Side Effects of Shingles Vaccine

@loribmt thank you for your support. I have Stg IV cervical. I am very grateful that I am still going strong after 13 years and still working!

@dianeholsborg We have a wonderfully supportive Gynecological Cancer group. I think your story of having cervical cancer for 13 years and still going strong would be so inspirational for others!
There are several members with cervical cancer and this particular discussion started a few years might be a good place to get started. Please feel free to join into any conversation.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/stage-iv-cervical-cancer/
This link will take you directly to the Gynecological Cancer support group.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/gynecologic-cancer/
You’ve obviously had some great medical care. What type of treatment have you had for your cervical cancer?

@grandmira But as I said in my post, the experts tell us that people who *don't* have a severe reaction still acquire immunity. The bad reaction is not necessary for immunity. If you feel better for having a reaction, that's great, but I don't. I wondered (see above) whether they can find a way to screen people for their reaction tendencies, or calibrate doses differently for different people.
*I did not express general opposition to vaccines.*

@russet3 No worries didn’t occur to me you were antivac. Everyone reacts differently to vaccines, I like a reaction for reasons mentioned. It would be a good thing to have none and know that the vaccine did convey the protection we are looking for.

@grandmira Thanks for the clarification! Yes, we are all different and have different needs. Be well.

Hello, everyone. This is a follow-up to my post of Feb. 20, 2026. I’ve had the second dose of Shingrix and had an equally strong reaction – muscle aches and headache early on, then continuing fatigue, lack of energy, “brain fog,” and nausea. It’s now Day 4, and while my stomach is better, the fatigue hasn’t gone away.
@brenda1944, @dianeholsborg, I hear you!

I am NOT opposed to vaccinations in general. But the side effects are a problem.

Anyway, I have some new information! This is what I can find in publicly available sources. Disclaimer: I’m not a scientist, I don’t have access to all the medical literature, and there may be more recent information that I don’t have.

About question 3 (in the earlier post): Yes, the vaccines that have bad side effects for me are different from the older ones. The older vaccines, such as Tdap, were mostly whole organisms (viruses or bacteria), either live-attenuated or killed. I didn’t have bad reactions to those. Shingrix, however, is a recombinant-DNA vaccine with adjuvants. This type may be “less immunogenic” than the older ones (see Herve article, quote and link below), so they add adjuvants (various kinds of chemicals) to strengthen your immune reaction. A lot of the immune reaction consists of inflammation in various systems, like your digestive system, or your nervous system. Hence the nausea, fatigue, etc.

So-called “high dose” flu vaccines also contain an adjuvant. They make me sick, too.

And as we all know, most of the Covid shots are mRNA vaccines, another new type. Most of those made me sick, but the last two did not (knock on wood!). Also, Covid was an entirely new disease, which confuses the picture.

So, about question 4: it’s not me; my body has not changed. The vaccines have.

About question 2: I found some minimal acknowledgment that different people react differently to all these vaccines, but I have the impression that it isn’t a high priority for research.

So - I just wish the medical profession would be more honest. I suppose they want to be reassuring, so they tell us that we might have “mild” symptoms for a couple of days. But if you do get sicker than that, it is surprising and frightening. I would much rather be told something like, “Actually, you might feel awful for 72 hours or more. It’s normal, but you should be prepared. A minority of people will even be sick for a week. We are sorry this is so unpleasant, even if we think it’s worth it.” Or tell us, “X percent of people feel fine after the shots and Y percent feel sick.” So that you know.

Thanks. Good luck and good health to all.

Sources:
https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-safety/vaccine-ingredients/types-of-vaccine-ingredients
https://iamcure.com/clinician-review-understanding-the-shingles-vaccine-side-effects-list/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-019-0132-6
Quotes:
“Subunit vaccines containing one or several purified components are usually less reactogenic than whole-cell vaccines (killed or live-attenuated) but may also be less immunogenic, thus requiring the addition of an adjuvant to restore the immune triggers. Adjuvanted vaccines have been linked to higher rates of injection-site pain and systemic symptoms…..”
“Balancing the beneficial versus the detrimental effects of these inflammatory events is necessary to keep reactogenicity at clinically acceptable levels…..”
“Reactogenicity can contribute to a person’s willingness to be vaccinated. If a vaccine is perceived as too reactogenic, the subject may refuse further doses…”
(Herve et al., in NPJ)

“The shift from live-attenuated vaccines to recombinant options has improved protection. However, this increased efficacy often comes with higher reactogenicity. We must prepare our patients for these potential immune responses…"
“The recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) utilises a specific adjuvant system. This adjuvant is designed to induce a strong cell-mediated immune response. Consequently, the local and systemic reactions are more pronounced than in non-adjuvanted vaccines.”
(Wilson, in Iamcure)