Shingles risk with COVID vaccine

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winenot This ended up being a lively discussion. Thank you all for the insight! This popped up in my new feed this morning and seems to refute the Covid vaccine/Shingles connection. At this point, I am fairly convinced that the outbreak was not triggered by the vaccine, but I'm not 100% there. Remember, county health planted the idea and I have to allow there may be more to this than is being made public. I guess time will tell. I'm happy to report that my husband is on the mend and seems to have a milder case. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-...s-science.html Regarding timing of the Shingles vaccine: A couple of years ago, we inquired at the pharmacy about the vaccine and were told that being under 60 required a prescription. My doctor did not recommend the vaccine until i was 60 (and I promptly received it). My husbands doctor has not recommended it yet -- I assume he will when he turns 60, but that will be too late -- as soon as he has recovered he will be vaccinated . Also, as of a couple of years ago, our insurance would not cover it until age 60 (that may have changed now, I have not checked). The point is, although it's advised to be vaccinated at 50, there appears to be conflict between the drug manufacturer, medical professionals and insurance companies.

Glad you husband is on the mend--Shingles in the eye can really be serious. Your husband should be vaccinated with Shingrix after he is fully recovered--he should check to see if the CDC is recommending how long he should wait. You can get Shingles over and over again so he still needs the vaccine. The CDC recommends the Shingles vaccine starting at age 50, many insurance companies won't pay until age 60 because the vaccine is expensive and 2 shots are required. Medicare does not pay for the vaccine--some Medicare Part D plans pay a portion of the price.

[ivinsfan]

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Originally Posted by Winenot I apologize if I didn't make myself clear....as soon as he recovers he will be get the vaccine.

There is a recommended waiting time between having shingles and getting the shingles vaccine.


My DH got vaccinated at the 60 day plus mark..

[Boho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winenot although it's advised to be vaccinated at 50, there appears to be conflict between the drug manufacturer, medical professionals and insurance companies.

There also appears to be conflict between the NYS Dept. of Health and the NYS Dept. of Health. A heading here says "Zoster (Shingles) Vaccine - For adults 60 years and older" but the page linked directly under it says "Shingrix is recommended for adults 50 and older."

[Dtail]

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Originally Posted by Boho There also appears to be conflict between the NYS Dept. of Health and the NYS Dept. of Health. A heading here says "Zoster (Shingles) Vaccine - For adults 60 years and older" but the page linked directly under it says "Shingrix is recommended for adults 50 and older."

Well depending on which type of shot one gets.
The original recommendation was for folks over 60, but with the newer Shingrix shot, it has been effectively changed to 50 and over.

[MarieIG]

I was glad I got the Shingrex before the Covid vaccine, HOWEVER, when I got my first Shingrex vaccine the Covid vaccine was not authorized for EUA. I was in no hurry for the second Shingrex; which resulted in me receiving it about a month before my first Covid 19 vaccine. That was within guidelines; but if I had to do it again, I would have moved both the Shingrex vaccinations up about two months for a bigger gap between the Shingrex and Covid vaccines.


One of my co-workers (recently) was advised by her doctor to hold off on getting the Shingrex until after her Covid vaccines, due to a greater risk from Covid.

[timo2]

DW got really minor shingles after the 1st dose of Pfizer. We looked at it but didn't connect it with the COVID vaccine. Then after the 2nd shot the shingles become more pronounced, but still a mild case. They started disappearing about a week after the second shot. We thought it was just a coincidence, but once I saw that article about the Israeli patients, I guess not!!

DW got the shingles vaccine two years ago and does not have an autoimmune disease (that we know of). So there are differences from the patients in the article, most of whom were not vaccinated.

[Winenot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 DW got really minor shingles after the 1st dose of Pfizer. We looked at it but didn't connect it with the COVID vaccine. Then after the 2nd shot the shingles become more pronounced, but still a mild case. They started disappearing about a week after the second shot. We thought it was just a coincidence, but once I saw that article about the Israeli patients, I guess not!! DW got the shingles vaccine two years ago and does not have an autoimmune disease (that we know of). So there are differences from the patients in the article, most of whom were not vaccinated.

Interesting. I'm becoming more and more convinced there is a link between the COVID vaccine and shingles. There is some chatter about it on other forums and reports of healthy, younger people contracting it after receiving the vaccine. Of course, it's all anecdotal at this point (as far as we know), with the exception of the study in Israel. In my husbands case...we're not really sure now when he first had symptoms, but it was sometime after the first shot, then symptoms really ramped up after the second. He ended up having the mildest case of shingles I've ever heard of...he was diagnosed at the clinic a week ago Monday and ended up having 4 miserable days and 4 blisters. He still has a lingering earache and an occasional "zinger", but they are less intense and are fewer and further between. Apparently nothing debilitating -- he placed 3rd in a golf tournament this past Monday

[ivinsfan]

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Originally Posted by Winenot Interesting. I'm becoming more and more convinced there is a link between the COVID vaccine and shingles. There is some chatter about it on other forums and reports of healthy, younger people contracting it after receiving the vaccine. Of course, it's all anecdotal at this point (as far as we know), with the exception of the study in Israel. In my husbands case...we're not really sure now when he first had symptoms, but it was sometime after the first shot, then symptoms really ramped up after the second. He ended up having the mildest case of shingles I've ever heard of...he was diagnosed at the clinic a week ago Monday and ended up having 4 miserable days and 4 blisters. He still has a lingering earache and an occasional "zinger", but they are less intense and are fewer and further between. Apparently nothing debilitating -- he placed 3rd in a golf tournament this past Monday

Young and healthy , you mean the people with auto immune problems like rheumatoid arthritis ? They often take meds that suppress the immune system.

[Winenot]

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Originally Posted by ivinsfan Young and healthy , you mean the people with auto immune problems like rheumatoid arthritis ? They often take meds that suppress the immune system.

The posts I've read do not mention autoimmune issues, but I have not not read them all. It's all over Reddit, and interestingly, there are also reports of people coming down with shingles after contracting COVID (the disease, not the vaccine). Anyway, as I mentioned above it's all anecdotal at this point so who knows? Time will tell....

[wolf]

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Originally Posted by Winenot Has anyone here experienced (or do you know someone) an outbreak of shingles after receiving the COVID vaccine? My husband received his first Moderna vaccine in late March and his second shot on Thursday, April 15th. On April 14th, he had an earache, but didn't think much about it. By this past Saturday, a rash appeared on his forehead and he had some tingling. He also didn't think much of it because he has Rosacea so he applied a good dose of ointment and went about the day. By Monday, he had a headache and his eyelid was swollen on top of a worsened rash. At this point, he suspected shingles. He went to the clinic and the Ophthalmologist, was officially diagnosed and was prescribed meds that are supposed to minimize the nerve pain. A discussion with the county health officer revealed that shingles is a possible side effect of the COVID vaccine and that people with auto immune disease or inflammatory disease are at higher risk of developing it, although it can flare up in anyone. Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition and likely placed him in a higher risk category. He is 56 years old and has not had the shingles vaccine (his doctor has not even recommended it yet). According to the county health officer, shingles is a KNOWN side effect associated with the COVID vaccine, although it is fairly new. However, she also said that currently, and surprisingly, the risk of shingles is not mentioned in any CDC fact sheets associated with the vaccine. We are both, understandably, very upset with this development. Especially knowing now that he likely had a risk condition and was not informed prior to accepting the vaccine. Had we known, he probably would have taken the shingles vaccine series before being vaccinated for COVID. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Interesting. My sister, just sent me an email. She and husband, both
received, Moderna. They both, had shingles shot years earlier. Husband,
had "something" on his back. They took picture of it. Sent it to Md.
MD, said it was "Shingles". But because, husband was vaccinated. It
"cured" itself. No major issues.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf Interesting. My sister, just sent me an email. She and husband, both received, Moderna. They both, had shingles shot years earlier. Husband, had "something" on his back. They took picture of it. Sent it to Md. MD, said it was "Shingles". But because, husband was vaccinated. It "cured" itself. No major issues.

If your sister and her husband had the shingles vaccine years ago they probably had the old shingles vaccine which was not very effective. If that is the case they should get the newer Shingrix vaccine which is 95% effective.

[wolf]

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Originally Posted by harllee If your sister and her husband had the shingles vaccine years ago they probably had the old shingles vaccine which was not very effective. If that is the case they should get the newer Shingrix vaccine which is 95% effective.

You are correct. Sister/Husband, received original shingles shot. But did
receive the "newer" one also. Good information.

I think, I never got the "newer" shingles shot. Too lazy...

[harllee]

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Originally Posted by wolf You are correct. Sister/Husband, received original shingles shot. But did receive the "newer" one also. Good information. I think, I never got the "newer" shingles shot. Too lazy...

I had the old shingles shot and still got a fairly bad case of shingles. That old shot did not work very well so I hope you will get the newer Shingrix shot. Don't be lazy, get the Shingrix shot!

[timo2]

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Originally Posted by harllee I had the old shingles shot and still got a fairly bad case of shingles. That old shot did not work very well so I hope you will get the newer Shingrix shot. Don't be lazy, get the Shingrix shot!

+1
I had a nurse and a doctor (different offices in different States) tell me the old shingles vaccine was only good for about five years.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 +1 I had a nurse and a doctor (different offices in different States) tell me the old shingles vaccine was only good for about five years.

I think they said which was the reason for waiting until 60 to get the old vaccine. My DH got a mild case of shingles at about 9 years 7 months past vaccine.

[anethum]

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Originally Posted by timo2 +1 I had a nurse and a doctor (different offices in different States) tell me the old shingles vaccine was only good for about five years.

The Zostovax vaccine was taken off the US market last November. I don't know the exact reason. It's possible that there was little demand for it after Shingrix was introduced. It's also possible that the numerous lawsuits against the maker of Zostovax played a part.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In another thread about shingles, I posted the following more than a year ago (which I just realized was a reply to a similar post by you ):

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 My current Doc told me the five year limit also, as my five years had just arrived. The subject came up because I had shingles the week after my 60th birthday, and had to get the old shot after my initial outbreak. The first year after that was fine, but each subsequent year I could feel the shingles trying to come back. The nurse said it probably was nerve damage, but each subsequent year it was slightly more of the pre-outbreak feeling, and in different places than the original attack. I was about to get a repeat shot of the original vaccine when the new shot came out. After the first shot, and ever since, I've never had any feeling of recurrence of the feelings of shingles coming back.

Actually, a study by Kaiser using data from their large population of patients in northern California showed that after 8 years, the Zostovax vaccine still had an effectiveness rate against shingles of 31.8%.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29309521

[timo2]

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Originally Posted by anethum The Zostovax vaccine was taken off the US market last November. I don't know the exact reason. It's possible that there was little demand for it after Shingrix was introduced. It's also possible that the numerous lawsuits against the maker of Zostovax played a part. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In another thread about shingles, I posted the following more than a year ago (which I just realized was a reply to a similar post by you ): Actually, a study by Kaiser using data from their large population of patients in northern California showed that after 8 years, the Zostovax vaccine still had an effectiveness rate against shingles of 31.8%. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29309521

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!

But when I originally got the old vaccine at Kaiser in Colorado, they acted like it was a lifetime shot. Others recalled being told that also, by other doctors. That clearly was not the case.