Lutz said that if you don't receive the vaccine, you could feel symptoms for more than a month. With flu, it hits you like a freight train. You can feel symptoms for two to three days, but it can take two to four weeks before you feel yourself again, he said. Lutz said it takes even longer for smokers to recover. Lutz also said depression is sometimes associated with getting the flu as with every systemic infection, such as mononucleosis or mumps.
Every year there are a few cases of suicide associated with the flu.
For this reason he prescribes anti-depressants. Overall vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year, due to mutations in flu strains. Therefore, you may get a flu vaccine, but that doesn't mean there is a 100 percent guarantee you won't contract one of the flu strains. This year's vaccine supply was delayed due to contamination of a strain in preliminary batches. The Web site explains that allergies to chicken eggs may be why some people experience side effects after receiving the shot.