# So I Have Shingles **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448 "2024-05-12T15:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [May 23, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/61 "2024-05-23T01:25:57Z")
Just one more anecdote to add to many others describing no to minimal reactions to Shingrix vaccination, in my case mild malaise for a day or so. Shingles is a rotten disease which one is fortunate to be able to avoid. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/62 "2024-05-23T01:45:31Z")
And thank you. I keep forgetting to get my COVID shot and I am running out of time. We are moving out of state and will be staying in hotels and etc. during the journey, it would be best to get jabbed before hand. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/63 "2024-06-04T19:42:08Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I should consider the singles vaccine Is that to stay married? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/64 "2024-06-04T19:50:40Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Shingles is contagious. It doesn’t cause shingles, as that’s something you only get after a chicken pox infection. Yeah, that’s how I got the pox as a youngster: from my dad, who had a case of shingles. > [@Zakalwe](#): > > 2nd shot knocked me on my ass for a day/day and a half. Fever, chills, achy. Not fun, but nothing like shingles. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/65 "2024-06-05T16:23:36Z")
With both of my Shingrix shots, I only got injection site pain, no other side effects. Most people don’t realize that the Shingrix vaccine is only good for about 10 years. You need to get another round in your 60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/66 "2024-06-07T01:53:37Z")
Update. This is still ongoing for me and it’s been weeks. I’ve had 2 massive pain events that made the pain in the hospital look tame. Both started from the temple area and were blindingly painful. Luckily ice on the temple stopped it dead. I’m back on steroids. I now keep ice next to my bed in a Yeti mug. If I have to go to the store I take a frozen water bottle. I expect the steroids to knock this back some. Hopefully it will work it’s way through while on them. It’s a very tenacious disease when it gets around the eyes. ---
**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:** [June 7, 2024, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/67 "2024-06-07T01:56:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > It’s a very tenacious disease when it gets around the eyes. It’s a very tenacious, vicious disease wherever it is. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/68 "2024-06-07T01:57:38Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I just got back from 4 days in the hospital due to shingles around the eye. That had followed 4+ days of not eating and a buildup of pain. There wasn’t even bile in my stomach. When I threw up 2 vicodins that had not dissolved after 6 hrs I called 911. :::cringe::: I’ve heard horror stories about eye involvement. A friend had shingles in her late 40s. She had tried to get the immunization but her doctor wouldn’t administer it (possibly insurance would not have covered it, since the indications include “50 or older”). I got my shots a year or two ago. Well worth it. IIRC, my arm was sore each time, but no other issue. I don’t tend to have bad reactions to vaccines; a friend who DOES, got knocked out by the shingles vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/69 "2024-06-07T17:26:43Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > With both of my Shingrix shots, I only got injection site pain, no other side effects. Same here, but the pain at the injection site wasn’t trivial. I had difficulty moving my arm at all, for about 18 hours. One huge help: Put an ice pack on the spot that they shot you. A couple hours after the shot, it starts to swell and hurt. I kept the ice on for about 5 hours after that, and the swelling and pain went down. No other side effects for me. I got two shots, two months apart ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/70 "2024-06-07T18:39:31Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I had it on my forehead - I thought I must have been stung by an insect. I guess I was lucky; it wasn’t painful (just a little annoying), and there was no issue with contact pain afterwards. A few years ago I had excruciating pain in the middle of my forehead, running up across the center of my scalp. Yep. Shingles. The middle of my head was so sensitive, just touching my hair sent sharp pain stabbing into my scalp. I swear, if a feather fell onto my hair, it would have been like a knife–but just in that one narrow strip. Other parts of my head/scalp–no sensitivity at all. I got the vaccine, and just last month, the booster. Funny, I didn’t have one iota of a side effect from the vaccine. But lordy I don’t ever want that Shingles pain again. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/71 "2024-06-07T19:50:43Z")
My mom had gotten shingles so I was psyched to get the shot. I’m pretty sure I got shingles when I was a kid since I remember my siblings having it and the large chicken pox welts that appeared. Me eldest sister thinks we all got it but was unsure. When it first came out, it was in very low supply. Once every 6 months I would ask my pharmacist if it was available. During Covid, I went in and got my Covid shot and the pharmacist said that it was available because no one was coming in for immunizations any more.So I finally got both doses and I think my arm was pretty sore for a couple of days. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/72 "2024-06-08T14:17:23Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Most people don’t realize that the Shingrix vaccine is only good for about 10 years. NOOOOOOOOO!!! (I just looked it up. Fuck. Thankfully ten years is long enough for me to forget how bad it was.) ---
**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:** [June 8, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/73 "2024-06-08T15:38:25Z")
They say the next version will be milder and possibly single shot. So hopefully that one is out before you’re due. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/74 "2024-06-23T20:20:41Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Most people don’t realize that the Shingrix vaccine is only good for about 10 years. Do you have a cite for that? I just had the second shot (two days ago) and wouldn’t hurry to get a third if it wasn’t needed - all I can find is [CDC saying at least seven years](https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html#:~:text=Shingrix%20provides%20strong%20protection%20against,first%207%20years%20after%20vaccination.), which I take to mean that follow-up of clinical studies has reached seven years successfully and is still ongoing. j ---
**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:** [June 23, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/75 "2024-06-23T20:25:27Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > which I take to mean that follow-up of clinical studies has reached seven years successfully and is still ongoing. > > j I think you are right about that, it is only approximately 7 years that the lasting immunity has been followed in studies. Hopefully that will increase every year it is followed. … [Shingles Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html). I found a cite from Glaxo, a maker of Shingrix that extends that efficacy past 10 years. > **[New long-term data show Shingrix continues to provide high protection against...](https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/new-long-term-data-show-shingrix-continues-to-provide-high-protection-against-shingles-in-adults-aged-50-and-over-for-more-than-a-decade/)** > > End-of-trial data show 79.7% efficacy in participants aged 50 years and over, six to 11 years after vaccination. Good enough for me. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/76 "2024-06-23T20:25:47Z")
I’ve seen some say at least 7 years and some say 10 years. [From here](https://www.verywellhealth.com/shingles-vaccine-effective-up-to-10-years-6828230#:~:text=New%20data%20shows%20that%20the,for%20up%20to%20seven%20years.): > According to new data presented at IDWeek, the joint annual meeting of several infectious disease societies, the effectiveness of [Shingrix](https://www.verywellhealth.com/shingles-vaccine-5180311), the vaccine to prevent [shingles](https://www.verywellhealth.com/facts-about-shingles-5524786), appears to last at least 10 years. Abstract apparently here: [Long-term Protection Against Herpes Zoster by the Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine: Interim Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety Results up to 10 Years After Initial Vaccination | Open Forum Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/9/10/ofac485/6766954?login=false) **So it looks like 10 years is the right number.** ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/77 "2024-06-23T20:27:35Z")
Good find. So it sounds like ten tears and counting. j ---
**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:** [June 23, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/78 "2024-06-23T20:31:27Z")
Well, hell, I’m sure I remember that they said Shingrix was good forever. I don’t want to have to talk Mr. brown into getting it again in ten years. I’m not keen on it, either. I was sick as a dog for a day or two afterwards. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/79 "2024-06-23T20:34:03Z")
For what it is worth, I was told a newer and better one will probably be available in 5-7 years and that was Dec 13, 2021\*. Word of mouth from the Pharmacy Tech that gave me the shots, but he is a professional working in CVS. I mentioned that a few posts up also. [So I Have Shingles - #73 by What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/73) * * * * * * \* I checked the date I got the 2nd shot. I love having this stuff right on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/80 "2024-06-23T20:49:47Z")
The herpes zoster virus, which causes chicken pox, retreats to the spinal nerve roots after recovery. If something leads to compromise of the immune system, that dermatome (the strip of skin innervated by that nerve root) can erupt in a sea of shingles blisters. It’s more common in the senior population, but steroid treatment, cancer treatment, stress of any kind, etc. can lead to it. In 2018, my then 51-year-old brother put off getting the vaccine, and then his oldest daughter was an exchange student in Indonesia, and guess what? Okay, it was positive stress, but she was still on the other side of the world (and is back there now) and in his case, he said that gabapentin was worse than the shingles themselves. He got the shot after he recovered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448.md?page=5)