Our local pharmacy now has the Shingrix vaccine in stock (improved shingles vaccine). Any reason, such as reduced immune system response, to not get it during the current health panic?
(I’m not panicking even though I’m a geezer - we have 14 rolls of toilet paper:D).:eek:
I’m sporting a nice shingles rash right now. I’m immuno-compromised from months of infection and diabetes. The Shingles virus jumped on me right before my surgery. It’s been all kinda awful.
IMO- take the vaccine.
Maybe check with your Doc first.
yep, check with your doc. I’m pushing 60 and got it this year. Been meaning to get it for a few years. When I saw the pharmacy had it, I jumped on it. It’s actually 2 shots, maybe 2 months apart.
Just a head’s up :I don’t remember feeling side effects from the first shot. The second shot made me feel like a bad case of flu for about 36 hours.
Shingrix contains an adjuvant that is supposed to boost the immune system generally.
I’m not entirely trusting of medical companies that claim studies show that their new drug is more effective than some old drug from a different company, but what ya gonna do? Wait another 10 years and see if there is a class action?
Not a doctor. Not an immunologist.
The Shingrix vaccine has been shown to be significantly more effective than the previous vaccine. While every vaccine has its risks, this seems like a no brainer.
Me too. I had the second shot last week.
I thought the general advice was to avoid non-essential doctor/hospital visits?
Your immune system has a ton of reserve capacity to respond to various challenges (with varying degrees of effectiveness for any particular case) so there’s no reason I know of to avoid getting Shingrix if you’re healthy or have just a minor illness.
I had round two of Shingrix the other day, administered by the nice pharmacy worker at our local Large Predatory Bird Supermarket.* Similar to the first time, I experienced 12-24 hours of feeling grunged out but bounced back just fine.
It’d be nice if getting vaccinated offered nonspecific protection against coronavirus, but I’ve heard zero evidence for that.
*home of several nice pharmacy employees and one total asshole.
I had the 2nd shot this week. Better the fever I know…
Thanks to all. Scheduled my first shot for Saturday morning - tomorrow.
Well, two things: the NSAIDs that were taken off the market had been “shown to be significantly safer” than the NSAIDs they were replacing. By the method of publishing only the good results. And: the reason why Shingrix vaccination might offer protection against the Corona Virus is that it boosts the immune system. That is a significantly more complex statement than “Shingrix protects against shingles”.
Shingrix contains both a virus fragment and an adjuvant. The adjuvant has been shown to boost the immune system. Boosting the immune system is probably a good thing, but even that isn’t a certainty like death or taxes. Will the Shingrix vaccination make you more susceptible to cytokine storm? Did the drug company simply conceal some of the results? Life is full of unknowns.
And here’s a bit where the “Not a doctor, not an immunologist” comes into play: A feral measles infection gives you very good immunity to measles, while weakening your response to all other diseases. It’s one of the reasons why having a measles vaccination is such a good idea. But you wouldn’t want a vaccination that simply gave you “good protection against shingles” right now if it did so by redirecting your entire immune system to shingles protection. I’m not suggesting that Shingrix does that: I’m saying that I don’t know enough to even know if it is a good question, and you have to make your decision on the basis of information that is available to you now.
I had both shots a couple years ago and I’ve not got shingles, not that I ever did. My wife felt sick from it, but I didn’t.
And I’m getting mine tomorrow. Clinic receptionist said they’re encouraging people to stay away for safety’s sake, but I could get it if I wanted. This thread tipped the balance… wish me luck!
By all accounts I’ve read, the “typical” side-effects of the Shingrix fax are fairly benign at the worst – it’s common, supposedly, that you’ll feel vaguely feverish and “flu-ish” for a day or two.
I had both shots a couple years ago, with no hint of a trace of any such side effects. So YMMV.
It depends. My first injection caused a fever of 100.6 for days, with myalgia, pounding headaches, and an injection site with such widespread discoloration and swelling that I made a formal adverse reaction report. The second injection caused a fever only to 99.6-100.4 for 2 days, low grade myalgia and headache, and an injection site that was mostly back to normal after 96 hours. My wife also had 3 bad flu-like days for both shots.