Shingles vaccine

Khan

Khan

Gone but not forgotten
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
6,924
So today I was at grocery/pharmacy & sign said: Shingles Vaccine Available.
I asked about getting such & was told I need a prescription from a doctor.

So I have to locate a doctor, make an appointment, go visit, pay money, get a prescription, take prescription to pharmacy (which is probably out of such because it is in short supply)?

So is there anyway to get a shingles vax in less than a year or two without finding a doctor?
 
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.
 
Sounds like shingles can be a world of pain and bother. What's the word on the advisability of this expensive vaccine?
 
Shingles sounds hideous, there is no family history.
I'm willing to pay
I just wonder who & why decided I need to go find a doctor first.
To prove I'm 60+?
 
DW and I got ours a couple years ago. It's covered by Medicare. Your doctor will ask you if you had chicken pox as a child. If you don't know the doc will send you for a blood test to find out if the pox is in your body. If not, they may not give you the shot. You don't want the pox later in life.
I have seen the shingles in people and the shot is something you want to get for sure.

Actually, we paid up front and our secondary insurance either reimbursed us or got Medicare to reimburse us. At that time the shots were not available readily and the up front fee was to cover the cost in case your insurance company refured to pay. I think the shot was $400 at that time.
 
It's annoying I have to find a doctor for a simple vax I'm willing to pay for.
Got Flu vax & Tdap with no problem.

Will I also need Doctor for Hep A/B?
 
Whether you need a prescription must depend on the state you live in. I got a vaccine in February, simply by walking into the local pharmacy chain.

-- Rita
 
Gotadimple said:
Whether you need a prescription must depend on the state you live in. I got a vaccine in February, simply by walking into the local pharmacy chain.

-- Rita
Click to expand...

I asked about shingles vax in March & pharmacist never mentioned prescription.
 
Gotadimple said:
I got a vaccine in February, simply by walking into the local pharmacy chain.
Click to expand...
Similarly, I got a shingles shot last Fall at the pharmacy of my local grocery store. They didn't give me any static about a prescription, though they did get the name of my doctor. Medicare paid for most of it.
 
TromboneAl said:
Sounds like shingles can be a world of pain and bother. What's the word on the advisability of this expensive vaccine?
Click to expand...


I would advise it . I had shingles in my left arm and into my chest . The pain felt equal to putting your arm in a gas grill . I also had numbness in my hand for six weeks after .I had no family history . Stress brought mine on . The day I signed the listing on my house in New Jersey it started .
 
My FIL had a bad case of shingles. Brave man who wasn't one to complain. However, he said shingles was nearly unbearable. I'm glad you brought it up Khan. I'm due for a routine doc visit soon and will ask about the vaccine. Sure don't want to suffer though that.
 
Moemg said:
I would advise it . I had shingles in my left arm and into my chest . The pain felt equal to putting your arm in a gas grill . I also had numbness in my hand for six weeks after .I had no family history . Stress brought mine on . The day I signed the listing on my house in New Jersey it started .
Click to expand...

Flaming petrochemicals were what my neighbor used to describe the pain. He had a whole story about it. Something about using the wrong medicine to treat the pain and then making it ever worse (possible?). I am not near the storyteller he is. I get the idea that there are not too many things in life that are more painful. Where do I purchase my ticket?
 
It is, indeed, no fun. Strangely, I never had chicken pox, but that didn't keep me from getting shingles about ten years ago. Extremely painful ( had it on my back ) and put me in bed for most of two weeks.
 
Khan said:
When did it become required to get a prescription/doctor?
Click to expand...
In WA you just walk into a pharmacy, pay your money or give your medicare# and bang, you're shot.

Ha
 
How much are they charging? We both just turned 60.
 
I understand it is covered under Medicare part D. Therefore if you have Tricare for Life it is covered, but I also understand it has to be given in a doctors office for them to pay. I went to my doctor, and they said they don't give the shot it is given at the drug store, and around I go. Still have not been able to get one.
 
Doctors are easy to find. It is good to know a doctor before you need a doctor. I have a whole array of different doctors that I see probably once every 5 years, but they are the same doctors. Examples:

Get a kidney stone, see your internist who refers you to urologist. Now you and your stones are on first-name basis with urologist. Get a new stone, she calls pain-killer prescription into pharmacy and you drink lots of water. Don't see urologist except to give her your stone.

Get a colonoscopy. Now you know a lower GI person.

Get a broken bone. Now you know an orthopedist.

Get a cardiac stress test. Now you know a cardiologist.

Get a cold. Now you know an internist or GP.

Get a skin rash. Now you know a dermatologist.

Get a hernia. Now you know a surgeon.

Get bad eyes. Now you know an opthamologist.

Anyways, docs are good. Be friends with them.
 
I'm not at all enthused about having to stay shingles-free for the next decade that it takes me to be "eligible" for the vaccine.
 
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.:eek:
 
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.
 
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?
 
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