Who advised you to have the pharmacist give you the
shot? Dr.? Insurance Company? I didn't know they
could even legally do that. I know here when they
have the flu shot clinics at Pharmacies, or wherever,
there are always Medical personnel there.

Or did I misunderstand?

LOL I have a brother-in-law who is a Pharmacist, and I
sure wouldn't want him giving me a shot.

Just wanted to add - that last was a joke, people.

Please don't jump all over me for being mean to
Pharmacists.

I had mine in December of 2008, so I don't remember a lot of details. I had called my insurance company to find out what I had to do. Dr gave me the prescription in Sep without my having to go in. NO local pharmacy had the vaccine. It has to be refrigerated at all times. They first told me it would be 5 to 6 months, but it came in mid-Dec. Drugstore wouldn't administer.

Insurance had said I'd have to pay 20% of vaccine and my copay to the doctor to administer. It ended up that I didn't have to pay anything.

Shirley

One of our local pharmacies administers shingles vaccine and seasonal flu shots. The pharmacist gives the shots. They have a large sign that advertises the vaccines. I got mine about 3 years ago. I had to have my M.D. fax them a prescription for the vaccine and I paid a $48 copay. That was before I had Medicare.

"It has to be refrigerated at all times."

No. The reason the shingles vaccine is so difficult to obtain is that it has to be kept FROZEN - not just refrigerated. Lots of pharmaceuticals need to be refrigerated. This is common. Many pharmacies are just not set up with freezers and don't want to invest in them. There are so many medication requiring refrigeration that every pharmacy has refrigerators already.

Not all states allow pharmacists to administer vaccines and those that do have different rules governing the procedure. Some require that a pharmacist have a doctor on call and certain patients must get them from a doctor no matter what, due to their prevailing medical conditions.

Yes, it was the insurance company rep who suggested that I get the shot at the pharmacy. He had a list of pharmacies that do this, and it turned out that none of them do it. I found only one pharmacy in the entire city of Scranton that carries the vaccine, but they don't administer it. One of the pharmacies on the insurance company's list doesn't even exist.

Kinda reinforces my faith in insurance companies....

After a run around I got mine at the pharmacy. I had the RX and called my doctors office to set an appt . When I went out to get the shot ,they told me I had to go to the drug store where it's frozen and bring it back to them to administer. I went to the Rite Aid where they said they didn't have it but would get it. But they never let it leave the drugstore and will administer it there. A few days later, they did call and I got it there. Totally no problem w/ soreness and after effects and it's for life. It was free except for a small co- pay, or maybe we didn't even have to pay that..I forget.

You're right, it is frozen, not refrigerated. That was why I stated that I didn't remember all the details. Thanks for correcting my misstatement.

Shirley

DH and I got ours at the local health dept. We had to put our names on a list and they called a few months later and told us what time to go. The cost was minimal--seems like $20. We've known people that got shingles and we would have been willing to pay just about any price for the shot.

I wonder how they inject something frozen.

Is it a big shot that makes your arm hurt and you don't feel good after?

My sister saw her neighbor with shingles, then she got the shot and called and begged me to get it as well.

I hate injections of any kind--I'm such a baby about it.

I think I read that the shot does not provide full protection, right? You can still get shingles?

Susan

P.S. I didn't get a flu shot either.

We have Medicare as primary insurance and a secondary with Aetna that picks up the 20% Medicare doesn't pay. Medicare would not cover the Zostravax, but Aetna paid the entire cost because it falls under their 'preventive' coverage. (They also cover annual physicals, whereas Medicare does not.)

Our MD submitted the Zostravax bill to Medicare. Medicare refused it but forwarded it to Aetna. Aetna paid 100%.

Susan, can you call your insurance again and explain that none of the pharmacies on the company list will vaccinate you? You might also ask your state dept. of health.

We got this under our old plan since the new one, Geisinger ,didn't cover it. It's a dreadful disease and I'd pay anything not to get it. Members of my family have had it and one went blind in one eye. And I got two flu shots this year too. The shingle vaccine is thawed first but had to be given w/in 10 minutes.

Thanks for the reminder. I hit 60 in January and my insurance covers the shot. I just keep forgetting to call for an appt.

I may check into this and see if our insurance covers any of it. I have had shingles a few years back. Mine was not too bad, bad enough though.

Sue

I have been meaning to get one but haven't. Meanwhile my SIL got the shingles, she said it was awful, very painful and still hurt even when the rash was gone. My Safeway had a sign outside saying they had the shingles vaccine, I noticed it awhile ago, don't even know if it's still there.

My dad got the shingles vacaccine a few years ago. The doctor/or nurse asked it he would like to have it, said ok and got it that day. But what he didn't know or was told medicare nor insurance covered it. They had a PPO plan. He was sent a bill for about $350.00. Also, I am pretty sure he told me he was supposed to get a booster in 6-12 months also. He was almost 70 then and it was never suggested before. I told him they probably had some they had to use up before it expired.

I think this pdf file from cdc might answer a lot of your questions on whether or not to get the shingles vaccine. I spent a lot of time online looking up info prior to making my own decision.

Shirley

Here is a link that might be useful: CDC info on shingles

There is no booster shot that I know of. One shot for life. Doesn't fully protect but if you get shingles it will be mild.

"Kinda reinforces my faith in insurance companies...."

Just wait until the government takes over your health care. ;)
See how much faith you have then.

No....no shingles vaccine for me. I don't do vaccines but I have been considering getting a tetanus shot because my friend had two or three raccoons come down with it, and I take care of them sometimes.

We cannot have the vaccine. DH has cancer, on meds, heart problems and diabetis. Our Dr said NO way. Also the cancer dr said NO. I am the primary caretaker and both along with his cardiolgist said no way.

Marie -- Why wouldn't the vaccine be good for YOU to have. If you got shingles it could be impossible for you to care for your DH.

Chisue, I was thinking of calling the Dept. of Health. When I used to get flu shots, I always got them there (for free).

I spoke with my doctor's nurse, and she told me the info I got from the insurance company was wrong (no kidding!). She said I can pick up the vaccine from the pharmacy, take it right to the doctor's office, and get the shot. The doctor's office will bill the insurance company, and accept whatever payment they get.

I don't know what Marie's answer will be regarding why she shouldn't get the vaccine, but I read that the vaccinated person shouldn't be in close proximity to a vulnerable person for a period of time. (I don't know how long.)

Marilyn, I don't think of myself as a vaccine person either, but I decided to get this shot after reading on the KT about how serious shingles can be (blindness, etc.). Then before I got the shot I came down with a case of shingles myself in October. It wasn't as bad as some, thanks to getting an anti-viral fairly quickly, and I didn't get the blisters. But I had enough pain to make sleep impossible, and was out of work for two weeks. I feel good about my decision to get this vaccine.

Shirley, thanks for the link. I'll go read it.

My family has a history of shingles. My aunt went blind in one eye and was hospitalized, my mother and three cousins had it. My pharmacy will not let the vaccine leave their premise because it has to be given immediately after thawed. They billed my insurance co. and I didn't pay anything. I think it cost a few hundred dollars. I always get flu shots and this year had to get the two. One really made my arm ache ,but the shingles one was a piece of cake. Pharmacist made me sit there for 10 minutes. Don't know why.

I got my shingles vaccine last fall: DH had shingles in october, on one side of his middle, from belly button to back and he has been dealing with Post Herpetic Neuralgia, HPN, ever since; after the shingles rash is gone, the after pain (HPN) can persist for as much as a year, it doesn't happen to everyone but the risk is high.

From what I understand, the shingles vaccine removes 60% of the odds of getting it. I highly recommend it after seeing how much my husband has struggled with this.

This is the info I found for Medicare:

UPDATED May 2009

All Medicare Part D plans cover the shingles vaccine. The amount of cost-sharing for vaccination varies by plan.

Medicare Part B does not cover the shingles vaccine. If your patient has private insurance or Medicaid, their plan may or may not cover the vaccine; have them contact their insurer to find out.

Here is a link that might be useful: CDC

After watching more than one person I know suffer with shingles, I could not wait to get it. It cost me almost $200 and my doctor gave it to me. Well worth it in my opinion.

If you've had shingles can you get them again? My brother and I both had them in our 30s.

Maura, yes, you can definitely get shingles again.

I'm about to call the Dept. of Health, and unless they come up with a more economical offer I plan to pick up the vaccine this afternoon and get the shot at my doctor's office, which is right across the street from where I work.

I got the shingles shot a couple of years ago at my Dr.'s office. My ins. and Medicare paid for it. Now the only ones available are at the public health office.

Well, it turns out that my public health department doesn't have it. So I'm proceeding with Plan B. :-)

Hmmm. Wonder if I am a candidate for the vaccine, having had shingles already... (I am in my mid-40s, so perhaps it wouldn't be covered by insurance...)

Good Luck, Alisande

The vaccine is recommended for individuals at age 60 therefore most insurance won't cover it unless you're old enough.

I am not quite sure why the Dr said no to me about the shot, but even the cancer Dr. said no--maybe it is the type of cancer DH has or he is on chemo every 3 month, or he has severe breathing problems and I do have high blood pressure. But when 3 specialist said no, guess that was good enough for me.

Glad you had a 'Plan B', Susan!

I still don't understand the medical advice in Marie's situation. Seems to me she should get the shot. If she gets shingles, she could be seriously ill. If her DH has never had chickenpox, he could get it from her shingles -- could catch anything easily with a chemo-compromised immune system. (Maybe neither of them ever had chickenpox? You can't get shingles if you've never had the pox, AFAIK.)

Hmmm.....now I'm less certain about why the doctors said no to Marie. I just read this from the Cleveland Clinic:

Diabetes, hypertension, chronic renal failure, coronary artery disease, chronic lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other medical conditions are not considered contraindications to the vaccine.

And this from the Immunization Action Coalition:

Can a person who has received the vaccine infect others with this virus?

No. It is safe to be around infants and young children, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems after you get the shingles vaccine. Transmission of the chickenpox virus from a person who has received the shingles vaccine has never been documented. Some people who get the shingles vaccine will develop a chickenpox-like rash near the place where they were vaccinated. As a precaution, this rash should be covered until it disappears.

So I'm guessing the doctors know something about the specific circumstances that we don't.

Hmmm.....now I'm less certain about why the doctors said no to Marie. I just read this from the Cleveland Clinic:

Diabetes, hypertension, chronic renal failure, coronary artery disease, chronic lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other medical conditions are not considered contraindications to the vaccine.

Alisande....the medical conditions themselves are not contra-indicative, but some of the main DRUGS that treat those conditions are drugs that suppress the immune system, and therefore make the person who takes those drugs open to harm from a live vaccine.

I presume there was more to the response than just what was repeated...I would suspect better from the Cleveland clinic.
As is...it is totally irresponsible.

I was at my Dr's today, and he agreed that, because of my drugs for RA, that I should not think about the vaccine.

Please, never tell anyone not to listen to their doctor regarding vaccines.

From the Mayo clinic and other resources:
The shingles vaccine isn't recommended if you:
Are receiving immune system-suppressing drugs such as steroids, adalimumab (Humira), infliximab (Remicade), etanercept (Enbrel), radiation or chemotherapy.\

The drugs above are used to treat many conditions, including RA.

Monica, you're preaching to the choir. :-)

I'm a big believer in being our own medical advocates, doing our own research, and not being afraid to question a doctor's order. (And still I've had numerous unsatisfactory experiences.....)

Perhaps the doc told Marie not to get the vaccine because it is a live virus and she could possibly transmit it to her DH, who has a compromised immune system.
Why take the chance?

No, there are many drugs that she might be taking that could put her in danger if she got the vaccine.
Google "Shingles vaccine and drug contraindications".

No,haven't discuss it with my Dr. Will ask about it on next visit.

I got it as soon as I turned 60. Well, actually, I had to wait until my doctor's office had it in stock. That was my first doctor visit of the new year, so it came out of my deductible, otherwise the insurance would have covered most of it. DH has to wait until he turns 60.

I agree with the others. Compared to having shingles, the cost is worth it. Why take the chance?