Hi,
I’ve been a stranger here for quite some time. My PsA has been well under control since starting Enbrel 7/2014, and I really don’t have many ailments associated with PsA to discuss.
My question is, how do you feel about the Shingrix vaccine? My doctors have been pushing it for years, but I’m hesitant about it. Are the rewards worth the risks? I’ve had all the COVID boosters and had no ill effects from them. I also get a flu vaccine every year with no SEs. I’ve heard the Shingrix vaccine can have some severe SEs, so I just wanted to check in to see how y’all have done with it.
I had the shingrix vaccine series (two vaccines, 2-6 months apart) last year. The first one was more or less fine, with just a sore arm. The second one I had on a Saturday morning and wasn’t feeling myself again until Monday morning. I ran a fever and felt miserable.
I will take that ANY day over having shingles. As you’re probably aware, shingles can cause long lasting/permanent nerve pain, has the potential to damage vision, etc.
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Short term pain, long term gain ?
IMHO, it was worth it. My side effects were similar to Stoney’s. One shot only gave me a sore arm, the other made me really tired and cranky feeling, but only for a day.
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I got the first Shingrix just before Covid hit. I was in bed for a day with flu like symptoms. I postponed the second shot during Covid and still haven’t t had it. I probably have to start over as it’s been almost two years. I was warned that the second jab kicks like a mule!
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I haven’t been offered it yet. But I would take it if it meant I can never have shingles. A couple of days feeling grotty is a decent compromise I think.
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I have just had my second shot and had the same effects as already mentioned. However, I had shingles last year and the discomfort from the second shot didn’t come close to the agony I experienced. I had residual nerve pain for at least 9 months. It is better to take the protection!
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I have the same results to report. Got both shots, several months apart. Main issue was injection site pain for the first shot. Second one no issues (because the first one hurt I dreaded the second, but it wasn’t as bad as the first for me). No side effects, sickness, etc. No triggering PsA. It was fine.
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I’m on mtx injections and sulphasalsine. I had both shingrix shots. No issues at all. My brother got shingles a couple years ago, not pretty. I got my shots shortly after that.
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Anyone know what the maximum time is you can go between the first and the second Shingrex shots?
6 months pharmacist said. I had the 2 injections. 1st flu like symptoms 2nd minimum. I know 3 people that have had shingles one almost lost her vision. Shingles was at front of head.
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Many years ago I had shingles just a few months after I finished chemo and before the PsA woke up. It was awful! And the Postherpetic Neuralgia was, in a way, even worse. I was prescribed GABAPENTIN for probably a couple of years, and it did seem to help. But even now, 20 yrs later, I will still get those jolts of electricity feeling thing down my back. Ugh! If Shingrix had been available back then I would have been all over it like a cheap suit!
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Thanks and welcome here @dovemaster57! We hope that you will find what you need as you navigate the wealth of accumulated knowledge from a whole bunch of us at various points on the PsA journey!
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I took it when I was switching meds. Shingles is a really painful disease and I didn’t want to risk getting it. If you had chicken pox you already carry the virus. Getting the vaccine means one less thing to worry about.
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Thanks for all the info and encouragement. It helps to know so many people with our disease so well following the Shingrix vaccines!
I had the same experience as most. The first one hurt my arm and the second approx 12 hours later I was hit with something and 12 hours after that I was hungry and back to normal.
I have been in contact with a few friends and family members who have shingles and like the ad says Shingles doesn’t care!!!
I was scheduled for a Shingrix vaccine when I was diagnosed with Shingles on March 2, 2023. I barely knew I had it. I took L-Lysine 3 days in a row when I noticed a 1" spot on my rear while I waited for my doctor’s appt. By the time I saw him, it was dried up. He still put me on Valtrex, took me OFF Mtx and by the end of that week, it was entirely gone.
I know my results are not typical. I have super healthy vegan friend who had it BAD, and my MIL (rest her soul) had it up her side at age 85 using Lidocaine patches.
Now I’m told I must wait 6-8 months before my Shingrix vaccine.