New Shingrx Shingles Vaccine

[Koolau]

So I guess I'm screwed? I didn't have a reaction to either Shingrix shots, in fact I've never had a reaction to any vaccine. Personally, I don't think how you react means squat. I hope I'm right.

Heh, heh, since I REALLY do NOT want to get shingles (DW had as relayed above) I hope I am right - though I hope you are safe as well.

 

[athena53]

The CDC recommends at least 14 days between COVID and any other vaccination.
Source:https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html

Thanks. The weekend between my 2 COVID vaccines is the weekend I have to be on Zoom all of Saturday and part of Sunday for an on-line class that's the final one I need for a Lay Preaching License and it's given only in March. I cannot be down with a vaccine side effect, not that I'm expecting one for Shingrx but it would be just my luck...

Let's hope the immunity from the old Shingles vaccine I had 5.5 years ago holds for a few more weeks,

 

[Boho]

I saved a snapshot of a GoodRx and a SingleCare coupon for Walgreens but I don't like the way they work. No expiration date or bar code and nothing firm about how much I'll save or what the price will be. It makes me wonder whether they'll even do anything. But I like that Walgreens has an online sign-up form for vaccines, unlike Stop & Shop's pharmacy which you have to call just to see if they have Shingrix.

 

[jim584672]

Shingrix shot 2 in the arm. I feel chills and like I have a low grade flu. Sore arm, too.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Got shot #2 yesterday. Got it in my right arm hoping that it being used more would work out the soreness. Then I shoveled and spread mulch in my yard. Thinking all these things might help.

Huge mistake. My right arm began hurting with pain I’ve never experienced before. I couldn’t hold it in a position it didn’t throb in pain. About this time I also started having a headache and mild fever.

Last night was miserable. I was very tired but couldn’t sleep much at all due to pain, fever, and body aches. Today, 24 hours later, I’m fairly miserable. My right arm is still basically unusable although I can hold it in a position where it’s not painful. My head and body still ache.

Hopefully I turn the corner soon. My first shingles shot was unpleasant, but nothing like this. Truly, if I had it to do over again, I think I’d take my chances with shingles. Just want to get through this.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Muir Im so sorry to hear this but still glad you got the shot. My sister had to lie in bed with her bare a$$ in the air for a week with shingles. Too excruciating to move or rollover. No consideration of clothing or sheet on top. Hope your arms improves soonest

 

[stephenson]

Muir,

It may feel like that is a rational thing to say, but, given the extraordinary pain and lifetime of outbreaks, I think you have overstated

 

[Boho]

The part about arm use after the vaccine is useful though. Some people say exercise helps but I'll limit it to cardio. I'm still trying to find a reliable source of information on exercise lessening the pain.

 

[harllee]

Got shot #2 yesterday. Got it in my right arm hoping that it being used more would work out the soreness. Then I shoveled and spread mulch in my yard. Thinking all these things might help.

Huge mistake. My right arm began hurting with pain I’ve never experienced before. I couldn’t hold it in a position it didn’t throb in pain. About this time I also started having a headache and mild fever.

Last night was miserable. I was very tired but couldn’t sleep much at all due to pain, fever, and body aches. Today, 24 hours later, I’m fairly miserable. My right arm is still basically unusable although I can hold it in a position where it’s not painful. My head and body still ache.

Hopefully I turn the corner soon. My first shingles shot was unpleasant, but nothing like this. Truly, if I had it to do over again, I think I’d take my chances with shingles. Just want to get through this.

Muir so sorry about your bad side effects to Shingrix. I hope they go away soon..but you were right to not take chances with Shingles. I had so much pain from Shingles I could not drive or go to work for a month. Now almost 20 years later I still have pain in the area of the blisters. My DH had Shingles near his eye, terrible pain for weeks, they were afraid he was going to lose his eye sight.

 

[anethum]

Muir,

It may feel like that is a rational thing to say, but, given the extraordinary pain and lifetime of outbreaks, I think you have overstated

Stephenson,

You seem to be obsessed with shingles & Shingrix. You routinely post one line replies anytime someone posts something unfavorable about Shingrix. Despite lacking any medical credentials, you downplayed my horrendous experience with my single dose (complete deafness in one ear, with symptoms beginning within hours of vaccination) and tried to get me to change my mind (unsuccessfully) about getting the 2nd Shingrix dose. Someone else in this forum tried to explain away my experience by improperly comparing it to when someone exhibits flu symptoms after getting a flu vaccine. VAERS data is compelling evidence that my experience while rare, was hardly unique, and case descriptions were remarkably similar to my experience.

My primary care doctor immediately told me not to get the 2nd dose of Shingrix when I told her of my ordeal. She also told me something that I had already learned, that a single Shingrix dose has 85% efficacy (actually 90% for my age cohort). She put in my electronic medical record that I am allergic to Shingrix. FWIW, two trusted friends who are medical doctors also told me I should not get the 2nd dose of Shingrix.

I haven't downplayed anyone's suffering from shingles. I am quite aware that it can be awful. But I would urge other posters not to minimize someone's experience from the Shingrix vaccine, and to think twice before giving unsolicited medical advice.

 

[stephenson]

Nah - not obsessed at all.

I do, however, after having seen shingles - and the pain it causes - on several relatives who refused the vaccine. Each noted what a horrible mistake it was to not have gotten vaccinated.

So, when someone says something that seems a bit rash (no pun intended), I comment.

I'm sorry your experience was an outlier wrt the database.

 

[Telly]

I had a reaction! Not major.

Well, my lifetime record of no reactions to any vaccination was broken with the second Shingrix dose.

I got the second dose Friday morning at 10 AM. The pharmacist was very surprised that I never had any reaction to any vaccine, ever. Highly highly unusual to her. Maybe that jinxed me!

By mid-afternoon, I was starting to drag. Had a headache, I combed my hair, top of head was super-sensitive to comb. I was starting to feel beat. Not sleepy, but taking small steps, feet starting to drag while walking around house. After getting up from sitting for any length of time, joints ached a bit until getting more movement. By evening, I was feeling pretty beat. Went to bed early, and stayed in bed for 12 hours (both extremely unusual for me!).

A rough night, waking up so so many times, feeling hot - cold - hot - cold, repeat, each time I woke up. Finally about 4 AM I took my temp, was running +2 deg. F over my standard low normal. It was probably higher earlier. No shaking chills or pouring sweat, nothing like that. At 10 AM Saturday I got up, took temp again, was +1.7 deg. F over normal. Still moderately draggy. If I turned too quick, like turning away from refrigerator, a bit of a head swim. Tried not to do that. By mid-afternoon, doing better. By evening, back to near 100%. It was weird, feeling "ill", but not being "sick"! That's a first!

Now, would I have skipped the second shot had I known in advance? No, of course not!

The only take-away is that I would recommend that anyone who is about to get the Shingrix shot, and works during the week, you may want to get your shot on a Friday, say early afternoon, and give yourself the weekend as a safety to recover from any possible side effects.

 

[stephenson]

Telly - I had a bit of that after my second Shingrix.

Your explanation and timing of effects was almost exactly what I had following my second Moderna COVID vax. Effects on it started 8 hours after the shot, and lasted for almost exactly 24 hours, then stopped as quickly as they had started.

 

[littleb]

Other than a sore arm that was warm to the touch for 2-3 days I had no other side effects from the 2nd Shingrix shot.

However, DH had fever, chills and fatigue for 24 hours after his 2nd shot.

 

[Pellice]

Got my second Shingrix vaccine yesterday morning. I had a low fever overnight, still have it a bit, and feel typical fever symptoms, hot and cold, weak, muscle aches, headache. None of it too severe, but it seems slow to clear out.

 

[easysurfer]

Got my second Shingrix vaccine yesterday morning. I had a low fever overnight, still have it a bit, and feel typical fever symptoms, hot and cold, weak, muscle aches, headache. None of it too severe, but it seems slow to clear out.

Took me about 3 days to get over the Shingrix vaccine.

 

[Pellice]

That long ... when I was younger, symptoms went away fast once they started to clear up ...

 

[easysurfer]

May be different for each person. I had a fever of about 100 for a couple of days and felt all good about after the 3rd day.

 

[Koolau]

Took me about 3 days to get over the Shingrix vaccine.

Mentioned earlier, took DW and me a couple of weeks to feel back to "normal" after 2nd shot. I took it as a "sign" that the second shot was really waking up those T-cells (or whatever!) YMMV

 

[Telly]

% of people who go back and get their second dose

I came across this recently:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33849373/

Among people with an observed first-dose administration, 70% and 80% completed the two-dose series within six and 12 months post initial dose, respectively. This evidence suggests that RZV has rapidly been adopted by a large population in the US and most are following manufacturer or policy recommendations regarding series completion.

I thought it would have been near 100%. It wouldn't have occurred to me to NOT go back and get the second shot. It seems doubtful to me that the two-dose Covid-19 shot regimen will attain the same completion rate as Shingrix.

My Shingrix interval was 3 months between doses. My Pfizer Covid-19 was 27 days (second delayed almost a week by record bad weather).

I had just assumed that anyone who decided to go get a specific vaccine would follow through with a second dose if it was part of the regimen. Unless they became deceased, bad accident, or a true serious reaction to the first dose, like anaphylactic shock. But then, I'm the type of person who if they were prescribed an antibiotic for an infection, completes the treatment as prescribed. Not one to stop taking them because "I felt better, so I stopped". So now I need to add "Always completes prescribed drug regimen" to my list for application for sainthood.

 

[Koolau]

I came across this recently:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33849373/

I thought it would have been near 100%. It wouldn't have occurred to me to NOT go back and get the second shot. It seems doubtful to me that the two-dose Covid-19 shot regimen will attain the same completion rate as Shingrix.

My Shingrix interval was 3 months between doses. My Pfizer Covid-19 was 27 days (second delayed almost a week by record bad weather).

I had just assumed that anyone who decided to go get a specific vaccine would follow through with a second dose if it was part of the regimen. Unless they became deceased, bad accident, or a true serious reaction to the first dose, like anaphylactic shock. But then, I'm the type of person who if they were prescribed an antibiotic for an infection, completes the treatment as prescribed. Not one to stop taking them because "I felt better, so I stopped". So now I need to add "Always completes prescribed drug regimen" to my list for application for sainthood.

I've given up figuring why humans do what they do. I probably mentioned that DW and I had no problem getting our first Shingrix shot on the mainland (at Sams pharmacy.) Returning to the Islands, we haunted all the places that 'supposedly' had the shots. We could NOT find 2nd shot for almost a year. When we finally did (at CVS - Longs hidden away in a medical arts bldg.) we said "Really!?" We rolled up our sleeves and didn't even ask the price (which, for what ever insurance-magic reasons, was 2 or 3 times as much as the first shot.) YMMV

 

[audreyh1]

Got my second Shingrix vaccine yesterday morning. I had a low fever overnight, still have it a bit, and feel typical fever symptoms, hot and cold, weak, muscle aches, headache. None of it too severe, but it seems slow to clear out.

Now that you mention it, I had a much stronger reaction to each of the ShingRix vaccines than I did to either Pfizer vaccine.

Spreading red area, slightly swollen, very sensitive, lasted a few days each time.

 

[Sojourner]

Now that you mention it, I had a much stronger reaction to each of the ShingRix vaccines than I did to either Pfizer vaccine.

Spreading red area, slightly swollen, very sensitive, lasted a few days each time.

Same here. Got my first Shingrix shot about a week ago, and the side effects were definitely worse than either of my Pfizer COVID shots. About the same degree of shoulder soreness, but much worse headache, fatigue, and some moderate stomach upset. Not looking forward to Shingrix #2 later this summer.

 

[Koolau]

Same here. Got my first Shingrix shot about a week ago, and the side effects were definitely worse than either of my Pfizer COVID shots. About the same degree of shoulder soreness, but much worse headache, fatigue, and some moderate stomach upset. Not looking forward to Shingrix #2 later this summer.

Think of it as NOT looking forward to getting shingles. Perspective is all important!

 

[homestead]

Anyone with Tinnitus get the Shingrix vaccine? Did your Tinnitus get any worse?
The Shingrix vaccine complications include: "may result in sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus and vestibular symptoms such as vertigo and nystagmus