I turn 60 in June, and everytime I go to Walgreen’s pharmacy, there is a sign pushing the shingles vaccination but exclaiming, “One in three people over the age of 60 will get shingles”. I don’t know very many people who have had shingles (David Letterman is one of the only ones that comes to mind), so I am weighing whether to get the vaccination.
Just curious who got the vaccination, and who has had shingles.
PTF
I should, but I’ve got other things to spend $200+ on right now. My insurance (Medicare Advantage) does not pay for the shingles vaccine.
cwSpouse is getting over shingles as we speak. Get the vaccine.
He’s 60, but his insurance won’t cover it for people under 61, so he hasn’t gotten vaccinated yet. Fortunately, when he started complaining about this funny feeling in a well-defined area on one side of his back and torso, I nagged him to mention it to his doctor, who said, “Sounds like shingles to me” and put him on antiviral meds. He only got a couple of blisters, but he feels like crap and still has aching/itching/burning in that part of his back and side. He’s pretty miserable.
I had chicken pox, and I’m hoping that my contact with cwSpouse will give my immunity a bit of a boost until I’m old enough for vaccination to be medically advised.
from what i’ve heard that shingles hurts bad. that if you get shingles that you would be willing to have spent tens of thousands to get rid of it.
i think the price is now near $70 at doctors office or other locations.
never had shingles. know people that have.
Hope that you never get it. My sister was in agony with hers. You know those ads on TV with people testifying about their experiences with shingles? They’re not in the least bit exaggerated. In my sister’s case, it broke out on her head. She couldn’t wash her hair, comb it, nothing. Even a slight breeze would cause her terrible pain. $200 bucks? A pittance by comparison.
USA: FDA says OK for over 50, CDC no opinion on 50 to 59 and recommended for over 60.
Europe is recommended 50 and over.
I had it when I was young, like 14. It was under the back brace that I had to wear 23 hours a day and I seriously prayed for death, it was so terrible and miserable. Having had shingles, I don’t know if I need the vaccine now or if I’m immune but it’s worth anything they charge not to get it.
I actually had a very mild case of shingles when I was 23. It occurred during an incredibly stressful move and was just a lovely added joy to that time. I’ve talked to my doctor and we’re actually planning the vaccine for when I turn 50. We discussed getting it earlier but the risk/ benefit made us decide to wait til then.
There’s no indication that getting the vaccine at a younger age will hurt, but there has been no testing to prove safety so we’re waiting.
Considering the pain I was in from a mild case there is no way I’m taking a chance on a more severe case.
I am under 60, have had shingles, have not gotten the vaccination.
Does that mean I’m immunized now? I had the shingles maybe 5 to 10 years ago: i don’t recall exactly.
you can get shingles more than once. the vaccine may prevent a future occurrence or lessen its intensity.
I realize this. I simply don’t have the money. Insurance doesn’t cover it.
The very cheapest shingles vaccine I have found in Michigan is $225, at the pharmacy. The physician adds on $25.00 “for administration”, so it’s $250.00 at the doctor’s office. So until I can scrounge up the cash, I will cross my fingers like many in this country.
Welcome to US medicine.
I had shingles a few years ago, in my early 20s. It was a pretty mild case, just a small patch on my back, and tolerable if I was laying on the couch.
I never figured out whether an early case of shingles was a risk factor for later cases. On the one hand, the re-emerged infection should be roughly like a vaccine in terms of re-training my immune system. On the other hand, maybe my immune system just sucks at fighting the varicella virus.
shrug Either way I’m not in a hurry to get the vaccine. Hopefully by the time I’m supposed to get this vaccine it’ll either be covered by insurance or there will be more epidemiological evidence relevant to me.
I had shingles at like 37, and it hurt like hell. I thought it was a rash at first, it was in the summer, and my torso itched like hell but I had no spots or anything. I went to the doctor and they didn’t catch it the first couple of days because it was around my whole torso.
A couple of days later I went back because I felt like I had been used as a punching bag. I’ve been in motorcycle accidents that I didn’t hurt as bad.
Since I’ve already had shingles, does this mean I don’t need to get the vaccine when I get older? Not that I wouldn’t, just wondering if there’s a chance I’ll get shingles again.
Over 60, have had the vaccine.
I haven’t had it or the shot. One of my sons had it when he was about thirty, and it laid him pretty low, so I’ll check on when I can get the shot. My doctor usually suggests these things in their proper time, but I’ll ask when that’s likely to be. I’d prefer to avoid what the boy went through.
The ironic thing about Son getting the shingles so hard and so young is that it was almost impossible to tell he had the chicken pox, when he was little. He had a very light case. If his brothers hadn’t had them, I might have missed his. A few spots, a slight fever, and no complaints about itching or any drop in energy.
i know people that have got shingles more than once. first time wasn’t the worst.
the vaccine may prevent a future occurrence or lessen its intensity.
Under 60, so I haven’t been able to get the shot. I sure will, as soon as they lower the age to my age. I’ve witnessed too much agony - people with chronic pain on multiple narcotics who break down in tears and confide that they’d take their old pain back if they could just get rid of this shingles pain. Like cwthree, I’m hoping my contact with them acts as a booster for me until I can get the vaccine. (And like **Yllaria’s **son, I had only a very mild case of chicken pox as a child. My titers come back as positive, but not particularly high. We’re not supposed to consider a high titer as stronger immunity, but it does privately concern me that I may not be very immune.)
There are only a few things in the medical world that scare me personally: Alzheimer’s, uncontrolled diabetes…and shingles.
So, I just spent about 20 minutes chasing down some interesting information. I googled “does the shingles vaccine protect against herpes?”, because I have both HSV 1 and 2. Herpes is in the same viral family as chickenpox, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr. I didn’t find any information on that, but I did stumble across this:
I followed that by pulling up the entry on cimetidine on Wikipedia. It appears accurate. Cimetidine (aka Tagamet) is an off-patent drug usually taken for GERD or dyspepsia. It’s an H2-receptor blocker, which has an effect on T-lymphocyte suppressor cells.
It comes with its own adverse effects, including increasing the effects of hormonal birth control, decreasing testosterone production, and interfering with the metabolism of multiple medications like opioids, hydroxychloroquine (antimalarial), erythromycin, and sildenafil (Viagra).
It’s the H2-blocker that’s important, so a milder medication like ranitidine may work. Strangely enough, I started taking ranitidine (Zantac) a couple of months ago for constant dyspepsia, and my outbreaks have decreased, practically disappearing. It’s so much better, I was able to discontinue the anti-virals I’ve been taking for years. Anecdote does not equal data, but there are some studies on this, and it appears solid.
Oh, and Edward, like herpes, shingles can recur at any time. Stress and illness can bring it on, but living a health, stress-free life is no guarantee you won’t have another outbreak. Getting the vaccine isn’t a guarantee either, but it steeply reduces your chances and makes any recurrence less severe.
Yeah I saw that after I asked the question. I’m now making an appointment for 2033!
Got my vaccination last year.