Full body non shingles rash 3-4 weeks after taking the shingrix vax

Hi Zaznagarb,
I am sorry you are having such an awful experience after the shingrix shot. I took shingrix and had a severe reaction with extreme pain and shoulder bone loss necessitating a left reserve shoulder replacement. My rheumatologist have no clue in diagnosing my condition. I am the poster child for RA. PMR, and sero-Negative. They say yes, then no. My local rheumatologist and my Mayo rheumatologist insist I aged into continuing bone destruction. I go ballistic when they say or infer that! I was 74 and felt like a 19 yr old the day before taking Shingrix. I informed Glaxo-Smith-Klein and was given a case number. My specialists are supposed to call their GSK hotline but have not. I did seek advice from my dermatologist regarding Sweet’s syndrome. You might check into that.

@susanlf
Thank you for your kind reply and I hope things are looking up for you as well. I checked Sweets syndrome and my rash is not like it. My rash is smooth and just under the skin. No bumps and so far no bleeding though I am getting red blotches. I had a biopsy and the results are expected in a few days. I hope the results shed some light. How did you advise GSK. Is there a number or email you can share as I feel this rash should also be reported. The shingrex vax side effects are very rare and I suspect we belong to this select group..... regretfully!!! I do hope you get better.

GSK. I called 888-825-5249. I gave a nurse my particular including the NDC and Lot number of the shingrix batch. I received the information from my CVS pharmacy where I got the first (of two series) shot. Tell you story and you will be given a case reference number.

There is a GSK Medical Information Department (“MID”) at 877-475-6448 but they will not talk to you— only to your doctor. At first I thought they would call my doctors but it’s the other way around. So I have asked my rheumatologists to call MID. They have not, so I will push harder. 😠

The website is GSKUSmedicalaffairs.com. There is a link to reporting adverse events. Please let me know how you do!

In a different thread I posted that after receiving the second Shingrix shot I developed night sweats that have persisted for over two years. Evidently this can happen in people who are immunosuppressed. In my case I reported the matter to the US government, to the CDC website if I remember correctly.

I received the results of the biopsy which was done to ensure the rash was not cancer related. The results acc to the dermatologist confirm the rash was a vaccine related reaction and not cancer related. At present ( mid march) the itch has substantially reduced. However the skin is still red and very sensitive to the touch. There are also some red "blood" spots appearing on my torso and hands. If you press them the blood does not flow away and they remain red. The dermatologist is going to have a look at this in the next few weeks. I am taking a picture of them every few days. As for the rash itself she says it will go in time. I am using copious amounts of vaseline to keep the skin moist. I was using steroid cream but have stopped. I am pretty sure I will not take the second dose. I asked the dermatologist about reporting this reaction to the CDC etc but she said it was a well documented side effect. Lastly, i found that vaseline cuts the itch quite effectively and I hope this helps anyone else who has a similar itch. Perhaps it was just me but who can tell.

Same! Had the vaccine in Feb. 2026 and with 2 weeks, I started to break out in a rash. It is, currently, all over my body. Nothing is helping. The vaccine was Shingrix. This is the only thing that has been introduced into my life; I thought it might be laundry detergent; I cut the detergent level in half and do a clear quick wash. I don't use fabric softener or bleach. No change in personal soap, shampoo or hair products. I have been knocking myself out trying to figure this out and the lightbulb came on, the ONLY new thing introduced was the vaccine. Heading to the doctor for help.

I am v sorry to hear about your situ. It follows the same path as mine. I got a rash about 3.4 weeks after the shingrix vax, we were in Calgary which has a very dry cold and hard water so first put it down to change in conditions. My son who is a doctor said it was a severe allergic reaction and gave me prednisone. When I returned to Ottawa a few days later it was better. Further Pred. did not do anything. It then struck me also that something had triggered this and the only thing was the vax .It is now 3 months and in the last week or so I think I am slowly getting better. My email is zaznagarb at hotmaildot com. If you send me a note I can send you some pics I took to see if your condition is similar to mine. I had a biopsy and blood tests to rule out Cancer TB and Hepatitis. Luckily they all came back negative. Meanwhile the Derm suggested using creams and a steroid based cream as well all over my body. Personally I did not like the steroid suggestion but used it for a week or two. The itch which would come in waves continued despite the steroid. I also tried Reactine but found it pretty useless. While I stopped the steroid cream I continued with the vaseline and creams. The rash spread. It had stopped at my wrists for a bit then took over the top of my hands. Then upto my first knuckle. It seems to have stopped here. My lower torso took a bad beating. For the first time since Jan, the last week seemed to see some improvement. By improvement I mean my mental and physical energy levels are near normal and the colour of mys skin ( Indian) which was full on red/purple is slowly returning to normal. The itch is minimal. My skin became and still is very sensitive. If my nail brushes against my arm for instance it feels like I have scaped it against a piece of glass. Based on my experience I would suggest copious amounts of vaseline and skin creams at least twice a day .If you take Pred. expect some water retention. My ankles are still pretty solen. One good thing at least for me I have had no physical pain. As the rash dies down it is replaced with blobs of red patches. Apparently this is capillary leakage and should pass. You can tell them by pressing on them and the blood does not recede from the area. I have quite a few on my legs thighs and forearms. My next appt with dermatolgist is in a few days and if you want I will let you know what the prognosis is. If I can be of any assistance let me know and I do hope your attack passes without as much angst mine has caused me.

I, also had a reaction with Shingrix. in October . The itching and rash was horrible. Went to emergency room. Was told to take Benadryl (2) plus Tylenol (1). I just endured shingles reaction for months. Has subsided. Now I have hives on 3/4 of my face. I wonder if there is a connection between hives and reaction to Shingrix. Ideas??I am allergic to wheat. On gluten free diet.

how did u keep the itch under control? did u use vaseline ? Did your rash change into blobs of red just under the skin. There is precious little info on this side effect of the vax. Hope to hear back. Mike