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The Shingles Vaccine(s)

mandryka

mandryka

pfm Member
I'm sorry for raising a medial issue on a hi-fi forum, but I really can't get a straight reply from my doctor.

In France you can get the shingles vaccine at 50, in the UK it's 70 minimum on the NHS. A friend of mine had the vaccine and got mild symptoms, her doc is saying it may be because she was vaccinated. Another friend who wasn't vaccinated had shingles and suffered big time with nasty blisters and neuralgia.

I can get it privately, and the pharmacist says I should do it. My GP says follow NHS guidance -- but if he were in France he'd be saying follow Santé Publique France guidance.

And to complexify the situation further, there may be more than one vaccine -- none of them are cheap privately but some are cheaper than others. I say may be because may be Zostavax has been discontinued, I don't know.

Words of wisdom appreciated.


https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/shingles-vaccination/
https://vaccination-info-service.fr/Les-maladies-et-leurs-vaccins/Zona
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/6101/pil#gref
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/zostavax/index.html
 
eligibility in the UK is weird and age related

You're eligible for the shingles vaccine if you're aged 70 or 78 years old.

In addition, anyone who was previously eligible (born on or after 2 September 1942) but missed out on their shingles vaccination remains eligible until their 80th birthday.

When you're eligible, you can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year.
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my dad had the vaccine and had no side effects. My mother missed out at both ages. She had a nasty bout of shingles last year which required massive doses of opiate pain killers. She had a milder recurrence this year. My vaccinated Dad didn't catch it from her.

She says if you are eligible then have vaccine.....
 
Can't answer your question directly, but just to say I had it mildly last year. If you manage to diagnose it early enough, I'm told antivirals are quite effective. In my case it was a small square rash on the chest, but the giveaway was a line of tiny spots that that travelled from that rough area down the arm.
 
I’d strongly advise getting the vaccine (which I didn’t know existed until too late). I had shingles in January last year, which was extremely painful for at least a month and still feel the effects now. It’s left me with permanent nerve damage and limited mobility in a couple of fingers and an ongoing numbness in half of my left hand.
 
Didnt even know that such a thing existed.

Presumably not pushed by the NHS as it protects against something that is a very low possibility??????

I have to say that what I knew as common diseases as a kid are so uncommon now, plus there is the whole MMR fiasco, plus measles/mumps/chickenpox parties went out of fashion (no-one to host one, presumably, but on the rise again apparently), that I am unable to keep up with things...................
 
A truly horrible thing to get.
If you have had chickenpox - you carry it permanently, just waiting to spring to life.
Some who never (knowingly) had chickenpox can get it just by being infected with chickenpox (age?)
I have a permanent scar on my left retina and a big scar at the top of my nose where it attached itself to the bone of my skull.
It is horrifyingly painful - as it attaches to nerve endings and destroys them.
It took a friend 18 months to recover & he lost a kidney in the process.
Mine came out with stress (common cause apparently)
I never ever want it again (likewise the flu thanks)
If you feel pre disposed and can get the vaccination - I personally would.
It is not as low a possibility as you may think.
 
From what I understand you don't want to get shingles!!

Unfortunately the vaccine is not an option for me while on the current medication for my arthritis . The shingles vaccine is a live vaccine and not compatible with biologic therapies.
 
I believe Shingrix is so much more effective than Zostavax that the latter has been discontinued in the US. It's quite expensive here, about $170 per dose (2 shots required). However many insurances cover it for over 50s, and it's a small cost compared to the pain (and financial pain if in the US) of being treated for shingles.

I don't think Shingrix is a live vaccine - but you might want to ask your doctor if there are any contraindications.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html
 
mansr said:
Hardly surprising seeing as shingles isn't contagious in the usual sense.
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I know exactly how it is xmitted

you can catch yhe virus that causes shingles. My neighbour (never having had chicken pox) caught it from her youngest son, and then developed a nasty bout of shingles 9 months latter.

.
 
sean99 said:
I believe Shingrix is so much more effective than Zostavax that the latter has been discontinued in the US. It's quite expensive here, about $170 per dose (2 shots required). However many insurances cover it for over 50s, and it's a small cost compared to the pain (and financial pain if in the US) of being treated for shingles.

I don't think Shingrix is a live vaccine - but you might want to ask your doctor if there are any contraindications.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html
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Thanks for that. I was confusing Shingrix and Zostavax. I see I can indeed get Shingrix here, if the website is not misleading. No brainer?

https://www.citydoc.org.uk/travel-vaccinations/shingles-vaccine-london-uk/
 
I had the shingles vaccine about five years ago and had no adverse reactions. I had chicken pox in my early teens putting me at higher risk of shingles. I’d advise getting it.
 
The other reason that it may not be plugged by the NHS is that it may not be very effective. I've not checked, but there will be figures online somewhere about what vaccination actually achieves.
 
Vinny said:
The other reason that it may not be plugged by the NHS is that it may not be very effective. I've not cheked, but there will be figures online somewhere about what vaccination actually achieves.
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Well I haven't been able to find the information on this. I agree this is an important point.
 
I skim read just bits and pieces of these, but possibly helpful - (US CDC is a trustworthy source). The last link is interesting as it gives a figure that is different to the otheres (so far as I can make out by skim reading), but you have to be VERY careful comparing statistics as they are seldom about the exact same phenomenon.

Enjoy!! :)

Shingles vaccine overview - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Shingrix Shingles Vaccination | What You Should Know | CDC

Vaccination against shingles guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Shingles Vaccine | Vaccine Knowledge (ox.ac.uk)
 
gintonic said:
I know exactly how it is xmitted

you can catch yhe virus that causes shingles. My neighbour (never having had chicken pox) caught it from her youngest son, and then developed a nasty bout of shingles 9 months latter.
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If you haven't had chickenpox, you can catch it from someone who has shingles. You can never catch shingles directly, though you can of course have it later if you do catch chickenpox. If you've had (or been vaccinated against) chickenpox, being exposed to someone with shingles is harmless.
 
mansr said:
If you haven't had chickenpox, you can catch it from someone who has shingles. You can never catch shingles directly, though you can of course have it later if you do catch chickenpox. If you've had (or been vaccinated against) chickenpox, being exposed to someone with shingles is harmless.
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sigh........ yes I know
 
mansr said:
If you haven't had chickenpox, you can catch it from someone who has shingles. You can never catch shingles directly, though you can of course have it later if you do catch chickenpox. If you've had (or been vaccinated against) chickenpox, being exposed to someone with shingles is harmless.
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Had chickenpox as a kid, and had a very mild bout of shingles a couple of years ago - just a bit of a rash, no pain or other effects. I presume there’s no point in me getting the vaccine.
 
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