Shingles vaccine

[Tidewater]

I had chickenpox when I was young.
My dad, when he was 80-something, got shingles. It did not look like fun.
I spoke to my doctor about the shingles vaccine. He suggested I wait until I turned 60 to get the vaccine (due to how long the vaccine remains effective).
It is a two-part and I got round one three months ago. This is a live-virus vaccine. The next day was bad. Achy and feverish.
I got round 2 on Wednesday. Wednesday evening I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Terrible achiness all over. Uncontrollable shivering. Unable to sleep at night. Just an awful experience. I treated with aspirin, but it was a bad 24 hours.
I felt better the next day, except for being tired because I had not been able to sleep the first night.
Friday I feel fairly normal (except achiness at the injection site).
Having seen shingles, so I would still get the vaccine, but let me tell you, the shingles vaccine is no picnic (at least it was not for me; others might have a better experience).
Caveat emptor.

 

[92tide]

i was lucky in that my second dose didn’t kick my butt like the first one last year, but my first dose was a lot like you describe. i doubled up the first dose with a covid booster, so that may have had something to do with it

 

[Padreruf]

I had chickenpox when I was young.
My dad, when he was 80-something, got shingles. It did not look like fun.
I spoke to my doctor about the shingles vaccine. He suggested I wait until I turned 60 to get the vaccine (due to how long the vaccine remains effective).
It is a two-part and I got round one three months ago. This is a live-virus vaccine. The next day was bad. Achy and feverish.
I got round 2 on Wednesday. Wednesday evening I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Terrible achiness all over. Uncontrollable shivering. Unable to sleep at night. Just an awful experience. I treated with aspirin, but it was a bad 24 hours.
I felt better the next day, except for being tired because I had not been able to sleep the first night.
Friday I feel fairly normal (except achiness at the injection site).
Having seen shingles, so I would still get the vaccine, but let me tell you, the shingles vaccine is no picnic (at least it was not for me; others might have a better experience).
Caveat emptor.

I had the Shingles vaccine a few years ago with no repercussions or side effects. After my Bone Marrow Transplant the doctors will not give me the Shingrix vaccine before 18 months --- this September -- due to it being a live virus. I do want it...Shingles can be horrific...but I do expect more of a reaction as my immune system is not fully running. In fact, I have been taking a corticosteroid (Prednisone) which acts as an immunosupressant -- to reduce some side effects of Revlimid which empowers the immune system to attack any plasma/myeloma cancer cells.

This sounds worse than it is...I really feel fine and walked 5 ½ miles on the golf course this past Monday and Wednesday. All other days I walk 3 ½ and work out 90 minutes. TW's reaction has given me pause to think, however....

 

[NationalTitles18]

Last November I got influenza, Covid, pneumonia, and Shingrix vaccines on the same day. The next night I had a 104 F fever. After day three I was mostly back to normal. Still worth it. I had shingles last spring and it was a miserable experience. I'd take the vaccine experience 10 times over one case of shingles. Prevnar 20 pneumonia vaccine is a one time dose. Of course the second Shingrix by itself wasn't as bad.

 

[Padreruf]

Last November I got influenza, Covid, pneumonia, and Shingrix vaccines on the same day. The next night I had a 104 F fever. After day three I was mostly back to normal. Still worth it. I had shingles last spring and it was a miserable experience. I'd take the vaccine experience 10 times over one case of shingles. Prevnar 20 pneumonia vaccine is a one time dose. Of course the second Shingrix by itself wasn't as bad.

I had covid, pneumonia and influenza vaccines on the same day...may have had RSV as well -- knocked me on my butt for 24-36 hours...in bed, sleeping, probably had a fever. After that night and day I was fine.

 

[Tidewater]

I had the Shingles vaccine a few years ago with no repercussions or side effects. After my Bone Marrow Transplant the doctors will not give me the Shingrix vaccine before 18 months --- this September -- due to it being a live virus. I do want it...Shingles can be horrific...but I do expect more of a reaction as my immune system is not fully running. In fact, I have been taking a corticosteroid (Prednisone) which acts as an immunosupressant -- to reduce some side effects of Revlimid which empowers the immune system to attack any plasma/myeloma cancer cells.

This sounds worse than it is...I really feel fine and walked 5 ½ miles on the golf course this past Monday and Wednesday. All other days I walk 3 ½ and work out 90 minutes. TW's reaction has given me pause to think, however....

I have had lots of vaccines. In the military they gave shots like they own stock in the pharmaceutical company (I have had plague 1 like six times because the dadgum medics refused to write down in my medical records that I had had plague 1 ). Before this shingles vaccine, my worst was the gamma globulin, which felt like Hank Aaron had hit me in the glute with a baseball bat. Annoying for a day or two, but not debilitating.
I do not want to scare anyone off of vaccinating (from what I have seen of shingles, I would still get this vaccination), but this one was pretty bad (for me). Others' reactions might be less (or nothing).

If I could rewind the clock three months, I would just take the next day off from work and manage my work schedule so I could so that. I would still take this shot.

 

[Tidewater]

Last November I got influenza, Covid, pneumonia, and Shingrix vaccines on the same day. The next night I had a 104 F fever. After day three I was mostly back to normal. Still worth it. I had shingles last spring and it was a miserable experience. I'd take the vaccine experience 10 times over one case of shingles. Prevnar 20 pneumonia vaccine is a one time dose. Of course the second Shingrix by itself wasn't as bad.

A friend of the family had shingles and the guy said he contemplated suicide, it was that awful.
I would still get this shingle vaccine, even after my experience.
In my view, different people react to different medical procedures differently so if patient 1 has a bad reaction, patient 2 might experience nothing more than mild discomfort.

 

[FitToBeTide]

My experience with Shingrix is similar to Tidewater's, also. Made the mistake last time of not planning for the lousy feeling next day. Dose two coming up and I will plan accordingly. All in all, still better than a case of shingles.

 

[dtgreg]

My wife had shingles at 50 and it was a mild case, compared to others. Still horrible. She couldn't WAIT to get the Shingrix two-step. I got it as well, after seeing her and hearing horror stories from my friends who got shingles. It can attack your eyes, even! One friend is a singer and it hit her throat! She got better but there are no guarantees. She was lucky she did.

Stress can bring this on. If you are under stress, you better get the vax.

 

[NationalTitles18]

If I could rewind the clock three months, I would just take the next day off from work and manage my work schedule so I could so that. I would still take this shot.

I planned mine fairly well. Vaccines Thursday evening, began feeling somewhat bad only late Friday afternoon. By Monday I was mostly back to normal, maybe a little tired. Had the Tuesday off to rest. I definitely recommend a little pragmatic planning.

 

[AlistarWills]

I know this is about the shingles vaccine but I was just this week wondering how shingles works. Everything I know says it’s the dormant chickenpox virus that comes back. All the HS science and college biology I’ve had says your body beats a virus by creating an RNA strand to match up to the RNA strand in the head of the virus therefore killing it. So you can’t get that virus again. So, if my body made the RNA to counter/kill chickenpox, then how does the virus lie dormant and come back when I’m old as shingles?

 

[Tidewater]

I know this is about the shingles vaccine but I was just this week wondering how shingles works. Everything I know says it’s the dormant chickenpox virus that comes back. All the HS science and college biology I’ve had says your body beats a virus by creating an RNA strand to match up to the RNA strand in the head of the virus therefore killing it. So you can’t get that virus again. So, if my body made the RNA to counter/kill chickenpox, then how does the virus lie dormant and come back when I’m old as shingles?

I think (I am not an MD) that the immunity wears off over long periods of time. I had chickenpox 55 years ago. Or maybe the entire immune system weakens as you get older. I just know I do not want to get shingles.

 

[AlistarWills]

I think (I am not an MD) that the immunity wears off over long periods of time. I had chickenpox 55 years ago. Or maybe the entire immune system weakens as you get older. I just know I do not want to get shingles.

Maybe @Toddrn willl chime in.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I know this is about the shingles vaccine but I was just this week wondering how shingles works. Everything I know says it’s the dormant chickenpox virus that comes back. All the HS science and college biology I’ve had says your body beats a virus by creating an RNA strand to match up to the RNA strand in the head of the virus therefore killing it. So you can’t get that virus again. So, if my body made the RNA to counter/kill chickenpox, then how does the virus lie dormant and come back when I’m old as shingles?

Basically, it can hide in your nervous system and reactivate later as shingles. Typically, once you've had chickenpox you rarely get it again due to immunity; but you can still get shingles.

Manipulation of the Innate Immune Response by Varicella Zoster Virus - PMC

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is the causative agent of chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (herpes zoster). VZV and other members of the herpesvirus family are distinguished by their ability to establish a latent infection, with the potential to ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

During primary infection, despite a robust immune response, VZV is not completely eliminated from the host but rather the virus gains access to neurons in the sensory ganglia and establishes a life-long latent infection (22–24). The virus spreads to the sensory ganglia through retrograde axonal transport from free nerve endings in the skin (25, 26), and potentially via hematogenous spread in immune cells infiltrating the ganglia (24, 27, 28). It has also been proposed that VZV can establish latency in the enteric nervous system, providing a possible explanation for cases linking VZV with gastrointestinal disorders (29, 30).

 

[Toddrn]

Maybe @Toddrn willl chime in.

The good news is if you've never had Chicken Pox you can't get Shingles. When you have Chicken Pox you don't usually get it again unless your immune system becomes really weak, it just lies dormant in your nervous system. Then, for whatever reason, something triggers it and you get an outbreak of Shingles. Don't forget you can pass Shingles on to someone else from the open sores/blisters.

 

[Bubbaloo]

I had chickenpox when I was young.
My dad, when he was 80-something, got shingles. It did not look like fun.
I spoke to my doctor about the shingles vaccine. He suggested I wait until I turned 60 to get the vaccine (due to how long the vaccine remains effective).
It is a two-part and I got round one three months ago. This is a live-virus vaccine. The next day was bad. Achy and feverish.
I got round 2 on Wednesday. Wednesday evening I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Terrible achiness all over. Uncontrollable shivering. Unable to sleep at night. Just an awful experience. I treated with aspirin, but it was a bad 24 hours.
I felt better the next day, except for being tired because I had not been able to sleep the first night.
Friday I feel fairly normal (except achiness at the injection site).
Having seen shingles, so I would still get the vaccine, but let me tell you, the shingles vaccine is no picnic (at least it was not for me; others might have a better experience).
Caveat emptor.

I had several family members and co workers get the shingles and I decided to get the original vaccine at only 50% effectiveness. I had no problem with it at all. When the new 2 part vaccine (high 90% effectiveness)came out I took it also. The first one was an extremely bad experience, yet I took the second one with no problems. The wifey said she wasn't going to take one because of my bad experience. Three guesses who got shingles on her forehead, scalp and one eye ? She got the shots immediately after healing. Ergo-a ounce of prevention is way better than the disease !

 

[Tidewater]

I had several family members and co workers get the shingles and I decided to get the original vaccine at only 50% effectiveness. I had no problem with it at all. When the new 2 part vaccine (high 90% effectiveness)came out I took it also. The first one was an extremely bad experience, yet I took the second one with no problems. The wifey said she wasn't going to take one because of my bad experience. Three guesses who got shingles on her forehead, scalp and one eye ? She got the shots immediately after healing. Ergo-a ounce of prevention is way better than the disease !

Thanks.
I do not regret getting the vaccine. I only wish I had planned a leave day for the day after.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

I still need to get mine, but when my wife got her's she had similar symptoms. Take it easy and Roll Tide.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I had chickenpox as a child. I’ve never had shingles, but Mrs. Basket Case has, twice.

That’s pretty rare in an otherwise healthy person, but it happened to her. The second time, it almost got into her eye. It didn’t, but it was close and scary.

So years ago had the old shingles vaccine. It wasn’t all that effective, but it’s all they had at the time. Got shingrix when it came out, as it’s something like 97% effective…at least that’s what my PCP said.

First shot in the 2-shot shingrix series was mostly a non-event. Second put me down for one day, uncomfortable on Day 2, and back to normal on Day 3.

Blessedly, it’s a one-time thing. No boosters down the road.

Correction: It’s good for 7 years, not forever. Still worth it.

If you’ve ever spent time with someone who has an active case of shingles, you know a couple of sub-par days is a screaming bargain.

Unless you have a medical reason not to, get the shingrix vaccine.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

you get the Vax after 50 right?