# Shingles vax **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 12, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730 "2022-04-12T18:06:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/41 "2022-05-13T21:20:07Z")
🤣 Plus characters for discourse ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/42 "2023-03-14T16:08:15Z")
OK, I guess this is the most recent Shingrix thread. (And yes, discourse, I do want to bump it.) Bumping it to ask a fairly specific question: Those of you who had a noticeable reaction to the second Shingrix shot, beyond moderate pain at the injection site: how long did it take for the reaction to start? Context: I’m expecting to get my second Shingrix on Thursday (two days from now.) I’m combining this with other errands in the same direction, and am trying to plan out the order of the errands. The most sensible way to do this, in terms of time of day and of driving pattern, would be to do one of the errands after I get the Shingrix. I’d have about a 20 minute drive home in any case; doing that errand last would extend the time between the shingrix and when I get home to about an hour. Once I get home I can pretty much collapse if I need to (well, I’ll need to put at least some of the groceries away, but I can do that slowly and with a lot less attention than I’ll need to give to driving.) If I have to, I can lay out the day so I do all the other errands first, and the shingrix is last on the list; but that will waste both time and gas. So if any really bad reaction is likely to take longer than an hour to hit, I’d rather not. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/43 "2023-03-14T16:21:20Z")
My memory of the reaction to my second Shingrix is that the reaction (slight malaise, achiness) didn’t start til overnight (at least 12 hours later). You should be fine to do that last errand and drive home. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/44 "2023-03-14T16:26:27Z")
Both shots left me feeling like I had the flu and the effects lasted about 36 hours. They started somewhere in the 4-6 hour time period. Included a fever of about 103°. For my brother his first shot took about 10 hours and then he also experience flu like symptoms for about 2 days. I’ve heard other tales of woe, but nothing where it was hard to drive within an hour of the shot. * * * * * * Even the first COVID shot was pretty minor compared to the Shingrix for me. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/45 "2023-03-14T17:16:58Z")
Thanks, both. That’s encouraging. Even 4 hours would give me plenty of time to do errands in whatever order I wanted, get home, and get everything put away, with enough leeway not to worry about it. – just checked my notes: the first shot only caused mild acheyness in the arm the day I had the shots; but I woke up in the middle of the night after feeling achy and was achy, very low energy, and at one point very briefly dizzy the next day and still achy and low energy the morning after that. So for first shot at least, yes the timing was that it didn’t hit until something over 12 hours later; and then knocked me out for about a day and a half, though not so much that I couldn’t do basic stuff. But from all I’'ve read the second one might be worse – though still nowhere remotely near as bad as the case of shingles my mother had, which landed her in the hospital for days, left half her face paralyzed for months, and screwed up her balance for the rest of her life. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/46 "2023-03-14T19:38:55Z")
My reaction matched BippityBoppityBoo. The next morning I woke up feeling like crud and it lasted all day. So 24 hours of reaction after a 12 hour delay. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/47 "2023-03-14T19:54:58Z")
Yeah, me, too. Shingrix was my worst reaction in memory, but it’s still better than the alternative. My sister had shingles in her twenties, and it was _hell_ for her. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/48 "2023-03-14T19:56:39Z")
I got my second one in the morning, and the reaction kicked in the morning of the next day. I felt like crap all the next day, and then it went away. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/49 "2023-03-14T19:57:43Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I need the shingles shot, my second covid booster, a colonoscopy, and a mammogram. Well, since we’re bumping this…I’ve done all but the mammogram! Yay me. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/50 "2023-03-15T13:57:58Z")
And now I’ve made the appointment. Jeez, y’all…nag nag nag! ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/51 "2023-03-15T14:04:16Z")
I was silently judging you. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/52 "2023-03-15T14:41:47Z")
I felt it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/53 "2023-03-15T14:56:20Z")
The COVID shots knock me out for at least half a day, every time, but all I got from the Shingrex shots was a sore arm. I actually got shingles about fifteen years back, and it didn’t hurt. All I got was a small rash on my leg and a weird numb spot on my hip. My doctor didn’t even think it was shingles at all. I wonder if the two are related? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/54 "2023-03-15T15:21:06Z")
My experience was similar. I was more knocked out by my third covid shot than by either shingrix shot. But the malaise lasted longer after shingrix. And, the malaise kicked in overnight. I was fine for hours after both covid and shingrix. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/55 "2023-04-11T20:50:05Z")
I just today got my second Shingrix dose a couple of hours ago, along with 1st dose Hep B and a tetanus booster. I’m supposed to meet a friend and walk to dinner later, hoping multiple vaccines don’t ruin my night. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/56 "2023-04-12T15:40:15Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Even 4 hours would give me plenty of time to do errands in whatever order I wanted, get home, and get everything put away, with enough leeway not to worry about it. Apparently I never came back to this thread to say what happened. I got the shot in the middle of the errands, finished the errands, got home, got stuff put away, went to bed all prepared to do nothing for the next couple of days if I felt too crappy. Only slight soreness in the arm the day of the shot. Woke up the next morning with a significantly sore and slightly swollen arm and general fatigue – and to find a phone message that the company delivering my new refrigerator was expecting to do so that afternoon. (Long story; the thing came via a NYSERDA energy reduction state program; it was free, but I had no choice in who to get it from.) So instead of collapsing in a comfortable heap with a cat or so and some tea, I had to get the old refrigerator (which had a lot of stuff both in and on it) entirely emptied and a nice wide path to it cleared. And the actual delivery people called a while later to say they’d be about an hour earlier than the original estimate. I managed it. And then I had to get the shelves in the new one arranged and get it reloaded. I managed that too. I didn’t get anything else done that day, and not much the next; though aside from a slightly sore arm and feeling vaguely out of it I was all right by the second day. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/57 "2023-04-12T16:00:22Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I just today got my second Shingrix dose a couple of hours ago, along with 1st dose Hep B and a tetanus booster. I’m supposed to meet a friend and walk to dinner later, hoping multiple vaccines don’t ruin my night So I felt fine last night, but the next morning both my shoulders are super sore, I can’t raise my arms all the way, and I feel like I’ve been kicked by a horse. I’m on my 2nd cuppa coffee and can barely keep my eyes open. No fever though. I don’t know which of the 3 vaccines I was given hit me hardest, probably the shingles one. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/58 "2023-04-12T16:34:25Z")
I’d totally blame the Shingrix! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/59 "2023-04-12T16:37:39Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > So I felt fine last night, but the next morning both my shoulders are super sore, I can’t raise my arms all the way, and I feel like I’ve been kicked by a horse. I’m on my 2nd cuppa coffee and can barely keep my eyes open. Go back to bed! Seriously, do that if you can. Your body’s trying to sleep in order to heal. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730/60 "2023-04-12T18:14:39Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Go back to bed! > > Seriously, do that if you can. Your body’s trying to sleep in order to heal Meh, I couldn’t sleep any longer this morning, so I stayed up until the local deli opened so I could get some soup. Jambalaya, yum! 😋 I’ll see if I can nap in a little while. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shingles-vax/962730.md?page=4)