Shingles Vaccination

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I would suggest it may be more common just because there are more people reaching the age where it effects us. We are the baby boomers, we are enjoying longer life spans than previous generations so it makes sense that it will be more common.

My wife had a bout of shingles several years ago. Ask her whether its worth taking the vaccine.

[David Drickhamer]

A few years ago I got shingles in my eye. It took several months to get over it and still have problems due to nerve damage from it. I don't ever want to go thru that again so I got the shot and had no side effects.

[Jerome Stanek]

If the shot is with live virus and it basically gives you a mild case then if you have had the shingles why would you need to get it again.

[Chris Kennedy]

My dad has had shingles twice, so you can get it more than once. He recently got the vaccine because he has a compromised immune system from cancer treatment. His doctor said that it isn't 100%, but if it doesn't prevent an outbreak, it will make it less severe.

In related news, my wife who hasn't even reached 40, had an outbreak a couple of weeks back.

Chris

[Mike Henderson]

If the shot is with live virus and it basically gives you a mild case then if you have had the shingles why would you need to get it again.

I don't know if it is live virus or not. But shingles is chickenpox. If you've had chickenpox, you have the virus in your body. The problem is that your immunity to the virus decreases over time and the virus can reappear.

So if you get a shingles shot, it just gives a boost to your immune system. But that, too, will fade with time.

Mike

[Rick Potter]

My wife and I, both 70, both had chicken pox as kids, both got the shot last fall. No reaction. We went to get the flu shots, and they asked if we wanted this one too, and highly recommended it.

Rick Potter

[Chris Fite]

Shingles can be a miserable experience. Sometimes the effects persist for weeks. It is spread by contact in the same manner as its progenitor, chicken pox. My wife and I, in our 60s, had chicken pox as children. Common for the day.

When she was in her late 50s, she had a bout of shingles. She was miserable for the few weeks that it lasted. It was on the trunk, so it was primarily generalized nerve discomfort on the skin.

I had the shingles vaccine, after I turned 60. I figured a 50% better chance might be worth it. A couple of years later, I had a small patch of shingles on my stomach. The patch was about the size of a playing card, lasted about a week, but was not unpleasant.

I don't know how common shingles is among our age group. I think that taking a vaccine with middling rate of effectiveness is a judgment call. I don't know, if having the shingles vaccine helped me or not. I have seen shingles ranging from what I had to writhing misery for weeks.

I had no residual effect from the actual shot itself. Everyone is different.

[Brian Deakin]

Dear Jim,
I am a pharmacist in the United Kingdom I would suggest looking at the following web site

http://www.evidence.nhs.uk/search?q=...cination&ps=50

The articles I would suggest reading first are the accredited literature marked with a eye symbol and to scan you curser (liitle arrow) down the filter on the left hand side of the page

Note, for general background this is a very good source Further the guidance is for the United kingdom and may differ from the USA so always discuss with your doctor first



regards Brian