away. At this point she is seizure free and feeling well. The only thing that I notice is that she is a little more irritable than she used to be.
There are several anti-seizure meds out there and if one is not working, your Dr. "should" be willing to work with you to find one that does. What med is she on now?
By the way, our neurologist, general practitioner and the ob/gyn who gave Holly the Gardasil shot are unwilling to accept the posibility that the vaccine caused her symptoms. I gave them all the web sites that I have found and told them to keep an open mind. We just have to stand together and someday, someone will listen!!
wow i am in shock reading this. i am 23yrs old and i got my last shot about 6 months ago but didnt suffer with any side effects. i guess it is the luck of the draw which is so scary, if i knew then what i have read now i would definately not have had it. i agree with most the people here that unless you experience seeing one of your loved ones having a siezure then you really dont know what it is like. i met my boyfriend when i was 16yrs old and he had epilepsy, seeing him have seizures was one of the scariest thing i have ever had happened to me, we had a son together and when i was nineteen my boyfriend passed away while having a seizure, he was only 23yrs old at the time. i know that that has nothing to do with the vaccination but i understand just how scary it must be for these parents, i think that everyone should know just how dangerous and deadly seizures can be and i dont think any parent should risk having their child exposed to this. i think there has been enough cases of seizures and other side effects for them to stop this vaccination. i have a 2yr old daughter and i know that there is no way she will ever get this vaccination.
Hi,My name is Gabby. I have read your posts about Gardasil and I just wanted to share my story with you.I also live in Philadelphia.I had gotten all 3 of the gardasil shots last year and immediately after the 3rd shot in November I got sick.The very next day I was extremely dizzy and just did not feel right at all.I automatically called the ob-gyn where I received the shot and asked her about the reaction I was having and of course she said that it was not related.Not very long after that I was having stomach problems followed by an unusual cold which I had a nose bleed for several days.And followed by that I had a constant pressure headache which I also feel in my face,back pain,muscle twitches,mood changes,and a very uncomfortable menstrual cycle which i feel dizzy with.I went to my family doctor and he thought maybe it was my sinuses and gave me medicine and antibiotics which did not help.He then gave me steroids which I had a very bad reaction to and ended up in the ER.I finally went to a ENT and found out that my sinuse were fine.After that the doctor said that I have anxiety and gave me meds for that which I did not take because I knew inside that this could not be anxiety.I then had a new symptom heart palpatations and went to the ER for that and told that I was having pvcs probably from anxiety and then I was really frustrated they were just guessing and giving me the easiest diagnosis.I had gotten numerous blood test,chest x-rays,cts of the brain and sinuse,mri of the brain and sinuses,x-ray of the spine and still after all that the only thing that came back was that a had mild scoliosis,tension headaches,anxiety,high cholesterol,and pvcs.None of that helped at all.It is almost one year later and I have not gotten any better or got any answers.I have been to a number of specialist and even changed my doctor and nothing helped.I gave up on all the meds I was given because none of then helped or they just made the symptoms worse.Now everybody thinks I am crazy and does not want to help me.They say its all in my head which I know different.After reading about all of the girls being effected by the shot I really think that’s where all my symptoms are coming from and I just want to be back to normal.I am only 19 and feel like I'm 50!Please reply. thanx,Gabby
FDA Warns Merck To Fix Vaccine Plant Problems (plant makes Gardasil)
Apr 30, 2008 TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ― The Food and Drug Administration has ordered drugmaker Merck & Co. to correct manufacturing deficiencies at its main vaccine plant.
The agency on Wednesday released a warning letter sent to Merck's chief executive, Richard T. Clark, that states FDA inspectors determined manufacturing rules are not being followed at the plant in West Point, Pa., just outside Philadelphia, which makes a number of children's vaccines.
The nine-page letter refers to what the FDA calls "significant objectionable conditions" found during repeated inspections at the plant between November and January.
Merck officials didn't thoroughly investigate when vaccine batches inexplicably failed to meet specifications, even if batches had been distributed, according to the heavily redacted letter.
The FDA also said that some drug components were tainted, and that the plant didn't have written procedures, tests or other laboratory controls to ensure "strength, quality, and purity" of products.
The plant makes children's vaccines, including liquid PedvaxHIB, to prevent Haemophilus influenza type B, and ProQuad, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. Is also makes hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningitis vaccines for children and adults, and Gardasil, to protect young women against cervical cancer.
http://wbztv.com/health/fda.merck.vaccine.2.712426.html
Hello everyone,
I take my kids to our local health department for well checks. I have been asked to allow my daughters to get this vaccine on several occasions. They really make it sound like such a good thing...like a poerful sales pitch..even though the set of vaccines are free. Today, I took my healthy fifteen year old to get her sports physical. She needed her tetna and I allowed them to give her first gardesil shot...When we walked out to check out she said Mom I don't feel good and thank God I was standing beside her beacause she collapsed right there!! She did not seize, but paste out for like a minute..a nurse came quickly to us and helped me hold her. As the nurse saw my eyes filling up, she assured me this was normal. After I read all of your posts..I don't believe this is normal and now I am afraid to let her leave the house..What if she has a seizure some where????? SHE WILL NOT BE GETTING ANY MORE of those boosters..Why would allow it! Now I have to deal with ther guilt that is welling up inside that I may have done something that could hurt my baby in any way !!! Shame on me for not doing more research vbefore allowing this vaccine to be used on my daughter...and she isn't even sexually active yet.
Please pray for my Tiffany, that she does not experience any more side affects....God bless all of you and you will all be in my prayers too.
Wow... I'm really glad I found this site. I am 23 and was about to get my 3rd shot. In fact, I had to cancel my appointment a few weeks ago because my insurance ran out and I decided to google the effects of waiting longer than 6 months to take the 3rd shot. Thankfully, because of your stories I WILL NOT TAKE IT.
The truth is that I HAVE HAD SOME SIDE EFFECTS, that I did not realize until now, from my first two shots.
I convinced myself that I wasn't getting enough vitamins in my diet... but not enough vitamins do not cause:
-frequent dizzy spells that made my vision fade in and out
-numbness/tingling in my feet and legs
-horrible menstrual cramps that left me unable to move for 20 mins (even though I've never had cramps before)
-and all over weakness
I consider myself very healthy as I only eat organic food and I workout ever day of the week.
My symptoms were sporadic for over two months but thankfully I have not had any since June. I hope it stays this way and that they do not get any worse.
I pray for all of you and your loved ones and hope that everyone who has had this vaccine can recover fully.
Hello friends,
I wanted to add more about our visit to the doctor yesterday and what I am going to do today about it. When I told you all about my daughter passing out beside me, I told you that a nurse rushed to us and helped me hold her. As I was holding my daughter's unconscious body, I looked into the nurses eyes as my own started filling up with tears of confusion. The nurse whispered that this is NORMAL. I could not speak, I could not react. But my mind wanted to shout at her..NO THIS IS NOT NORMAL !!! And if it is so normal, WHY didn't they tell me this might happen? Why is it not MANDATORY for the patient to lie still for fifteen minutes immediatly after taking this shot? I sat there while she got her tetna and her first shot of gardasil. As soon as the nurse finished administrating the shots she just said OK, you are good to go and we followed her out to the check-out window. Yes, I did read the imformation sheet I was given to read before the shot, but all it states for POSSIBLE side affects is.........
>pain and swelling, itching, and redness at the injection site
>fever
>nausea
>dizziness
NO WHERE does it says fainting or future seisures may occur !!!!!!
THAT IS WRONG !!! I will be going in to that place today to tell them how wrong they are for not FULLY imforming people of the side affects. Our daughters are too precious to put through this ordeal. Let us encourage yearly PAPS instead. Sincerly, Lynn I.