My pcp is recommending I get the shingles vaccine. My neuro approved. My insurance covers it, and I am not an immune suppressant medication so I can get it. i am just undecided. She has been suggesting it for two years and I have been indecisive for two years. I know it is about 50% effective, but the studies also suggest it may reduce the severity of an attack. I hate trying anything new (medication wise) because I have had so many allergic reactions. Yet I have had not problems with the flu vaccine. I put off getting a tetanus booster for years until I had to go the the ER for a cut, and I just had a little soreness. I keep thinking that I should get it now before I move. But...

Who has gotten the vaccine? What was your experience?

I got the shingles vaccine a couple weeks ago, there was some redness at the injection site, but otherwise was a very forgettable event.

I would highly recommend going ahead and getting the tetnus booster; better safe-than-sorry,

Hi Barb02,

I got the shingles vaccine several years ago. Nothing has changed or happened. I gave a lot less thought to having the pneumonia vaccine and the shingles vaccine than I do about getting a flu shot.

I did have the shingles previously (unless I was misdiagnosed at that time) and did not want to get them again. So for me, I requested the vaccine.

I think I have had ONE flu shot in the past several decades. My decision to decline flu shots is based on my lack of exposure to the flu. I come in contact with very few people so my exposure to the flu is limited. If I had more exposure to others, I would probably do a flu vaccine.

I guess it all depends upon what chances you want to take. For me, I will take my chances on getting the flu for now, but want to reduce my chances on getting the shingles again or pneumonia, as much as possible.

The shingles virus resides in me so my limited exposure to other people is not beneficial for avoiding shingles like it is with the flu.

I had shingles when I was 26. It really really really sucked. Especially since I had mononucleosis at the same time. I don't ever want to get shingles again.


(as an aside, I think that having shingles at the same time that I had mono, is what triggered my MS. It was right after I started to recover from the mono and shingles that the MS symptoms started showing up. <within 6 months of recovering from the mono> I just didn't know it was MS for about another ten years.)

I go along with the others. You don't want shingles. Your family doesn't want you to have shingles. My daughter had it when she was 10 and my husband did a couple of years ago.

Decided to quit dithering about it and went and got the vaccine first thing this morning.

Let us know how it went, please.

Got my shingles shot yesterday, absolutely no side effects. Glad it's done.

My arm is not sore at all.

Sally, I have read that the vaccine is less effective for those over 80. Then it is only 10% effective. So my guess would be is that as you age it becomes less effective. However I have also read that even though it is only 50% effective, that those that get the vaccine report shorter outbreaks and less pain.

It's been a week since I received the vaccine, and I haven't had any problems at all. I did not even have any soreness like I usually get with the flu vaccine.