Shingles!!! Get vaccinated before it is too late!

[ChicagoGranny]

See - viewtopic.php?p=1361718#p1361718

Shingles is a nasty condition! Don't wait!

[TheDuke]

I can certainly testify that shingles is no fun. I developed an attack perhaps 30 or more years ago that was initially difficult to get diagnosed, but finally the eruptions started and I was treated with some sort of anti viral agent. Treatment helped my physical pain, but I had several weeks of eruptions and itching. Later I had the old vaccination against it, and then more recently had the SHINGRIX vaccine. Like the Chicago Grandma I most strongly urge all those who will listen to get the newest vaccine.

TheDuke

[Dog Slobber]

Shingles is a nasty condition! Don't wait!

Suggestions about what age and vaccine to use.

In Ontario:
Zostavax II - Free to anyone over 65, otherwise $210 CAD ($160 USD)

Shingrix - cost $310 CAD ($235 USD)

[jimbud]

Got shingles in my early 20's, under right pectoral, very painful. (did not know what it was at the time)

Reoccurred at 62 yrs old, right side under pectoral all the way around to the back, very painful. Took pain meds and weeks worth of Lyrica. Seemed to take forever to get over it.

Reoccurred at 68 yrs old, right side under pectoral, small area. Not as painful, but bad enough.

Get vaccinated, even if you have had it before. It can come back.

JPB

[khauser]

Suggestions about what age and vaccine to use.

In Ontario:
Zostavax II - Free to anyone over 65, otherwise $210 CAD ($160 USD)

Shingrix - cost $310 CAD ($235 USD)

Shingrix is harder to get (at least here in the states) but has a far higher protection rate. I think my doctor told me Zostavax is 50% to 64% effective and Shingrix (after 2 scheduled shots) is 97% effective. The CDC (which admittedly has lost a lot of cred this year) says that Zostavax isn't available since July.

Important Note: If you think you've NEVER had the chickenpox, or even if you have been vaccinated, you should still get the shingles vaccine, if you are aged 50+. The reason is that the Chicken Pox does not ALWAYS cause obvious symptoms, some simply get "the flu" (kind of like Covid-19 can present differently among people).

Regardless of whether you had Chicken Pox, even if you subsequently had the (new-ish) vaccine, you can get vaccinated for Shingles. The only reasons NOT to get it are (a) some medical condition such as allergy that makes it a problem, or (b) money ... the latter being an issue if you don't have insurance. The chicken pox vaccine, if given before you had chicken pox, does seem to protect against shingles as well, but because the chicken pox vaccine is so new (relative to us older adults) it makes sense to protect yourself.

Call your doctor ... you can't always get it right away. Get on the waiting list!

[klm49]

See - viewtopic.php?p=1361718#p1361718

Shingles is a nasty condition! Don't wait!

Good friend of mine convinced me to get vaccinated after her husband had it for about a year, couldn't sleep in a bed, nearly lost his eye sight and lost 100 lbs. It can be quite a serious disease for some.

[tyrinryan]

Does the CDC recommend against the Shingrix vaccine for those who have never had chickenpox? a live product but attenuated?
What about the new Zostafax 11 for those who have never had chickenpox? Anybody heard about this one? Is it a live product too?

[chunkyfrog]

Are you worried about live vaccines?
You should not be.

[kteague]

Last time I checked about 3 years ago a vaccine (no idea which one) would cost me $100 and was not covered by Medicare. Anybody had one recently and know if the cost or coverage has changed?

[jnk...]

Medicare coverage for Shingrix . . . is provided only if you are enrolled in a stand-alone Part D drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Part D drug coverage. . . . Most require a copayment, which can vary widely from plan to plan. And if you haven’t yet met your plan’s deductible for the year, you’ll likely pay the full price. For Shingrix, . . . that averages around $190 . . . You can get a shingles vaccine two ways:

• At the pharmacy. You’ll still need a doctor’s prescription . . . Use a store in your drug plan’s network so that it can bill your plan directly and you’ll owe just the copayment.

• At the doctor’s office. . . . Check whether it can bill your drug plan directly or works with a pharmacy that can do so. If so, it will work as mentioned above, with you owing a copayment. If not, you may need to pay the full cost up front and then file a claim for reimbursement from your plan. Remember that the doctor’s fee for administering the vaccine may exceed your plan’s allowable charge, in which case you’re on the hook for the difference. It pays to check beforehand.

https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-qa ... gles-shot/

[ChicagoGranny]

Does the CDC recommend against the Shingrix vaccine for those who have never had chickenpox? a live product but attenuated!
What about the new Zostafax 11 for those who have never had chickenpox? Anybody heard about this one? Is it a live product too?

Don't mess around. Get Shingrix.

Even if they don’t remember having had chickenpox, they should still get the shingles vaccine ... The CDC says that doctors need not ask patients if they ever had chickenpox (or test for antibodies to it) before giving them the shingles vaccine.

...

The CDC says that doctors need not ask patients if they ever had chickenpox (or test for antibodies to it) before giving them the shingles vaccine.

https://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-c ... chickenpox

[khauser]

Does the CDC recommend against the Shingrix vaccine for those who have never had chickenpox? a live product but attenuated?
What about the new Zostafax 11 for those who have never had chickenpox? Anybody heard about this one? Is it a live product too?

No, Shingrix is recommended unless you are allergic to it. Also, you are confused. Zostavax is live, Shingrix is recombinant, adjuvanated. Google those terms to understand better.
Here is a link comparing them: https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/d ... x-3342576/.

Zostavax has been discontinued because it is far less effective: https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/vaccination.html

[palerider]

Even if you "never had chicken pox", you probably had chicken pox.

[ChicagoGranny]

Even if you "never had chicken pox", you probably had chicken pox.

Truth is funnier than humor.

[sptrout]

Last time I checked about 3 years ago a vaccine (no idea which one) would cost me $100 and was not covered by Medicare. Anybody had one recently and know if the cost or coverage has changed?

If it was three years ago, then you got the old version which not considered effective. The new one is known to have some mild to not so pleasant (to put it nicely) side effects. The side effects can be so bad that my 65 year old brother's PCP told him and his wife to hold off for a while (been nearly a year). For me and my wife, no problems, not much worse than a flu shot maybe a little longer to get rid of the soreness in my arm. I would not wait!