# What's the Straight Dope on Shingles Vaccination? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 25, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378 "2013-01-25T22:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/41 "2013-09-05T09:34:58Z")
My father developed shingles while confined to bed in a nursing home. I saw him crying because of the pain----as a younger man, he once drove himself to the hospital with a broken leg----for him to cry, the pain had to be unbelievable. I have had the shingles vaccine but I think it has to be renewed every five years? Is that true? If so, I will be certain to get it again. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/42 "2013-09-05T12:23:50Z")
My wife and I got it. It is not covered under our medicare, so I had to pay about $200 each. But anyone who has ever known anyone with shingles will not hesitate. I know someone who had it in an eye and you don’t even want to ask what that is. One warning: the vaccine does not offer complete protection. But even if you get shingles after being vaccinated, the effects are much less. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/43 "2013-09-05T16:17:23Z")
My understanding is that Shingles is related to Herpes. Does the Shingles injection have any effect on someone with Herpes. Obviously, not a cure, but does it help keep Herpes in check? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/44 "2013-09-05T16:54:07Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > My understanding is that Shingles is related to Herpes. Does the Shingles injection have any effect on someone with Herpes. Obviously, not a cure, but does it help keep Herpes in check? The organisms are related but not identical. The answer is no. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/45 "2013-09-05T17:23:02Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I have had the shingles vaccine but I think it has to be renewed every five years? Is that true? If so, I will be certain to get it again. no, it’s a one time thing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/46 "2013-09-06T04:29:50Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Not to discourage anyone, but just how likely is getting shingles, really? I mean, since chicken pox is so prevalent that the majority has probably had it sometime, and I’m sure at those prices, there’s plenty of seniors not getting vaccinated. So why aren’t there massive crowds of seniors getting shingles? No one that I know in that age range has come down with it. > > The massive advertising for the vaccine has made me cynical. I think it’s something like one in three . Both of my grandmothers had it, and my dad did last summer. He was given narcotics to deal with the pain, and he was still in agony. And my dad’s pretty stubborn when it comes to medical treatment – he’d have to be bleeding from the eyeballs for us to get him to go to the doctor. So it was pretty bad. I’d say it’s worth it, if you can afford it. Besides, how do you know they haven’t had it? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/47 "2013-09-06T05:01:54Z")
i’ve known a few people that have had singles. the tv commercials about people feeling the worst pain ever (to them) seems reasonable. even if the chances of getting it is a few percent the vaccine cuts those chances in half. the vaccine is a one time thing and could be shopped around for to cost $100 or less. it has come down drastically in price and is common enough that pharmacy chains are giving the vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/48 "2013-09-06T09:35:37Z")
This prompted me to see what the situation was over here in the UK. I found this, dated last Monday: > [@](#): > > Shingles jab for people in their 70s > > People in their 70s across the UK will be offered a vaccine against shingles from this week. > > The government-led programme will initially offer the vaccine to those aged 70 and 79. > > Shingles, or herpes zoster, is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin around it, and can cause a painful rash. > > Around 800,000 people will be eligible for the vaccine in the first year of the programme. > > In England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, those aged 70 and 79 will initially be invited to take up the vaccination. > > Over the next few years, the programme will expand to include more of the 70-to-79 age group across the UK until it is fully covered. > > After that, the jab should only need to be offered to people as they reach their 70th birthdays. No doubt, my GP will soon be in touch. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/49 "2013-09-06T10:05:09Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > This prompted me to see what the situation was over here in the UK. I found this, dated last Monday: > No doubt, my GP will soon be in touch. My GP’s confirmed that it’s only for people over 70, not for people on immunosuppressant drugs. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/50 "2013-09-06T17:19:45Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > My GP’s confirmed that it’s only for people over 70, not for people on immunosuppressant drugs. ☹ In the US, they recommend it for seniors, but younger people can get it too if they have other issues that make them more susceptible. We just need a doctor’s note. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/51 "2013-09-06T19:12:33Z")
Back in my early 30’s, I had Shingles on my left shoulder blade. Rubbing against every shirt I wore, almost every chair I sat in, on the bed in my sleep. Nasty stuff. Get the shot. ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/52 "2013-09-07T03:00:37Z")
The CDC site says to get vaccinated even if you have had shingles before. I had them when I was pregnant at the age of 40, a few years ago now. I wonder if I should go ahead and get the shot right away or wait until I am 50. Hmm… p.s. At the time I felt like the worst hypochondriac fussing over a little rash, but it hurt like crazy so I went to the doctor and I am glad I did. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/53 "2013-09-07T09:57:38Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > In the US, they recommend it for seniors, but younger people can get it too if they have other issues that make them more susceptible. We just need a doctor’s note. We need a doctor’s note? We can’t just go to Walgreens and get one? Is this in all states? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/54 "2013-09-07T11:37:26Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Not to discourage anyone, but just how likely is getting shingles, really? I mean, since chicken pox is so prevalent that the majority has probably had it sometime, and I’m sure at those prices, there’s plenty of seniors not getting vaccinated. So why aren’t there massive crowds of seniors getting shingles? No one that I know in that age range has come down with it. > > The massive advertising for the vaccine has made me cynical. Both my father and my mother had it, both before age 50; Mom thought Dad was being a big baby until she got it. He got it on a rib: it hurt to breathe and it hurt not to breathe and it hurt if cotton touched it and it hurt if air touched it and it just hurt. I’ve always heard it’s an “opportunist illness”: you get it when your defenses are low because of something else; for both of my parents it was during periods of horrible stress. Shingles is not “chicken pox you get as an adult”, it’s “the virus from the chicken pox you already had attacking in a different way”. Having had chicken pox doesn’t mean you’re immunized, it means you’re infected. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/55 "2013-09-07T11:48:11Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > This prompted me to see what the situation was over here in the UK. I found this, dated last Monday: > No doubt, my GP will soon be in touch. So, in the UK, if someone under age 70 really wants to get the vaccine is there an option to pay for it? Or is it simply unavailable to anyone under 70? ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/56 "2013-09-07T13:50:28Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > We need a doctor’s note? We can’t just go to Walgreens and get one? Is this in all states? I don’t know. It could just be my state (Maryland) or the store or my insurance. If you are interested in getting the shot, you should check into it. The store will likely tell you if you need a note. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/57 "2013-09-07T18:54:39Z")
It is not at all unusual for even medical personnel to get confused by the difference between “Recommended for ages X and above” and “contraindicated for those below age X.” In some cases the personnel have been told you need a note _to get it covered by insurance_ ad that message gets convoluted as it is passed on. If the vaccine is safe and available over the counter then there should be no restrictions. Ask at a different store. ---
**Author:** ![Listycake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b487fb/32.png) [@Listycake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Listycake)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/58 "2013-09-08T04:15:38Z")
Just from my experience, in Ohio, a doctor’s prescription is required for every shingles vaccine and it must be administered within a month from when it was written. I think in California, it’s prescription only for people under 60 years old. Bottom-line, it depends on which state you’re in! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/59 "2013-09-08T10:41:04Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > So, in the UK, if someone under age 70 really wants to get the vaccine is there an option to pay for it? Or is it simply unavailable to anyone under 70? Of course you can get it. Private healthcare is not banned. Go to a private doctor and pay for a one-off shot. A quick web search on my phone hasn’t enlightened me as to how much it would cost, but based on the cost of travel vaccinations, which are presumably cheaper than the shingles vaccination, it’d probably be a couple of hundred quid or less. I can’t afford it. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378/60 "2013-09-08T11:10:10Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > So, in the UK, if someone under age 70 really wants to get the vaccine is there an option to pay for it? Or is it simply unavailable to anyone under 70? Yep you can go private - I see ads on t’internet for around £175 ($275). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-shingles-vaccination/648378.md?page=4)