News Story on Shingles Vaccination

[Amethyst]

I was referring to those young enough to have had the chickenpox vaccine. I believe it came out in the mid-80's, so mostly millennials and younger would have received it.

Not true. I used to think the same, and assumed I was immune to shingles since I never had chickenpox as a kid.

But the doc straightened me out on that. It seems that some kids have chickenpox but never show any symptoms of it at all. So that was me, and I paid the price later.

 

[JoeWras]

I was referring to those young enough to have had the chickenpox vaccine. I believe it came out in the mid-80's, so mostly millennials and younger would have received it.

Mid 90s. 1995 to be exact for USA. But your point is still valid.

 

[audreyh1]

I requested an anti-body test to see if I'd had chicken pox and the test showed I did, so I got vaccinated for shingles.

Smart move!

Dad was convinced he had never had chickenpox as he didn't remember. So he couldn't be persuaded to get the vaccine.

And he freaked us out by having shingles at 85!

Fortunately he went immediately to the emergency room, got treatment, and only had a mild case, but we were very frightened for him.

 

[Yarnstormer]

I had shingles at 49. I recognized it immediately because my Dad had it and he was not diagnosed properly. His memoirs mention wanting to die from the unremitting nerve pain. Even catching it early I spend some time on vicodin. It was on my shoulder and affected the nerve down my arm to my hand, little on the neck, thankfully not on my face or ears.
It wasn’t fun. My doc said I did not need the shot now - that my bout would have given me much much more immunity, not less.

 

[harllee]

I had shingles at 49. I recognized it immediately because my Dad had it and he was not diagnosed properly. His memoirs mention wanting to die from the unremitting nerve pain. Even catching it early I spend some time on vicodin. It was on my shoulder and affected the nerve down my arm to my hand, little on the neck, thankfully not on my face or ears.
It wasn’t fun. My doc said I did not need the shot now - that my bout would have given me much much more immunity, not less.

That is the opposite of what my doctor told me. I had a terrible case of shingles and as soon as I was well enough my doctor recommended I have the shingles vaccine, he said you can get shingles over and over again, having shingles does not give you immunity from another attack. A few years after I had the vaccine I did have shingles again but a much milder case, my doctor said due to the fact that I had the shingles vaccine. I remember researching the issue and all the sources recommended having the shingles vaccine even if you had already had shingles.

 

[JoeWras]

That is the opposite of what my doctor told me. I had a terrible case of shingles and as soon as I was well enough my doctor recommended I have the shingles vaccine, he said you can get shingles over and over again, having shingles does not give you immunity from another attack. A few years after I had the vaccine I did have shingles again but a much milder case, my doctor said due to the fact that I had the shingles vaccine. I remember researching the issue and all the sources recommended having the shingles vaccine even if you had already had shingles.

Right. DW got them a second time within a few years. No immunity at all.

 

[REWahoo]

WebMD says this about the chances of getting shingles again:

If you've had shingles once, you probably won’t get it again.

That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, it’s just unlikely.

How Often Does Shingles Return?

Experts don't know exactly how many people get shingles more than once. They do know it comes back more often in people with weakened immune systems.

If your immune system is healthy:

Your short-term chances of getting shingles again are very low. One study of people over age 60 found that only 1% got shingles again within about 3 years. Having shingles once lowers your chances of getting it a second time, at least for a while.

Over time, your chances of a second bout go up. Another study found that within 7 years, the odds of getting it again may be almost 6% in people 22 and older. That's about the same as the odds of getting shingles the first time.

Who Is Most Likely to Get Shingles Again?

You're more likely to get it again if:

You had severe pain from shingles that lasted more than 30 days. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).
You are a woman.
You were age 50 or older when you had shingles the first time.
Your immune system is weak from conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, or HIV, or you take medicines that suppress your immune system.

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-come-back#1

 

[harllee]

All I know is that I had shingles twice. First around age 50, very severe with the lingering nerve pain that has last until now and I am now 66. The second time I was around 60, by then I had the shingles vaccine, second time a mild case, in a different area than where the first was. Other than the shingles, I am a very healthy women, I take no prescriptions, have no health conditions. Compared to child birth, back surgery, etc, the shingles was by far the worst pain I ever had (and I still have some pain from it!).

 

[REWahoo]

All I know is that I had shingles twice. First around age 50, very severe with the lingering nerve pain that has last until now and I am now 66. The second time I was around 60, by then I had the shingles vaccine, second time a mild case, in a different area than where the first was.

Ouch!

Looks like you met the first three of the four "more likely to have shingles again" categories:

You're more likely to get it again if:

You had severe pain from shingles that lasted more than 30 days. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).
You are a woman.
You were age 50 or older when you had shingles the first time.

 

[Goonie]

I've had several friends who've had shingles, one of them had it around/on his eye. Their horror stories of the excruciating, unrelenting pain were enough to convince me to get vaccinated!

I went to a local pharmacy about two weeks ago and got the Zostamax shot. I had no reaction to the injection.....until a few days later. I got an extremely minor case of shingles in area about 3" in diameter around the injection site, that was kind of painful for about a week, a little tender for another few days, and is currently still a little red but no pain or discomfort at all.

I had read through my health insurance policy, and in one place it said that the shingles vaccination wasn't covered. Several pages later it stated that it was covered. I mentioned that to the pharmacist, and she said she'd run it through to find out for certain. Whether it was covered or not, I was more than willing to pay the $274 to get it. Thankfully, BCBS covered it 100%, which made my day!

I'll play 'wait & see' with the new vaccine and study up on it before I'd consider getting it, but if it gets high recommendations I won't hesitate to to get it!

 

[WestUniversity]

Mr. A. had shingles a few years ago, and that was enough to scare me. Oozy, raw, pimply, red, runny skin on his back. He went to the Dr. who took one look, said "Shingles, mild case" and wrote out an Rx. If that was "mild," I don't want to find out what the next level might be! Nope, nope, nope. Our insurance pays for one shot at age 60.

Lucky young people - never to have chickenpox, thus no shingles risk!

I had the shingles several years ago and trust me, whether insurance pays for it or not, get the shot. It was a miserable experience. Weeks of constant pain. The Rx available at the time to address the pain either knocked me out and made me useless OR they merely took the edge off the pain.

After my outbreak I paid for and received the shot from my Doc. Thankfully I've had no reoccurrence...

 

[gauss]

I'll play 'wait & see' with the new vaccine and study up on it before I'd consider getting it, but if it gets high recommendations I won't hesitate to to get it!

To get you started here are a couple of resources:


Here is a Washington Post article discussing the new recommendations:

Shingrix is 97 percent effective against shingles for those 50 to 59 years old, compared to about 70 percent for Zostavax, data show. For those in their 60s, the new vaccine is 97 percent effective, compared to 64 percent for Zostavax. For those in their 70s, Shingrix is 91 percent effective, compared to about 41 percent for Zostavax.

And for those in their 80s, who are most at risk of developing complications, the new vaccine is about five times more effective: 91 percent versus 18 percent.

Shingrix is also 91 percent effective in preventing the most common complication of shingles in those 50 and older. That nerve pain, known as post-herpetic neuralgia, is felt in areas where the shingles rash occurred and can last for months and even years. In some cases, the physical discomfort can be so debilitating that the touch of clothing on the skin can cause searing pain. It has no treatment or cure, and doctors say it has driven patients to contemplate suicide.

I posted a link, in my earlier post, that will eventually contain the archived video of the deliberation of the CDC/ACIP expert committee where the issues were debated.

-gauss

 

[48Fire]

I'm guessing that some of the people not willing to fork over $200 for a shingles shot have never seen a loved one suffer. My Dad had shingles, and I'll never forget him laying on the couch trying not to move.

I wonder what a person suffering through shingles would be willing to pay a doctor for a miracle cure? $2,000? Maybe even $20,000?

Thanks for posting this. I have been debating for years, partly because the new vaccine seems to be suffering from OMY syndrome My doctor recently recommended I get it now, since new medications often need a period of time to prove their effectiveness vs. side effect. So he wrote me a prescription which I intend to use tomorrow. Don't care what they charge me.

 

[harllee]

I'm guessing that some of the people not willing to fork over $200 for a shingles shot have never seen a loved one suffer. My Dad had shingles, and I'll never forget him laying on the couch trying not to move.

I wonder what a person suffering through shingles would be willing to pay a doctor for a miracle cure? $2,000? Maybe even $20,000?

Thanks for posting this. I have been debating for years, partly because the new vaccine seems to be suffering from OMY syndrome My doctor recently recommended I get it now, since new medications often need a period of time to prove their effectiveness vs. side effect. So he wrote me a prescription which I intend to use tomorrow. Don't care what they charge me.

Since I have had pain from Shingles now for 15 years (has lessened over time, but still painful) I would pay just about everything I own to buy a miracle cure.

 

[48Fire]

Since I have had pain from Shingles now for 15 years (has lessened over time, but still painful) I would pay just about everything I own to buy a miracle cure.

Sorry to hear harllee. Good luck to you.

 

[Goonie]

To get you started here are a couple of resources:


Here is a Washington Post article discussing the new recommendations:



I posted a link, in my earlier post, that will eventually contain the archived video of the deliberation of the CDC/ACIP expert committee where the issues were debated.

-gauss

I read the WP article last night, along with a couple of others that I found while searching for info. I'll check for updates on the other link. Thank you!

 

[calico1597]

A couple years ago my insurance did not cover the vaccine, cost was going to be $175-200. DH and I went to our local county health department and got it for $10. Available to all county residents who did not have insurance coverage for it. I will be asking my doctor about the updated version when I go for next year's physical.