Question About the Shingles Vaccine

[MIGrandma]

DH and I want to get the vaccine now that we've turned 60 (the age when our doctor recommends them). I am 99% sure I had chicken pox, as my Mom said I did. But. What happens if a person gets the vaccine but never did have chicken pox?

And, about the flu shot, I always get mine in October and was going to get it yesterday but we'll be meeting our new great-granddaughter this coming Sunday. She was born September 7th and this is our first chance to meet her so in the back of my mind I was thinking I read somewhere that you shouldn't get the flu shot if you're going to be around newborns, is that correct? I decided to wait until after we meet her. After this Sunday I probably won't have the chance to see her again until about a week before Christmas, so all should be well by that time, right?

 

[gemini2727]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends shingles vaccine for people 60 years of age and older. This is a one-time vaccination to prevent shingles. There is no maximum age for getting the shingles vaccine.
Anyone 60 years of age or older should get the shingles vaccine, regardless of whether they recall having had chickenpox or not. Studies show that more than 99% of Americans ages 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they don’t remember getting the disease.


As far as the flu vaccine goes, the flu shot is not live, cannot give you the flu or make you contagious with the flu. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists even recommends the flu shot for post-partum and breastfeeding women with newborns.
Getting the flu vaccine is one of the best things you can do for your new great-granddaughter! (Along with an updated pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine - but that's another topic)
Congratulations!

 

[Mokat76]

The shingles vaccine is not 100 percent effective. That said, I got mine after watching a couple of friends go through agony with "moderate" cases of shingles. Anything I can do to prevent that is well worth it.

 

[tasha99]

Will they give it to you if you're younger? I'm 51. I've had two younger sisters get shingles--one was 28 and the other 32 at the time. My 49 year old brother in law got shingles last month as well. Weird--I'd never heard of shingles 10 years ago.

 

[MIGrandma]

The shingles vaccine is not 100 percent effective. That said, I got mine after watching a couple of friends go through agony with "moderate" cases of shingles. Anything I can do to prevent that is well worth it.

I agree. Even though I know it isn't 100% effective I would much rather get the vaccine, then if I were to get shingles at least I would know I did what I could to prevent it. I tried and tried to get my mother to get the shot and she refused, said she could still get shingles even if she had the shot. I tried to tell her at least then she would have still done what she could to prevent it, but she wouldn't get it. She got a flu shot every year though.

Will they give it to you if you're younger? I'm 51. I've had two younger sisters get shingles--one was 28 and the other 32 at the time. My 49 year old brother in law got shingles last month as well. Weird--I'd never heard of shingles 10 years ago.

I'm not sure, you could ask at the pharmacy, or ask your doctor.

I talked to my doctor about it a few years ago and he didn't recommend it until a person turned 60, and even then you can't get the shot at their office, I have to get it at the pharmacy. I've heard it's expensive if your insurance doesn't pay, but I still want to get it even if ours won't pay.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I had shingles about 15-17 years ago. I am 51 now. It was a "mild" case and it was awful. Absolutely awful. I hope I never get it again.

That said, I can't get the shot.

 

[piglet too]

In regards to the first part of your post, this is what the CDC says.

“People 60 years of age or older should get shingles vaccine. They should get the vaccine whether or not they recall having had chickenpox, which is caused by the same virus as shingles. Studies show that more than 99% of Americans aged 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they don't remember getting the disease. There is no maximum age for getting shingles vaccine.”

 

[Wendy31]

Regarding the flu vaccine, I read somewhere that you can shed the virus if you get the flu mist instead of the injection.

If I'm remembering correctly, our pediatrician's office supported this idea.

Older DS has asthma. He's pretty much grown out of it now, but, when he was younger, we always got the injection since he was in a high risk category.

Younger DS was an infant (about 3 months old) during the H1N1 epidemic. Because of our family's "risk" factors - older DS w/ asthma & a new baby in the house (who was too young for the vaccine), we were among the first in our community to receive the vaccine. That year, we had 2 flu vaccines - the regular flu & the H1N1 vaccines, but we had to receive injections (& not the mist) for both.

Like others have said, pregnant & nursing women are also encouraged to get the flu vaccine.

If anything, I'd probably be a bit more concerned about the shingles vaccine - although I haven't done any research. I know, though, that children who receive the chicken pox vaccine can develop a *very* mild case of chicken pox within 2 weeks of receiving the vaccine.

Since shingles is related to chicken pox, I would do a little research about what the chances are of shedding the virus after receiving the vaccine. Again, I have NO idea & haven't done any research myself - but, again, when our kids received the chicken pox vaccine, we were told that they might develop a mild case within 2 weeks. (They didn't.)

 

[EMom]

I had shingles about 15-17 years ago. I am 51 now. It was a "mild" case and it was awful. Absolutely awful. I hope I never get it again.

That said, I can't get the shot.

This is what I wonder. I had a mild case of the shingles at 40 and the pain was unbelievable. I still suffer aftereffects. I cannot seem to get a straight answer on whether or not I can/should get the shingles vaccine if I have already had the shingles.

 

[gemini2727]

From the CDC:
Zostavax, the shingles vaccine, reduced the risk of shingles by 51% and the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia by 67% based on a large study of more than 38,000 adults aged 60 years or older. Protection from shingles vaccine lasts about 5 years.

While the vaccine was most effective in people 60 through 69 years old, it also provides some protection for people 70 years old and older.

Adults vaccinated before age 60 years might not be protected later in life when the risk for shingles and its complications are greatest.

 

[piglet too]

EMom - everything I’ve read says you should still get the vaccine.

Since I still had the page open, here is what the CDC says.

“Even if you have had shingles, you can still receive shingles vaccine to help prevent future occurrences of the disease. There is no specific length of time you must wait after having shingles before receiving shingles vaccine, but generally you should make sure the shingles rash has disappeared before getting vaccinated. The decision on when to get vaccinated should be made with your healthcare provider.”

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

This is what I wonder. I had a mild case of the shingles at 40 and the pain was unbelievable. I still suffer aftereffects. I cannot seem to get a straight answer on whether or not I can/should get the shingles vaccine if I have already had the shingles.

Sorry. I should have stated that the reason that I can't have the vaccine doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I have already had shingles. I have been told directly that I, personally, shouldn't have the shot. It is based on my medical information.

I would check with your doctor. Tell him your thoughts and go from there.

 

[gemini2727]

Regarding the flu vaccine, I read somewhere that you can shed the virus if you get the flu mist instead of the injection.

If I'm remembering correctly, our pediatrician's office supported this idea.

Older DS has asthma. He's pretty much grown out of it now, but, when he was younger, we always got the injection since he was in a high risk category.

Younger DS was an infant (about 3 months old) during the H1N1 epidemic. Because of our family's "risk" factors - older DS w/ asthma & a new baby in the house (who was too young for the vaccine), we were among the first in our community to receive the vaccine. That year, we had 2 flu vaccines - the regular flu & the H1N1 vaccines, but we had to receive injections (& not the mist) for both.

Like others have said, pregnant & nursing women are also encouraged to get the flu vaccine.

If anything, I'd probably be a bit more concerned about the shingles vaccine - although I haven't done any research. I know, though, that children who receive the chicken pox vaccine can develop a *very* mild case of chicken pox within 2 weeks of receiving the vaccine.

Since shingles is related to chicken pox, I would do a little research about what the chances are of shedding the virus after receiving the vaccine. Again, I have NO idea & haven't done any research myself - but, again, when our kids received the chicken pox vaccine, we were told that they might develop a mild case within 2 weeks. (They didn't.)

Just read on the CDC site:

"It is safe to be around infants and young children, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems after you get the shingles vaccine. There is no documentation of a person getting chickenpox from someone who has received the shingles vaccine (which contains varicella zoster virus).

Some people who get the shingles vaccine will develop a chickenpox-like rash near the place where they were vaccinated. As a precaution, this rash should be covered until it disappears."

Also, the flu mist is again not recommended for this season, so probably not even accessible for the second year in a row. (It's efficacy was seen to be much lower than the injectable form.) That's a shame, seemed like a good alternative for those who hate shots!

 

[crazylady]

There is a blood test you can have which shows if you have had chicken pox if you are concerned about that.

 

[Pooh2]

Will they give it to you if you're younger? I'm 51. I've had two younger sisters get shingles--one was 28 and the other 32 at the time. My 49 year old brother in law got shingles last month as well. Weird--I'd never heard of shingles 10 years ago.

I was wondering this as well. I am your age and going to inquire when I get my flu shot.

My 39-year-old neighbor had shingles over the summer and had to be driven to the eye doc daily for them to check her eye. She was in all sorts of agony. I know my insurance will not cover the shot before 60 but it may be well worth a couple hundred dollars to avoid shingles.

 

[tvguy]

Will they give it to you if you're younger? I'm 51. I've had two younger sisters get shingles--one was 28 and the other 32 at the time. My 49 year old brother in law got shingles last month as well. Weird--I'd never heard of shingles 10 years ago.

They will give it to (almost) anyone, however, your insurance company may not pay for it until you are 60.
It is expensive, but I got it when I was 55. My wife is gambling, and waiting another month until she turns 60 to get it for free.
I say gambling because my wife did not have chicken pox as a child. She caught it from our kids when she was about 40, and she was off work for a week, and it took 2 months for her to fully recover.

 

[tzolkin]

I've had two younger sisters get shingles--one was 28 and the other 32 at the time. My 49 year old brother in law got shingles last month as well. Weird--I'd never heard of shingles 10 years ago.

I had shingles when I was 12-- the same year that I had mono. 7th grade was a pretty miserable year for me.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I had shingles a few months ago (I'm 45). I did not have a lot of pain but the itching and burning was intense. It was on the left side of my torso. I wish I could get the vaccine, but I was told I needed to wait.

 

[bushdianee]

EMom - everything I’ve read says you should still get the vaccine.

Since I still had the page open, here is what the CDC says.

“Even if you have had shingles, you can still receive shingles vaccine to help prevent future occurrences of the disease. There is no specific length of time you must wait after having shingles before receiving shingles vaccine, but generally you should make sure the shingles rash has disappeared before getting vaccinated. The decision on when to get vaccinated should be made with your healthcare provider.”

Thank you, you answered a couple of questions I had about shingles. I had what sounds like a mild case in my 40s. I had them on my head! I had mainly itching (thought I had lice since I worked in an elementary school) and some pain. Took a while to heal since I was misdiagnosed at first. I was wondering if I needed to get a shot next year or if I could get them again.

 

[anniemae]

As for the age to get the shot, I was told it varies by state. I wanted to get the shot since I have a compromised immune system. My state only will give the shot if you are over 60. I was told it had nothing to do with insurance as I was willing to pay out of pocket. They physically will not give it to you if you are under 60. Each state sets their own age. Some states will give it between ages 50-59 if you have a doctors note stating you need it. I don't think I have heard of anyone under 50 getting the shot.