# Do you need a doctor's prescription in order to get the Shingrix vaccines? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904 "2020-01-03T22:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/1 "2020-01-03T22:01:32Z")
Just like it says. I’ve been looking at CVS’s website and can’t find anything that definitively says so. I’d like to just walk in to the pharmacy and get the vaccine, which I understand involves two trips. I don’t want to add a third trip to the doctor’s office as well. Does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/2 "2020-01-03T22:08:24Z")
I’m pretty sure you don’t need a prescription, but I got my shingrix vaccination at my doctor’s office so I’m not positive. Seems like the easiest way to find out for sure would be to call your local CVS and ask them. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/3 "2020-01-03T22:16:03Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > . . . call your local CVS and ask them. Yeah, I just did. I usually avoid calling pharmacies due to long holds, but this time I had success. Results: No CVS in my town has any, and not for months and months. My doctor’s office has none, either. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/4 "2020-01-03T23:42:54Z")
Oh that’s too bad. Supplies were similarly short when I first wanted to get mine, but this was soon after it was introduced and I thought that was why. My doctor got supplies a few months later and I was able to get my shots. I found this site which has a provider locator. When I typed in my zipcode, it found 794 providers within 25 miles of me, including several CVSs, although weirdly there are many duplicates in the list. But maybe you can find a CVS with the vaccine here. > **[SHINGRIX (Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted)](https://www.shingrix.com/)** > > Access information about SHINGRIX. Find information about dosing, side effects, and more. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/5 "2020-01-03T23:47:05Z")
Thank you for sharing the site. My doctor wants me to get the shot, but they don’t have a supply on hand, so I can’t get the shot at her office. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/6 "2020-01-03T23:52:24Z")
I did need a prescription when I got mine several years ago at my local Rite-Aid. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/7 "2020-01-04T00:13:04Z")
No prescription needed at my local supermarket pharmacy. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/8 "2020-01-04T00:42:28Z")
I had mine done la few years ago; and I didn’t need a prescription. Just went to my local Rite-Aid, filled out some paperwork and got the first shot. They emailed and called to remind me of the second shot when it was due. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/9 "2020-01-04T03:08:16Z")
I got my first shot at Walgreen’s a few days before Thanksgiving. No Rx needed. But it did take a few tries to set up an appointment to get one, because there was a shortage of vax here too. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/10 "2020-01-04T11:52:00Z")
My wife just was diagnosed with Shingles. Get the shots! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/11 "2020-01-04T12:36:11Z")
All ACA-compliant healthcare plans must cover Shingles vaccine at no cost if you’re in the recommended population, which just means over 50. > **[Preventive care benefits for adults](https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-adults/)** > > Learn what preventive services for adults — like shots and screenings — are covered by Marketplace insurance (It’s listed under vaccines, Herpes Zoster) I think this means if you’re on an ACA-compliant plan you should not need a prescription if you’re over 50. I did not. But I’m not sure if this is the only factor that determines whether you need a prescription. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/12 "2020-01-04T13:42:33Z")
I think that a prescription is needed for Shingrix in my state , but I also believe pharmacists here can immunize based on a “standing order” - I know that the paper work for at least one of the immunizations I got at the pharmacy listed a prescribing physician, who assume technically issued prescriptions when he signed a standing order. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/13 "2020-01-04T14:23:58Z")
I did not show a prescription but the automated system at my doctor’s office showed it as being overdue and that system communicates with the Walgreen system. I could not say for sure if anything that constituted a prescription or order was communicated. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/14 "2020-01-04T14:29:51Z")
I got my first of two shots last month. I had a prescription. I’m not positive I needed the prescription to get it. By the way, my insurance denied it at first. CVS sent it in as a pharmacy claim and should have done so as a medical claim. We still haven’t determined if a prescription is needed. It might vary by State and it might be necessary for insurance reasons. Also, you might need to be over a certain age for any of it to apply. In my personal situation, I don’t need a prescription for a flu shot. Shingles might be different. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/15 "2020-01-04T15:33:46Z")
Didn’t need a scrip for ours. The vaccine was in short supply, but if you have any sort of autoimmune problem (like diabetes), you go to the head of the line. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-doctors-prescription-in-order-to-get-the-shingrix-vaccines/845904/16 "2020-01-05T05:44:51Z")
It was ambiguous for me. How helpful is that for this thread? :rolleyes: My HMO doctor put in an order for it, at my request, but I would have to get the shot at one of their in-house locations. I had to call around to several of their locations over a period of several months before I found one that had it in stock. (This was a year and a half ago.) But when I finally found it, they told me that the doctor’s order wasn’t necessary. And then, without further initiative on my part, they called me back at the right time for the second shot.