First one, nothing, just breezed thru it. Waited the specified amt. of time (like 3 mos. I think) and got second dose yesterday.
Woke up midnite so achy I could almost not roll over and after that I certainly didn’t get comfortable enough to sleep.
Still not any better about 17 hrs. later. Fuck, I know shingles is horrible, but why did I only react to the second shot? Anyone else??
I had a moderate amount of muscle pain on the second dose. No itching, though.
Thanks for posting this. Getting a shingles shot has been on my to-do list for a long time. I didn’t know that two shots were required or that bad reactions were possible. I hate vaccinations anyway, so I’ve pretty much decided now to skip this one.
You should compare notes with someone who has had shingles…
Shingles is bad, bad, bad. 17 hours of muscle pain is a breeze compared to the shingles (not to minimize your discomfort). Plus you could get postherpatic neuralgia. That can last months, and no treatment really helps.
Yikes. I’m scheduled to get my second shot next Thursday…the first one made me feel tired, like I was coming down with a fever and my arm hurt like hell for 3 - 4 days…I’ll ask about the side-effects of the second one…
I had shingles when I was 27, it was pretty bad, I was on the couch for two weeks…the worst part, initially, was all the damn pain meds, they made me feel like crap, the doctor had given me a whole regime and schedule, he warned to keep up with the meds, “Stay ahead of the pain”, he said…after 5 or 6 days, I was so sick of the pain meds, I decided (against the newly Mrs. BLTC’s advice) to back off, after all, how bad could the pain be?
Turns out, the answer for me was, the pain was excruciating, absolutely debilitating, and it took awhile to get back ahead of the pain.
During my last physical, the doctor really recommended the shingles vaccine - evidently, one’s chances of getting shingles goes up significantly if you’ve had it before…
Please keep us posted on your progress…thanks!
This is a new vaccine (shingrix it is called in Canada) which is supposedly much more protective than the old single dose zostomax. I’ve had the two doses and my shoulder ached, but only a bit, for a couple weeks. If you don’t get it, just pray you don’t get shingles.
The pharmacist at Walmart was telling me about this new shingles vaccine. Although I had the single-dose Zostavax about a year ago, I would have gotten the new one on the spot if it had been available; my dad had shingles and I know how bad it can be.
Unfortunately the pharmacy didn’t have it in stock due to high demand and limited supply. The pharmacist warned me about the prolonged arm ache, but I think I can handle that.
I just asked my doctor about the new vax today (Shingrix) and he said it’s been so popular they’re out of it until January! And not all health plans cover it here in the good ol’ USA, so I’ve got six months to find out if my plan covers it for adults 50+. It’ll probably take me about that long, too.
I just got a prescription for the new vax. I was going to do it right away, but I remembered I was due to give blood. So, maybe next week. I’m not concerned about the bad reaction, although I’m glad you posted it. Something to watch out for. But really, I’ve known people with shingles. It is terrible, no good and horrible. [Sidebar: An unvaccinated California baby just died of whooping cough. Don’t want to vaccinate. Fine. Just go somewhere far away from me and my family to die.]
I got Zostavax a couple years ago, and my brother is currently recovering from shingles, having delayed in getting the vaccine. This was quite likely precipitated by the fact that one of his kids is spending the summer in Indonesia, and while it’s positive stress, it’s still stress.
He’s been on acyclovir but is hesitant to take the gabapentin the doctor prescribed for him to take if he thinks he needs it; so far, he doesn’t think he does. That’s his decision. He thought at first that it was poison ivy but it didn’t look or feel like any poison ivy he’d had in the past.
To the OP: Are you sure it’s from the shot and not from something else you may have done?
And far enough away from every family in the world that none of them get it.
In fact, non-vaccinators, just go to Hell. No one there will mind too much.
It’s Friday evening, and I’m starting to wonder if I have it myself. :mad: There’s a little spot on my upper back that feels like my shirt is wet (but it isn’t) and it’s been that way, off and on, for the past few days. If it isn’t better tomorrow, I’ll probably go to the walk-in clinic up the road.
:rolleyes:
I had the Zostavax shot in 2014. I haven’t had shingles in the past. Does anyone think I need the new improved version?
My sister hasn’t had either vaccination, and she had shingles when she was young. After I told her what was said here (that she has a much higher likelihood of getting it again), she’s going to talk to her doctor!
Docs told me to get the new one even tho’ I’d had the other. I had a friend who got shingles in her eye (her face actually, but all over her right eye) so I don’t wanna go there.
I’ll live, and the achiness lasted maybe only 24-36 hrs., but I was just so shocked. But man, that is NO reason not to get the shot, and yes, high demand and short supplies, you need to get on the want list at your pharmacy.
I had the first dose a little over two months ago, and I had chills and nausea that same night and the next day.
Had my second dose this past Thursday morning, and by 7:00 p.m. I had the chills again and could barely sleep that night. Had the chills all day Friday as well. No nausea though.
Am fine today.
Both times, though, my arm was very sore for a few days.
This thread reminds me to get Shingrix (had Zostavax a few years ago). I’d like to keep my shingles risk as low as possible.
I filled out a questionnaire at the pharmacy asking if I had any other vaccinations for shingles.
I had the 2 shot vaccine a few months ago. A sore arm for a day or so from both shots. Nothing more significant than that.
Shingles are serious. Compared to a bad case of shingles, the side effects the OP describes, bad as they are, are preferable.
But the OP should definitely talk to a doctor. Side effects need to be reported.
My first case of shingles was near my eye. When the doctor saw that he was quite concerned. The virus can flair up in the optic nerve and cause blindness. Nothing can be done about that. If you are unlucky enough, your eyesight just fails. Not a pleasant thought. I am fortunate that all my cases have been pain-free, just blisters. I got both vaccines as soon as I was eligible. Hopefully the frequency of my attacks will drop sharply to zero.