Was Going to Get Vaccinated But Told To Wait

[easysurfer]

Had a physical about a week ago. Got the flu shot and my doc said since I'm over 50, I should get a Shingles vaccination. But he said to check with insurance first to make sure that's covered.

So, being a good patient, I checked and my insurance does cover. So I went to the local pharmacy all ready to get the vaccination over with. But got told "not so fast". That since I got a flu shot, I should wait about 4 weeks before getting the shingles shot.

I wasn't aware that I couldn't get the shots around the same time.

Makes sense I guess to let my immune system kick in all the way for the flu vaccine before taking another shot. Plus, if there is some kind of reaction, guess better to have the shots spaced apart to know which shot the reaction is from.

Now I know .

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Good example why pharmacists are sometimes under-appreciated, IMHO.

Nice to know, thanks.

 

[dirtbiker]

Had a physical about a week ago. Got the flu shot and my doc said since I'm over 50, I should get a Shingles vaccination. But he said to check with insurance first to make sure that's covered.

So, being a good patient, I checked and my insurance does cover. So I went to the local pharmacy all ready to get the vaccination over with. But got told "not so fast". That since I got a flu shot, I should wait about 4 weeks before getting the shingles shot.

I wasn't aware that I couldn't get the shots around the same time.

Makes sense I guess to let my immune system kick in all the way for the flu vaccine before taking another shot. Plus, if there is some kind of reaction, guess better to have the shots spaced apart to know which shot the reaction is from.

Now I know .

It depends on the specific type of influenza vaccine. If it's an adjuvant vaccine, this has not been studied, but there is no evidence to suggest they should be given at different times. For other influenza vaccines it is safe to give at the same time. Personally, I would have recommended getting them both at the same time.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/hcp/shingrix/administering-vaccine.html

https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/multimedia/shingles-factsheet-hcp.html


*Unless there is new evidence/research to suggest otherwise, but I would question as to why the CDC has not updated their information if such valid evidence does exist.

 

[ziggy29]

Makes some sense. When I had my shingles shots last summer, it left me feeling run down, with flu-like symptoms. The second one in particular gave me about 24 hours like I was having almost the worst flu of my life. Since those symptoms are a result of your immune system going into action, probably not a good idea to potentially overwhelm it, especially if one is particularly elderly or knows they already have a somewhat compromised immune system.

 

[ncbill]

Roommate of one of my kids currently several states away was diagnosed wth whooping cough.

So now I'm off to call my insurance to see if covers a Tdap booster...

 

[N02L84ER]

DH and I got our flu and shingles shots on the same day in October. We had no reaction to the flu shot, some arm pain from the shingles for 48 hrs. We were told to be sure to get the second shingles shot before the end of the year in case our new insurance in January does not cover the shot. At this point, you could not get both shingles vaccinations in 2019.

 

[4legsgood]

Good example why pharmacists are sometimes under-appreciated, IMHO.

Nice to know, thanks.

+1

Pharmacists have definitely provided me with good advice and serve as a good check on info that a doctor has provided. Glad they share their expertise.

 

[Philliefan33]

DH and I got our flu and shingles shots on the same day in October. We had no reaction to the flu shot, some arm pain from the shingles for 48 hrs. We were told to be sure to get the second shingles shot before the end of the year in case our new insurance in January does not cover the shot. At this point, you could not get both shingles vaccinations in 2019.

I also got both the flu and Shingrx vaccine on the same day, in the same arm. The only side effect was a very sore arm for 3-4 days.

 

[Brat]

I got my flu shot last week. There was a question about receiving any other vaccines recently, I received my 2nd shingles shot about 3 weeks earlier. My pharmacist said no problem, you could have received both on the same day.

Opinions abound.

 

[dirtbiker]

Good example why pharmacists are sometimes under-appreciated, IMHO.

Nice to know, thanks.

Although I disagree with this particular situation, I will say that pharmacists are definitely underappreciated (and I meant to mention this in my first post here).

Every single doctor makes mistakes. We're human after all. I've had a pharmacist call me or my office on several occasions to clarify something. Sometimes I made a mistake. More often than not I didn't. But I do appreciate the double checking and the important job they do. They are far more than pill dispensers. And there have many times where I've had to call my local pharmacy to ask for prescribing advice on drugs I'm not as familiar with. They're an integral part of the medical team.

 

[lucky penny]

It depends on the specific type of influenza vaccine. If it's an adjuvant vaccine, this has not been studied, but there is no evidence to suggest they should be given at different times. For other influenza vaccines it is safe to give at the same time. Personally, I would have recommended getting them both at the same time.

+1. Got them both at the same time last year. I asked the pharmacist about this at the time she said that's not a problem. (I was a little nervous since I'd never had a flu shot before.) No problems at all.

The pharmacist did say that (1) it takes several days for the preventive effects of a flu shot to kick in & (2) the effects wear off over several months. So, you don't want to wait too long to get it, but you don't want to get it too early either. I'm planning to get it in a few weeks.

 

[MRG]

I also got both the flu and Shingrx vaccine on the same day, in the same arm. The only side effect was a very sore arm for 3-4 days.

We got them same day, different arms. Both arms were very sore for 3-4 days.

 

[Chuckanut]

I was offered the regular flu vaccine that is aimed at four strains of flu, or the extra strong vaccine that is aimed at three strains of flu. I took the regular one

 

[6miths]

It depends on the specific type of influenza vaccine. If it's an adjuvant vaccine, this has not been studied, but there is no evidence to suggest they should be given at different times. For other influenza vaccines it is safe to give at the same time. Personally, I would have recommended getting them both at the same time.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/hcp/shingrix/administering-vaccine.html

https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/multimedia/shingles-factsheet-hcp.html


*Unless there is new evidence/research to suggest otherwise, but I would question as to why the CDC has not updated their information if such valid evidence does exist.

Agree. And some theoretical reasons to think that they might work better if given at the same time or closer together. Haven't seen anything to support spacing them out.

 

[ziggy29]

We got them same day, different arms. Both arms were very sore for 3-4 days.

Back in June, I got the first shingles shot at the same time as my tetanus booster. That didn't really cause a problem. In reality, a flu shot at the same time as shingles probably would not be a big deal for adults with strong immune systems. But I can see why one would exercise caution here. Yeah, waiting for a separate time could be an inconvenience, but....

 

[teejayevans]

For those that give blood, you won’t be able to until 4 week period has elapsed.

 

[ABQ2015]

Asked about this when I got my flu shot today. The pharmacist replied that I was unlikely to find a Shingrix provider. His pharmacy gets ten Shingrix vaccines a month and has a closed waiting list of 700 persons. Very difficult to get the Shingrix vaccine in my area.

 

[braumeister]

Asked about this when I got my flu shot today. The pharmacist replied that I was unlikely to find a Shingrix provider. His pharmacy gets ten Shingrix vaccines a month and has a closed waiting list of 700 persons. Very difficult to get the Shingrix vaccine in my area.

If I were you I would call around when traveling. No need to use the same place. I got #1 at the VA and #2 at my local Kroger.

 

[braumeister]

Back in June, I got the first shingles shot at the same time as my tetanus booster. That didn't really cause a problem. In reality, a flu shot at the same time as shingles probably would not be a big deal for adults with strong immune systems. But I can see why one would exercise caution here. Yeah, waiting for a separate time could be an inconvenience, but....

I got Shingrx #1, pneumonia, and flu all on the same day. Didn’t sleep too well that night, but no real problem.

 

[big-papa]

Had my annual physical back in September and got my flu shot and shingles shot at the same time, on different arms. I survived it with no side effects, except for a little soreness in my shoulders.

 

[dirtbiker]

Asked about this when I got my flu shot today. The pharmacist replied that I was unlikely to find a Shingrix provider. His pharmacy gets ten Shingrix vaccines a month and has a closed waiting list of 700 persons. Very difficult to get the Shingrix vaccine in my area.

Are you using a small local pharmacy? Around my area, the big ones (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens) have no problems getting the vaccine, but the small mom and pop pharmacies don't generally get them in stock.

 

[Sue J]

Are you using a small local pharmacy? Around my area, the big ones (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens) have no problems getting the vaccine, but the small mom and pop pharmacies don't generally get them in stock.

Must be a local situation. I found ours at a pharmacy with just one location. They used to have another location but closed it a few years ago. I never even thought about going there until I saw "WE HAVE SHINGRIX" on their big LED sign!

But the pharmacy in my big grocery store chain had a full waiting list and was no longer taking names.

 

[jfn111]

I got the flu shot, Shingrix and tetanus shot at the same time, in the same shoulder. I had a sore shoulder for 24 hours but that was it.

 

[dirtbiker]

Must be a local situation. I found ours at a pharmacy with just one location. They used to have another location but closed it a few years ago. I never even thought about going there until I saw "WE HAVE SHINGRIX" on their big LED sign!

But the pharmacy in my big grocery store chain had a full waiting list and was no longer taking names.

Wow, that's surprising. Maybe you guys are just more responsible about getting vaccines than we are around here!

 

[CaptTom]

Yes, much was said here about the apparently universal shortage a while ago. Good to hear it's getting better.

Add me to the "both on the same day" club. No problems to report.