COVID Vaccine and Shingrix shots

Posted by ronindoman @ronindoman, Jan 13, 2021

I am having my first Shingrix shot for shingles next week and about a week later my COVID (Moderna) vaccine shot.Is that OK as far as any possible synergistic effect ?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

@ronindoman, I just finished listening to Dr. Gregory Poland talk about that in this podcast. I highly recommend you go the following link.
Podcasts>Expert updates on COVID-19 vaccines
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/podcasts/newsfeed-post/expert-updates-on-covid-19-vaccines/

I had my Shingrix vaccine several years ago, and am now waiting for the COVID-19 Vaccine to become available in my neighborhood.

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@ronindoman. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. This is a great question. I had this concern too when I had my Shingrix after I had my tetanus and Td shot and then a flu shot. And I did. What happened was that my immune system was very stressed and I felt horrible with some neurologist reactions in my left hand for a while.

If I were you I would give at least 2 weeks or more in-between the two. The two shouldn't be synergistic but since your body will be introduced to a brand new element you might feel your immune system the way I did. Or you might not feel anything. Have you checked with your doctor?

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@naiviv

If an individual had a reaction to the 2nd dose of the Shingles vaccine can a Covid vaccine should be administered?

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Hello, we are a community of people with a wide variety of conditions who support each other in our journeys. We are not medical professionals and cannot provide medical advice.
This is a question that is serious enough to be addressed to your primary care provider (PCP) who will probably want to consult with a vaccine specialist.
The Covid vaccine is too new for there to be wide experience among providers to answer the question.
Good luck, and stop back to let us know what you are advised.
Sue

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If an individual had a reaction to the 2nd dose of the Shingles vaccine can a Covid vaccine should be administered?

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I am male over 50 with heart, kidney, arthritic, & allergic conditions as well as overweight & no excercise. I had my 1st Shingles vaccination last 3/5/21 and I suffered awful flu-like symptoms for 2.5 days! I treated that with 3 doses of acetaminophen PM, hydration & plenty of bed rest. I then had my 1st Pfizer anti covid-19 vaccination on 4/10/21 and just had muscle ache around the injection site which i treated with an ice pack and a single dose of acetaminophen. The aching lasted almost two days. I had my 2nd Pfizer dose on 5/1/21 but only had very, very slight muscle soreness around the injection site & mostly forgot about it. I felt no change in my health since then.

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@bmaquino

I am male over 50 with heart, kidney, arthritic, & allergic conditions as well as overweight & no excercise. I had my 1st Shingles vaccination last 3/5/21 and I suffered awful flu-like symptoms for 2.5 days! I treated that with 3 doses of acetaminophen PM, hydration & plenty of bed rest. I then had my 1st Pfizer anti covid-19 vaccination on 4/10/21 and just had muscle ache around the injection site which i treated with an ice pack and a single dose of acetaminophen. The aching lasted almost two days. I had my 2nd Pfizer dose on 5/1/21 but only had very, very slight muscle soreness around the injection site & mostly forgot about it. I felt no change in my health since then.

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Hello @bmaquino and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for joining to share your experience with both the Shingles vaccine and Pfizer vaccines. That is wonderful to hear that you were able to weather the symptoms and come out fully vaccinated!

Were you skeptical going into one or both vaccines?

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On one hand, I did a Shingles vaccine 15 days ago. On the other, much more than 6 months after 2nd pfizer vaccine have gone by. I want to
Do the covid booster shot, is it time to do so or do I have to wait longer?.. on short, is there a wait time between shingles first shot an covid booster?

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@bernardo9

On one hand, I did a Shingles vaccine 15 days ago. On the other, much more than 6 months after 2nd pfizer vaccine have gone by. I want to
Do the covid booster shot, is it time to do so or do I have to wait longer?.. on short, is there a wait time between shingles first shot an covid booster?

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I would specifically discuss with your doctor. We had decided to get my annual flu shot first then in one month which lined up with my 3rd shot Pfizer booster (which kicked my but for five days...3 more days than the first two but am grateful to be fully vaccinated) and then waited at least 4 weeks before getting my first of two shingles shot which only gave me a painful arm. I can get my second shingles shot two months past the first one.

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@bernardo9

On one hand, I did a Shingles vaccine 15 days ago. On the other, much more than 6 months after 2nd pfizer vaccine have gone by. I want to
Do the covid booster shot, is it time to do so or do I have to wait longer?.. on short, is there a wait time between shingles first shot an covid booster?

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The CDC previously recommended people wait 14 days after the COVID-19 vaccine before getting other vaccines. Recommendations have been updated. CDC officials now say it’s OK to get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as other vaccines.

If you have recovered from the shingles vaccine, you should be ready for the booster shot. I agree with @tolson24 that you might wish to confirm with your doctor especially you have any underlying conditions.

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As I recall Blood Banks offer specific time frames for when one can donate blood after receiving various vaccinations. I presume they want “clean” units of blood (& don’t want to diminish your vaccination’s effectiveness?).

Those standardized rules might help provide rules of thumb: If they will collect your blood for the community, you’re good to go ... but I wouldn’t recommend running out & getting vaccinated just following your donation!

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