Side Effects of Shingles Vaccine

I have had lots of vaccines in my life, but none of them knocked me out like the Shingrix vaccine! I was sick for about a week with aheadaches (which I never get), nausea, vertigo and extreme fatigue. I tested negative for COVID, twice and had not choice but to wait it out. I have also had Shingles, which was worse than childbirth!

I got the first dose the end of January 2023. Everything was fine for the first three days. The fourth day my arm started hurting at the injection site and I started having an achy warm body feeling but no fever. That night I noticed my heart beating noticeably a bit faster as I was trying to sleep. The next day, I was feeling really off, dizzy, ringing in ears, blurry vision, palpitations, chest tightness and difficulty getting a full breath. My blood pressure spiked as high as 179/96. It is usually around 133/80. I had had a cardio stress echo the week before the vaccine. Contacted my Cardiologist who suggested that the Shingrix vaccine was driving some inflammatory reaction and that it should probably subside in a few days. It did not. Went to the ER and they did blood tests & chest xray. Some signs of anemia, off electrolytes and also really high monocytes. Saw primary care doctor who immediately seemed to want to have nothing to do with it when I mentioned what the Cardiologist had suggested - that it was related to the vaccine. He is no longer my doctor. Now a month later, still having BP spikes and trying to find a doctor that will help. Going back to Cardiologist next week.

I filed a VAERS report too, don't know if it will amount to anything. This vaccine came highly recommended from 2 doctors, but I am so sorry I got it.

I got vertigo attack 14 hrs after injecting Shingle & Covid shot at the same time. I was hospitalized for 6 days which the vertigo was mostly gone. However I still suffer from constant light headedness, dizziness and off balance after 6 weeks☹️

I was told the pneumonia shot was a one off

A friend (she is 79) got Shingles on the head and over the eye some 6 months ago. She sent me a picture of her face, and I immediately scheduled my Shingrix vaccine for beginning of January when it became free to Medicare beneficiaries. Apart from putting her good eye in danger, she is still suffering from pain. And has broken out again with the rash.
I had a sore arm for several days with the first Shingrix dose, nothing else. I had the second vaccine dose (there are two) several days ago. They advised me that people can have greater reaction with the second dose. I personally had less of a reaction - my arm was much less sore. I have been taking long hot baths to sleep better and maybe that helped with the soreness.
We were discussing whether she should get the last Covid booster a few weeks ago. She decided not to because of some suspicion that it may impact Shingles. BUT she still had the new breakout of Shingles rash. It would have been blamed on the Covid vaccine had she gotten it.
The point here is that anecdotal information is not reliable. Medical decisions should be based on need and related research by qualified medical research institutions. Unfortunately, one sees even medical personnel who don't seem to know the research.

You did well to file the VAERS report. This is how qualified research can gather data on a large scale which would never be possible in clinical trials.
With today's database technology, researchers can analyze outcomes against all kinds of patient information. A great benefit to the future of medicine.

I had the original vaccine and had terrible pain. Went to E.R. and was told I had Shingles. I said I just got the Shingles shot and was told I could still get it but it woulf be milder. I read the initial vaccine was discontinued because some people had gotten shingles after receiving the vaccine. I will not be getting any further shots for this after my last experience.

I had the first dose of shingles vaccine, yesterday, and I feel terrible today! It began with a headache yesterday evening. The headache continues even with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I also have fatigue, body aches and a slight fever. I am not looking forward to the second dose, but will do it, as shingles sounds far worse.

Unfortunately, I had shingles first. I got caught in a vaccine age transition - when I turned 50, the vaccine in place was recommended at age 60 (hence not prescribed or covered for 50 year old). I guess within a couple of years, Shingrex came & was recommended/allowed for age 50, but I didn't get the memo & fell through the cracks. So at age 55, during chemo treatments & worn down, I got shingles. As soon as able after that, I got the Shingrex vaccine because I'll tell you I DON'T WANT SHINGLES AGAIN! I won't lie and say it's a fun shot, found it a little worse than the flu vaccine. But I still got the recommended 2nd dose because the shot didn't compare to actually getting shingles. I would make sure that what you're experiencing isn't different than what's on the information/problems listed on the side effect instructions you hopefully got though, as we all react differently to vaccines. Best wished for tolerance!