Shingles vaccine

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan When did it become required to get a prescription/doctor?

Far as I know, a prescription has always been required where I have practiced. There are some contraindications and risks, albeit small.

[Ronnieboy]

It must vary by state, but here in Utah we can sign a collaborative agreement with a physician, which then allows us (pharmacist) to vaccinate based on our current protocol, without a prescription. This includes the Shingles vaccine, pneumonia, flu, etc.

It has also been approved by the FDA to be given in age 50 on up now.
Now only if Merck could keep up with demand. I ordered some vaccine and I was told it would be 60 days before I saw a supply.

Medicare part B doesn't cover the vaccine, but D should cover part of it. I believe the cash price is around $200.

It is recommended that if you have had shingles you should still get the vaccine. And as of now it is considered a one time dose that will protect about 70% of the people that could have an episode of shingles and if you are one of the lucky 30% that still get it, the vaccine may help prevent the nerve pain that can follow.

[tuckeverlasting]

I got the shingles vaccine at my local pharmacy, no prescription needed. It was covered under MC Part D with a copay of about $16. There is no way I would risk getting shingles if it is avoidable. Besides the excruciating pain it often causes, it can get into the eyes and cause blindness. You can also get shingles more than once, and the aftereffects can linger for years.

[Moscyn]

Khan, thanks for bringing this up. After my dad had a bad case of shingles 2 years ago, I've been meaning to get a shingles shot. Dad still feels the pain after 2 years. He says it is really really painful. Must one wait to be "old enough" to get a shingles shot? I am going to be 51 soon. I read that shingles is far more common for people aged 50 or above and the vaccine is recommended for people 60 years or above. So if shingles is also common for people aged 50 or above, is it ok for them to get the shingles shot earlier? I haven't gone to see a doctor to ask about this yet though I know if the doctor recommends it, I can claim against my insurance. So, for those who already got the vaccine, did you all wait until 60?

[tuckeverlasting]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moscyn So, for those who already got the vaccine, did you all wait until 60?

I got it right before my 60th birthday. The form I filled out asked my age.

[Ronnieboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moscyn Khan, thanks for bringing this up. After my dad had a bad case of shingles 2 years ago, I've been meaning to get a shingles shot. Dad still feels the pain after 2 years. He says it is really really painful. Must one wait to be "old enough" to get a shingles shot? I am going to be 51 soon. I read that shingles is far more common for people aged 50 or above and the vaccine is recommended for people 60 years or above. So if shingles is also common for people aged 50 or above, is it ok for them to get the shingles shot earlier? I haven't gone to see a doctor to ask about this yet though I know if the doctor recommends it, I can claim against my insurance. So, for those who already got the vaccine, did you all wait until 60?

It has been approved for 50 and older

FDA approves Zostavax vaccine to prevent shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age

Now you just have to find it

[Moscyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronnieboy It has been approved for 50 and older FDA approves Zostavax vaccine to prevent shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age Now you just have to find it

Thanks! Another issue for me other than finding it is that this is approved in the US and as I live in Hong Kong, I have to find out whether it is approved here too!

[GregLee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ally How much are they charging? We both just turned 60.

I looked for my receipt -- can't find it, sorry. My recollection is that I paid around $30 co-payment. I found a news report from 2008 for here in Hawaii:

Quote:

With insurance, the shot is typically $15 to $50, though state workers aren't covered until age 65.

Previous postings here suggest an uninsured cost of something like $350.

[East Texas]

May 2011 (just a few days after the FDA lowered the age)
Insurance company billed $200
Contract payment $165 deductible did not apply since this was under "wellness".

[misanman]

Having a regular doctor seems like a good idea to me. That's who I go to for my annual check up. Got the vaccine at my last yearly visit, but I think I mentioned it to them when I made the appointment and they had to order it as they don't keep it in stock.

[mystang52]

The shingles vaccine has live virus in it. That is no problem for healthy people, but the vaccine cannot be taken by anyone with a compromised immunity system.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronnieboy It has been approved for 50 and older FDA approves Zostavax vaccine to prevent shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age Now you just have to find it

Interesting. I had to wait until I was 60 to get one. DW is 58 - I will tell her to get one on the next checkup.

[gromit]

Shingles is a reactivation of the Chicken Pox virus, so the lucky few that never had Chicken Pox, won't get Shingles. I wasn't that fortunate, and had a relatively small outbreak of Shingles earlier this year. Besides not enjoying the outbreak, I found out that an outbreak does not give you immunity from a future one and that once you have Shingles you have to wait a year before getting the immunization.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyd I got this a few years ago along with a pneumonia shot. Both are once in a lifetime deals. I did have to go to the local Army med center to get mine as it was not available at the Army health clinic. The Dr did have to perscribe it.

I got mine last year... had a prescription because at the time it was not approved for less than 60...

Went to a couple of places and they would not give me one even with a prescription... called around and found a Walgreen's that would give me one.... and did not need the prescription...

However, he said that I would need another in about 10 years since I got mine when I was 'young'.... so I do not think it is a one time shot....

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gromit Shingles is a reactivation of the Chicken Pox virus, so the lucky few that never had Chicken Pox, won't get Shingles.

Not necessarily true.
I never had chicken pox (confirmed with my mother), yet I got a nasty case of shingles in my mid-50s.
The virus, or a variant of it, apparently slipped into my system somewhere along the line, but there certainly were no chicken pox type symptoms.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Not necessarily true. I never had chicken pox (confirmed with my mother), yet I got a nasty case of shingles in my mid-50s. The virus, or a variant of it, apparently slipped into my system somewhere along the line, but there certainly were no chicken pox type symptoms.

Not necessarily. Many patients have childhhood chicken pox which is not detected - symptoms so mild that they are unnoticed. If you were born in the 50s or before you almost certainly had chicken pox by antibody titers. Very few are negative in that age group.

[East Texas]

When I was a young 'un and had the chicken pox / mumps / measles my mother would put me in her bed during the day. She's draw the heavy drapes so sunlight couldn't come in and make me blind. Then she'd turn on a very dim bulb and put a towel over it to dim it even more. At the end of all the room-darkening she'd give me new crayons and a new coloring book and told me to have fun.

The kiddos these days just don't know how much fun it was to be dragged to every house with an outbreak of any kind of childhood disease just so you'd catch it and be done with it.

[aldo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronnieboy It has been approved for 50 and older FDA approves Zostavax vaccine to prevent shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age Now you just have to find it

Thanks for the link. I emailed my HMO (Kaiser) earlier and was told I could get the shot without an appointment and at no cost (preventative procedure). I received the shot within 1 hour of emailing Kaiser.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa Not necessarily. Many patients have childhhood chicken pox which is not detected - symptoms so mild that they are unnoticed..

Thanks, that probably explains it. I always thought it was kind of amazing that I never had the pox, since nearly all my friends did.

[kramer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan When did it become required to get a prescription/doctor?

Yes, it really sucks. I wanted to get the standard Typhoid Vaccine (oral) last year in the USA (California) because my 5 years was up since I took it the last time -- this is recommended by the CDC for virtually all travelers. I priced it at the pharmacy (about $80), but they said I had to get a doctor's prescription. I called a local doctor and he said that will be $85 for the prescription. Can I also have permission to go to the bathroom, sir? Screw that. I just got it done when I traveled to Colombia, no prescription, and at a lower price.