New Shingrx Shingles Vaccine

[Koolau]

DW and I got the original (zostervax?) years ago. Just got the new one a few days ago. Both of us have MC and I have part D while she coordinated with her supplement. I think mine was $46 and hers was $47. Very sore, hot, swollen injection sites. Still, our docs highly recommended this vaccination. You do NOT want to have shingles. YMMV

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I received jab #1 of the Shingrx vaccine after a routine PCP visit yesterday. It was listed on my UPMC (Univ. of Pittsburgh Medical Center) Healthtrak (electronic medical record) list of things I needed to do. The nurse came into the room after the doc left and explained that UPMC has not been clear about billing for this vaccine and even though I have a UPMC PPO plan through my former employer and they are a UPMC owned office, I might be charged up to $250/shot. She said they were not administering many of the vaccines because of this. I signed 2 waivers that said I would be responsible for the cost if UPMC declined to pay. I am not yet on Medicare.

About 6 hours after the shot the shoulder where I got it was very sore. A few hours later I felt flu-ish with a fever, headache and muscle aches. I am better today but feel weak. I had no reaction after the older Zostavax live vaccine 2 years ago. I will get jab #2 in October.

 

[rdy2go]

I got my first dose of Shingrix yesterday and had the very sore arm right away also. I woke up during the night and was very cold, but assumed it was just the ceiling fan blowing on me. I didn't warm up until I took some ibuprofen, so I assume that I also had a low grade fever. I've been pretty weak all day, slept a lot, but starting to feel better after about twenty four hours after getting the shot. I hope the second dose gives me less of a reaction.

 

[CaptTom]

Thanks to those posting their reactions to the shot. It's good to know what to expect.

Just for comparison, I noticed no symptoms from shot #1. I did ask for the left shoulder, since that had been a little sore to start with and I figured no sense having two sore shoulders. But it didn't get worse with the shot. Go figure.

For shot #2 I'll also be looking for any signs of fatigue over the following 24 hours. I didn't notice any last time, but then again, I might not have connected it with the shot if it had happened.

 

[deserat]

Interesting thread. I pay for TRICARE Retired Reserve at~$450/mo and checked on Shingrix coverage (I am in my mid-50's). I had asked the AF doc before about the shingles vaccine and he had said it was only covered after age 60. Well, according to the TRICARE coverage site, Shingrix 50 mcg is covered for me at my age and costs $0 at the military treatment facility an/or an in-network pharmacy.

So, when I get back in July, I will be getting a Shingrix shot series...I had the chicken pox as a child and I saw my grandma have shingles in her 70's....not a pretty sight. I'd like to avoid it if possible and frankly after having been active and reserve for 30 years, I'm used to being a pin-cushion.....yellow fever vax was the worst!

 

[Nemo2]

....yellow fever vax was the worst!

Had about 3 of them over the years...can't recall any reaction....now, the Typhoid/Paratyphoid/Cholera shot in the 1960s used to render the injected arm useless for a while.........I recall being in London, circa 1963, when two of us had the shots and had to drive a stick shift home.

The guy driving, with one arm, would yell out "second" or "third" and I'd change gears with my one arm while he steered and depressed the clutch.

 

[deserat]

Had about 3 of them over the years...can't recall any reaction....now, the Typhoid/Paratyphoid/Cholera shot in the 1960s used to render the injected arm useless for a while.........I recall being in London, circa 1963, when two of us had the shots and had to drive a stick shift home.

The guy driving, with one arm, would yell out "second" or "third" and I'd change gears with my one arm while he steered and depressed the clutch.

That's funny-the yellow fever one hurt my arm, I got tired and had a low fever.

However, the pin cushion is not a joke. When I turned 45 or so, I went in and the AF saw that I was not current on my shots....I got 10 different vax and boosters that day...both arms. One other time they made me redo smallpox....20 tiny shots later....sigh...

 

[bizlady]

Goodrx.com has agreements with many local and chain pharmacies to share their pricing on drugs. I find them very easy to use for comparison shopping. Shingrix is so new, that it probably isn't in their database yet.

- Rita

It is in the database $147-$154 per dose in my area.

 

[Dreamer]

I am covered under FEP Blue Cross/Blue Shield and called them last week to see if they cover the new vaccine. She told me that they do not cover it yet. They did cover the older shingles vaccine for me when I was in my 50's. I did get Shingles after receiving the vaccine, but had a very mild case. I plan on getting the new vaccine as soon as insurance covers it.

I recently called my insurance again and she said that it is now covered. I called since my DH had a doctor's appt and he was getting the second pneumonia shot. I told him about a couple of people feeling like they had the flu afterward and he decided to wait until after I get back home. I actually told him that I would feel better if I were there in case he really got sick. The doctor told him that he could get the Shingles shot the same day or to wait 30 days after the second pneumonia shot.

I will get mine when I don't have anything else scheduled and just take it easy in case I get sick.

 

[Chuckanut]

Is the cost people are mentioning for one shot or both shots?

 

[travelover]

Is the cost people are mentioning for one shot or both shots?

I was told $150ish per shot by the pharmacist at Costco.

 

[ocdokie]

The cost is per shot, with 2 shots being the norm for the Shingrix vaccine. I paid $160 per shot, for a total of $320. My insurance did not cover either shot.

 

[travelover]

The cost is per shot, with 2 shots being the norm for the Shingrix vaccine. I paid $160 per shot, for a total of $320. My insurance did not cover either shot.

Mine didn't either, but I'm sure that anyone with shingles would gladly pay triple that to end the experience.

 

[bingybear]

I called our ACA plan and they said it is covered under well care. We both got the first shot at our physicals this last week. We'll see if any charges show up.

 

[SecondCor521]

Mine didn't either, but I'm sure that anyone with shingles would gladly pay triple that to end the experience.

I'm 49 and I have this vaccine on my list of "medical things to do at 50". I talked with my doctor about it last week at my annual checkup and he said insurance may not cover it until 60. I have seen a person suffer with shingles, and I'd happily pay a few hundred bucks to have a decade of additional protection.

 

[razztazz]

This might have come up but in seven pages of posts I didn't find it.

If one has an outbreak of shingles or any other viral infection, there is a drug (forget the name of it.) that if you start taking it within 48 hours of an outbreak it stomps out/ameliorate the infection. But you need to get on it ASAP! Anyone experiencing shingles should know within 48 hours wouldn't they? Wouldn't a fast stop at the Doc or Urgent Care clinic to score some of that drug send the shingles outbreak to the minor leagues? Why do people get these Shingles-from-Hell episodes? It's not very subtle when it onsets (I know, except in some curious type of cases. Not talking about those)

 

[rdy2go]

It's not that easy to self-diagnose. When I got it, it was just a redness on my rib area that got itchier the next day. Of course, it started over a weekend. By the time I was able to get into the doctor's office and saw a nurse practitioner it was at least 48 hours. She gave me a prescription for Acyclovir, the drug I think you mean. It helped with it and kept it under control, but doesn't wipe it out. I was still tender like a strawberry burn for a week or two. I self-diagnosed on Sunday and was in their office the first thing Monday morning. Since I had never had it before it was a mystery as to what I had going on.

 

[razztazz]

That's good to know. The stuff works I guess. You don;t really have to self-diagnose though. Just seeing a oh, not so normal rash or however it presents itself would get a person's attention. This ain't normal. I threw in the Urgent Care ref because I know you can't always get a regular dr's appointment. And of course these things always happen on a Friday before a 3 - Day weekend anyway. As long as you get something on it in fairly short order the "horrors" of shingles seem like they can be easily avoided

I have Shingrix on my To-do list after a colonoscopy and some other stuff this week. But I can't help but think: Hey, like whats the big deal? It's not like a heart attack where you might not have a clue till it hits and it's fatal. It tips its hand and if you can't kill it entirely you get off with 2 or 3 weeks of some discomfort. Do I really need a vaccine for that? I'm not lobbying for or against the shot. It's just something that popped into alternate-view the past few weeks

 

[Nemo2]

It tips its hand and if you can't kill it entirely you get off with 2 or 3 weeks of some discomfort.

It's ~20 months since my facial shingles attack infringed on the cornea of my left eye, (there's scarring on the cornea), and I'm still taking Prednisolone drops twice weekly, perhaps indefinitely.

 

[razztazz]

It's ~20 months since my facial shingles attack infringed on the cornea of my left eye, (there's scarring on the cornea), and I'm still taking Prednisolone drops twice weekly, perhaps indefinitely.

Yes, there's always the one-off really bad, surprise attack, worst case. But do I need a vaccine for that? Or should I worry about it if I don't get the vaccine?
Like the investments threads about what if zombie vampires .... and then an asteroid strikes me in my belt and suspenders...?

I was totally super-duper healthwise ... until I followed my doctor's orders. And I will never fully recover. So I know zombies and the asteroid aren't just exaggerations.

 

[Potstickers]

Yes, there's always the one-off really bad, surprise attack, worst case. But do I need a vaccine for that? Or should I worry about it if I don't get the vaccine?
Like the investments threads about what if zombie vampires .... and then an asteroid strikes me in my belt and suspenders...?

I was totally super-duper healthwise ... until I followed my doctor's orders. And I will never fully recover. So I know zombies and the asteroid aren't just exaggerations.

A friend was hospitalized for several days because the pain from her shingles made her scream.

 

[ERD50]

Yes, there's always the one-off really bad, surprise attack, worst case. But do I need a vaccine for that? Or should I worry about it if I don't get the vaccine?
Like the investments threads about what if zombie vampires .... and then an asteroid strikes me in my belt and suspenders...?

I was totally super-duper healthwise ... until I followed my doctor's orders. And I will never fully recover. So I know zombies and the asteroid aren't just exaggerations.

It's not rare like asteroids, more like hemorrhoids:

https://www.healthline.com/health/shingles-recurrence

About 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will get shingles in their lifetime, and 68 percent of these cases occur in people 50 years and older.

I got the old shot, will ask about the new one at my next visit.

-ERD50

 

[razztazz]

A friend was hospitalized for several days because the pain from her shingles made her scream.

Was she able to treat it before it got out of hand? That med mentioned earlier?

We all know how bad it can be but that is not the average case. If it had been treated tout de suite what would it have done? That's really where I'm coming from.

 

[travelover]

...........Hey, like whats the big deal? It's not like a heart attack where you might not have a clue till it hits and it's fatal. It tips its hand and if you can't kill it entirely you get off with 2 or 3 weeks of some discomfort. Do I really need a vaccine for that? ..........

Go to Google Images and search for "shingles". My brother lost partial vision in one eye from his bout with shingles.

 

[ERD50]

Was she able to treat it before it got out of hand? That med mentioned earlier?

We all know how bad it can be but that is not the average case. If it had been treated tout de suite what would it have done? That's really where I'm coming from.

I think you are playing with fire if you think you can catch it in time to treat it. The symptoms aren't always that obvious, and I suspect that something that starts out mild (and maybe not so noticeable at first) could become much worse over time. Those ones I've heard of that spread to the eye - I don't think they started there.

It's not like I'm hearing of tons of side effects from the shot. That might be different.

And what about side effects from that early treatment?

-ERD50