The Shingles Vaccine
 

there was a thread from barb about getting a tetanus vaccine and that got me to thinking.

since i turned 60 my pcp suggested the shingles vaccine. however, my neuro said that he hasn't seen any info on people with MS getting the shot.

anyone know anything about this?

I have had shingles, and I have read that people with MS tend to get them more than the general population. I think it might be the DMDs that so many of us take, but I don’t get the DMDs because I am in SPMS, so I don’t know where that puts me. My only suggestion is to get the vaccine if it is at all possible. Shingles are really, really painful and they last a very long time. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t risk getting shingles on a dare.

I've had them too. They affected the trigeminal nerve on my face and it was just horrid. I ended up with a Bell's Palsy, and it was never decided whether that was due to the shingles or whether I'd had an MS exacerbation, as both were likely culprits.

Either way it was terrible! :eek: My neuro refused to give me any cortisone to improve the facial paralysis, because I had an active shingles virus and he didn't want it to spread.

Is it still advisable to have the vaccination if you've had the infection already? In most viral diseases, exposure will give you an immunity to the disease but many people get shingles more than once.

Does any one know if there are guidelines?

I don't know about the vaccine guidelines. But I, too, have had shingles about 9 years ago and know how very painful them are. So I would be interested to know more about this.

I have avoided ALL vaccines, unless the MD can prove a NEED for them. Since I am at home, and dont wander out, and have never had the flu, I skip that vaccine. I dont dig in the dirt, or play with rusty things, so I skip the tetnaus. Each year my husband lines up and gets popped for the flu vaccine, and shakes his head at me. I have heard too many stories of folks that got a vaccine, and had a relapse.

Im skeeerd. :paperbag::Sob::Poke:

If I remember, Jim's doctor and neuro said no. Let me ask again. He's had the flu and pneumonia shot in the past. I do know the measles vaccine is a no go for sure. It depends if it is a live vaccine or not. Jim has never had chicken pox. I tested him years ago when I worked at a lab.

i believe that the vaccine has a very weakened strain of the virus.
i don't believe it's a live virus.
i've had the chicken pox as a child but evidently you can get shingles when you're older. i'm not + on any of this. guess i'll have to surf the net.

Pubmed information below

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

The herpes zoster vaccine is a living attenuated vaccine produced from the OKA/Merck strain already used in the vaccine against varicella. Its safety is good among persons 50 years old and over and its efficiency on lowering herpes zoster incidence, on the burden of illness and on post-herpetic neuralgia has been demonstrated in persons over 60 years old.

FDA site information below:

Who should not be immunized with Zostavax?

People who are allergic to neomycin, or any component of the vaccine should not receive Zostavax. Zostavax is a live vaccine and should not be given to individuals who have a weakened immune system caused by treatments that they are taking such as radiation, a class of drugs called corticosteroids, or due to conditions such as AIDS, cancer of the lymph, bone or blood.

Zostavax (Herpes Zoster Vaccine) Questions and Answers
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVac...ines/UCM070418

Thank you for that information Lady. That was helpful.

I would be interested to know if the vaccine is thought to prevent further shingles outbreaks in those who've already had them at least once before.

I daresay getting vaccinated is a bit like a lottery in that it could work for some but not for others, but having been infected once I most certainly do not want to have to go through shingles again.

At the same time I am wary of vaccines. Not against them ... just wary. As A nurse with MS who worked in a busy hospital, I aways had the flu vaccine. I weighed the pros and cons and made my decision to go with the vaccine, but I don't ever accept something just because it's there.

Before joining NT I didn't even know a shingles vaccine existed, and it may not exist here in the land of Oz, but I wouldn't mind learning more about it in case I get the option of having it or not. It never hurts to be armed with as much information as possible.

Hi,
Maybe this will help. Same FDA site.

Should someone who has already had shingles use the vaccine, so that they don't get them again?

An episode of shingles boosts immunity to the virus so it is unlikely that persons who have had shingles will suffer from them again. The effectiveness of Zostavax in preventing repeated episodes of shingles has not been demonstrated in clinical studies.


In those who were vaccinated with Zostavax, but still developed shingles, the duration of pain was a bit shorter for them versus those who received a placebo. Specifically, the pain of those in the Zostavax group lasted on average for 20 days and for those who received placebo, it lasted for about 22 days. The severity of the pain did not appear to differ among the two groups.

It sounds like a real toss up.. nothing seems clear about the vaccine to me.

Thanks Lady. I guess it's back to my analogy of the lottery because having shingles once most definitely does not preclude you from having them again.

I know it's a different strain of the herpes virus, but it's a bit like saying once you've had a cold sore you'll build up immunity and not get another one.

I do thank you for posting the information though. It's good to have as much info as possible to enable you to make an informed decision.

That's very true.

Btw, I had all the childhood diseases that went around, back in my day before vaccines.

I had the German measles 4 times, and Pityriasis rosea at 16 years old and it reactivated a few times after that in adulthood. I never had a cold sore though. I don't get this whole thing. I never say never..

Interesting stuff. thanks.

I'm led to believe that if you havent had chicken pox, you can get the pox from someone with shingles.
If you havent had the pox, you can't get shingles.

i had the pox vaccine and it didn't work.
i personally wouldn't have faith or take the chance with a shingles vaccine.

thanks everyone for the information.
i'm not convinced yet either. still have to make up my mind.

i appreciate all your thoughts and experiences on this.

I also had the German measles 4 times, twice in my late teens before I was diagnosed. Weird!

gmi

It is strange gmi. Do you think we have the German MS? :hug: (Kidding)

They say that one of the factors leading up to getting MS might be the triggering by dormant/latent viruses that reactivate. There probably are many factors involved, that's why they say they can't find one known cause or cure. They have said that many times in most Journals and well-known MS doctors and researchers opinions.

Btw, when I had the Smallpox Vaccine as a child, it didn't take. So they tried over and over. 5 times in total. Both arms and both thighs, and no scab that usually develops, that leads to that nice scar.

Finally some jerk doctor shot the vaccine in the center of my breast bone, which left the scar there, for life. :eek:

It was hard to explain when I was a kid, and wore a bathing suit. I used to say a birthmark.:rolleyes:

I always wondered, having so many smallpox vaccines in one year, if it was detrimental to my health. :confused: