New Shingrx Shingles Vaccine

[MBAustin]

Update: Arm was sore about 36 hours, no other side effects. I've got #2 on my calendar for November.

 

[badatmath]

Is there any rhyme or reason for why shot 2 comes in "2 to 6" months? Just whatever you want? I searched a bit but could not find anything.

Apparently I can't get it without Rx here so doubt I will be asking my doc any time soon.

 

[CardsFan]

Apparently I can't get it without Rx here so doubt I will be asking my doc any time soon.

Depends on your insurance maybe, but most here, including me, just went in and got it. No Doc involved.

 

[badatmath]

Depends on your insurance maybe, but most here, including me, just went in and got it. No Doc involved.

It is the pharmacy that cares for some reason, not the insurance.

 

[gerntz]

DW "finally" got her first shot today with me being done 2+ years ago. Asked her "why now" & she said between this, flu shot, likely virus vaccine, & 2nd one of these, that she'd better get started. Glad something got her into action.

Arm wasn't a problem. Did have the overnight chills issue. Was getting over that when an episode of her Meniere's vertigo came on for a couple hours. Apparently triggered by the vaccine somehow as she's had nothing close to that bad for a couple of years. Shot her for the entire day. She's had (a lot) worse though. OK today.

 

[braumeister]

Two years ago I got flu, Shingrx #1, and pneumonia all at the same time. Two in one arm, one in the other.

I don't remember which two were in the same arm, but it hurt a lot after a couple of hours, and the entire arm turned red. It was OK the next morning, but I'm not likely to do that again.

 

[easysurfer]

Is this true? About the shingrix shot #1 and #2 being the exact same, but just spaced apart?

Shingrix is given as a two-shot series, separated by 2 to 6 months per CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations as this elicits the optimal immune response against the varicella-zoster (i.e. shingles) virus.
The first and second doses of Shingrix are exactly the same. There is no difference between them. Therefore, it is impossible to get the first shot "twice" by mistake.

https://walrus.com/questions/is-the-second-shingrix-shot-different-from-the-first

 

[braumeister]

Is this true? About the shingrix shot #1 and #2 being the exact same, but just spaced apart?

Yes. Not uncommon for some immunizations. The second one is often called a "booster shot".

 

[easysurfer]

Yes. Not uncommon for some immunizations. The second one is often called a "booster shot".

Good deal!

I got a reminder letter today from pharmacy saying it's time to get my 2nd shot (I had my first shot at another pharmacy) and thought "Cr@p!" I got the 1st shot twice. But I guess 1st, 2nd is just a relative number .

 

[braumeister]

Yes, I ran into the same thing because I got #1 and #2 in different places. Just ignore the reminder.

 

[easysurfer]

I remember thinking each shot was different, specifically saying give me shot#2 during the last vaccine.

Would have helped if the pharmacy clarified and said they are the same.

 

[skibum]

Thanks all for the reminder, I had my first shot on Sat. I felt a little fatigued the next day, took a nap, temperature just shy of 100. Tenderness in the arm like after a tetanus shot or good workout, reminds me of the benefits.

Pharmacist was pushing the flu shot as well, I'll get that with my annual physical in Oct.

 

[Vacation4us]

I got mine a week ago. Arm was sore for 3 days and I napped endlessly all weekend, which is so unlike me. Who know the shingles shot was a cure for insomnia?

 

[eroscott]

Note that the Shingrix Vaccination is a non-live version of it and that is the only type some people can have (ie. if they have Lupus or related disease). The Zostavax® (zoster) vaccine is a live.

 

[skipro33]

Note that the Shingrix Vaccination is a non-live version of it and that is the only type some people can have (ie. if they have Lupus or related disease). The Zostavax® (zoster) vaccine is a live.

Found this on the CDC website regarding the two vaccines;

Zostavax will no longer be sold in the United States starting July 1, 2020. Some pharmacies and clinics may still have Zostavax in stock. This vaccine is safe and may be used until the supply expires (before or by November 18, 2020).

My on-line medical record states I had received "zoster vaccine, inactivated" on two occasions 2 months apart. Since Zostavax is a one shot vaccine, I guess I got the Shingrix.

 

[Vacation4us]

I received the Zostavax vaccine at 48. After begging every doctor I saw at Kaiser for years. One finely took pity on me and said ok.

Last week I got the Shingrix first dose at 53. The second dose will be given in 2 to 6 months.

I can’t express to people how important this vaccine is. The longer you live the more likely you are to get shingles.

My sister had an undiagnosed case of shingles in her ear canal at 35 which lead to trigeminal neuralgia. I can’t even begin to understand the pain she suffered for 10 plus years. Her facial nerves have been eradiated now she lives with numbness and tingling instead of pain.

Get vaccinated, tell your friends to get vaccinated. If you had the chicken pox, shingles is just waiting to rear it’s ugly head.

 

[CaptTom]

Interesting about the difference between live and inactivated. Just this morning I read this article about the non-specific effects of vaccines, especially live versions.

To summarize, it turns out that vaccines protect against much more than the specific disease they target, and the reduction in mortality from this is astounding.

I had no idea about all of this. I get my regular flu shot, got my Shingrix shot, and will get a COVID shot as soon as it's available. Now I want to go out and get ALL the vaccines I can! OK, I won't go that far. But I am even more convinced now that the benefits usually outweigh the risks.

 

[Chuckanut]

Interesting about the difference between live and inactivated. Just this morning I read this article about the non-specific effects of vaccines, especially live versions.

Thanks. The article is a very interesting read. No wonder women live longer than men:

“The female immune system has to be very different for the obvious reason that they have to be able to become pregnant and not reject the foetus. Therefore you have to have an immune system which has a more intricate feedback mechanism. And that is true from birth,” says Aaby.

I always knew even as a boy that girls were more [-]complicated[/-] intricate. Now I know why.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Got flu and Shingrx 1 yesterday. I’m feeling a bit sore all over which I think can be a side effect from either vaccine. Good excuse to loll around today. Weather is supposed to be cool clear and dry for the next several days so yard work can wait.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Got flu and Shingrx 1 yesterday. I’m feeling a bit sore all over which I think can be a side effect from either vaccine. Good excuse to loll around today. Weather is supposed to be cool clear and dry for the next several days so yard work can wait.

same here - got mine (but shingrix #2) Wed felt like crap Thursday and not 100% Friday...

 

[audreyh1]

It is the pharmacy that cares for some reason, not the insurance.

It depends on the state whether a prescription is required for a vaccine.

 

[Koolau]

same here - got mine (but shingrix #2) Wed felt like crap Thursday and not 100% Friday...

Interesting: DW and I were arm-sore after #1 but felt really down after #2 (even though they are the same stuff.) We felt bad for 2 or 3 weeks! Weak, listless, pains (of aging) were amplified, etc.) YMMV

 

[harllee]

I was the opposite--I had a lot of arm soreness and some blah feeling after the first Shingrix but no side effects whatever after the second.

But in any event--the vaccine is definitely worth it! Before Shingrix I had singles 3 times and it was AWFUL!!

 

[MissMolly]

I was the opposite--I had a lot of arm soreness and some blah feeling after the first Shingrix but no side effects whatever after the second.

But in any event--the vaccine is definitely worth it! Before Shingrix I had singles 3 times and it was AWFUL!!

Yep. That was like me. 1st one - yucky. 2nd one - no big deal. Go figure.

 

[Koolau]

I was the opposite--I had a lot of arm soreness and some blah feeling after the first Shingrix but no side effects whatever after the second.

But in any event--the vaccine is definitely worth it! Before Shingrix I had singles 3 times and it was AWFUL!!

Oh, I agree completely. DW had shingles and I decided I did NOT want to get it (or her again.) Well worth the down side as far as I am concerned. Just surprised at the difference between shot 1 and shot 2 since they are the same.