Has everyone had their Shingles vaccine?

Posted by jlo2252 @jlo2252, Jun 22 1:25am

Hi there. Just had my second shingles vaccine today. I did it because I do not want more pain and I have heard that Shingles is VERY painful!!
The injection itself stung a little bit, but I did not have any side effects from it.
If you are over the age of 50 you need to do this— protect yourself!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

After my second shingles shot I had a very robust immune response. Swollen arm and pain which didn’t calm down. I eventually had a PMR relapse. I don’t think I’ll be getting any more injections this year including flu shot. Still tapering. My shingles shot was November 2023

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@janiceem

I got the old shingles vax many years ago, but am hesitant to get the new Shringrix, given the fact that the Pfizer COVID vaccine triggered my PMR. I'm scared of vaccines now, especially mRNA ones. I understand that the Shringrix is not an mRNA vaccine. Has anyone contracted PMR following the Shringrix vaccine?

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Possibly. My PMR was triggered last December, a week or so after the vaccine. But I had also started statins in November and initially believed these to be the triggering agent until I realized the vaccine had also been in a recent timeframe. From reading the experiences here, it seems there are multiple ways to initiate this unfortunate course.
I’m hesitant about future vaccines now for myself, and I’ll need to weigh each one on risk- benefit scale. I had all my Covid shots without any significant problems, so its really hard to make a call on this one.

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@janiceem

I've never had a flu shot and I'm 70 year old. I think the last time I had the flu was when my kids were little. I once looked at the effectiveness of the flu vaccines and read that they were only 18% effective, so I take my chances. I did have a friend who died from guillain barre syndrome after a flu shot, so that has been a factor in my decision, as well.

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I was surprised to see that influenza vaccine effectiveness in Australia is said to vary between only 30-60% in healthy people and lower than that in older and/or immuno-compromised people - that's us. They measure "effectiveness" by whether or not a person needs to see a doctor when they get the flu, so a healthy young vaccinated person is 30-60% less likely to see a doctor for the flu than an unvaccinated person. Older people like us would be closer to the number you mention (18%), with a much smaller reduction in doctor's visits for the flu after vaccination.
If I sound like I'm against vaccinations, I'm generally not. But some of them don't do anywhere near as much good as most people think they do, and the risks are always underplayed.

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I did do my research on the Shingles vaccine—it is over 90% effective against shingles in those 50 years and older.
Efficacy rates were highest for the ages 60-69 at 97.4%, and lowest for ages 70-79, at 91.3%.
So those are good enough odds for me for a one time vaccine!

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@jlo2252

Did your doctor tell you that the Covid vaccine caused your flare of PMR?
I do believe this particular vaccine has received a bad rep because it was given to us with no trial testing because of the pandemic.
I think this is why the Covid vaccine is being “blamed” for stuff that could be just a coincidence. Just my opinion, though. Always consult your doctor with your concerns.

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The thing is that the Covid "vaccine" isn't really a vaccine. Vaccines prevent the vaccinated person from contracting a specific condition. The toxic jabs for Covid absolutely didn't prevent anyone from having Covid and no, contrary to the fairy tale we were told about how your symptoms would be less severe if you took the shot, that isn't true either. Here's a link to the .gov website that has several medical articles linking the so-called vaccine to PMR.

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@janiceem

I got the old shingles vax many years ago, but am hesitant to get the new Shringrix, given the fact that the Pfizer COVID vaccine triggered my PMR. I'm scared of vaccines now, especially mRNA ones. I understand that the Shringrix is not an mRNA vaccine. Has anyone contracted PMR following the Shringrix vaccine?

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Got mine while I had PMR no problem.

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@jlo2252

I did do my research on the Shingles vaccine—it is over 90% effective against shingles in those 50 years and older.
Efficacy rates were highest for the ages 60-69 at 97.4%, and lowest for ages 70-79, at 91.3%.
So those are good enough odds for me for a one time vaccine!

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Good to know. Now I'm wondering if I have some immunity since I did get the old shingles vaccine years ago?? I will have to do some research.

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The research I read was for the newer vaccine, covering a ten year period. Hopefully this will apply to the first shingles vaccine as well.

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A Mayo Clinic article I read stated that the new vaccine is recommended for people over 50, including those who received the old vaccine. The old vaccine was made with a live virus, the new one from an activated one so it is safer for people with weakened immune systems. They do recommend you speak with your doctor first before you receive it.

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Sorry I meant that new vaccine was made from an inactivated virus, making it safer for people with a weakened immune system! Sorry I didn’t catch that misspell!

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