I've seen people suffer from shingles and decided that $200 was a small price to pay to prevent that agony and got the shot. Maybe the doctor would let you pay in installments.

Yes, it was, I think, $270 for mine. My insurance paid about a fourth of it, but I felt it was important for me to get it.

let it ride its course... and it can be excrutiatingly painful. I agree with fran. I'd save up for that puppy. I can't remember if I had chicken pox, but I dont' think I had them. If I did, I'd get it. I watched my ex suffer. Wonder if he can get that now or is it too late? Gotta go check!

Like Fran said, that is a small price to pay to avoid a severe case of shingles. My brother-in law was in such pain (and he is no cry baby)that he went to the ER. It has been 6 months now and he is still feeling the after affects and possibly will never fully get over it.

The cost for dh and I was $217 each at Walgreens. Fortunatly for us, insurance covered it, but after hearing about brother-in laws woes we would have gladly paid the price. If you can possibly afford it, do it.

Not everyone who had chicken pox knows it--my younger dsis had such a light case (only one pock) that my mom wouldn't have known it WAS chicken pox but for the fact my other sister and I came down with them 10 days later. DB, never had a diagnosed case of 'the pox' but he had shingles last year. He, too must have had a very light, unnoticed case of them at some point.

My dr. has recommended the vaccine, but after reading up on it, and because of the price, I've decided to hold off a bit. It's only reported to be 50% effective at best. Reactions (although usually mild) are very common. You can't be around children after getting it--or you can give them chicken pox. They don't know if it will offer longterm protection or if boosters will be necessary (doesn't that scream that longterm testing hasn't really been done yet?) And I really cannot understand how this one works. If having CP in your system is the cause of shingles, how does adding MORE of the infection help? I get how vaccines in general work, but not this one--until it makes sense to me, and is more effective, I think I'll hold off getting it. I know shingles is a real and painful problem, but IRL, I have only known TWO people who have gotten it. That's not a lot, and at my age, most of my friends and relatives are elderly. I think a lot of this hype is to sell something very expensive that's often not covered by insurance. A little fear goes a long way toward moving that kind of merchandise.

A few years back I had shingles and I was sick at least a week before I broke out. I had been to the doctor two times and on the second time I told her, I think I am getting shingles. First time I had an allergy, the doctor said and the second time I had a virus, so when I got home after visiting the doctor, I saw a small pox on my forehead and called her. She got me an antivirus prescription which I got right away and I ended up having a very mild case. I thought I had shingles as my scalp felt very odd, like nerve burning or something like that. I would recommend the vaccine as my husband had it really bad on his head and my Mother really really suffered with hers on her private parts, it lasted for months and months for her. Mine, about a week after I had the prescription.

Sue

Jasdip, are you sure your insurance doesn't cover part of it? I paid $45 for my shingles vaccine.

As for the three-day comment, when I had shingles the pain started on a Wednesday. By Friday it felt so serious that I reluctantly went to the doctor. I was seen by his nurse practitioner, who said she thought I had an abscessed colon. I didn't think so, but I filled the prescription for antibiotics she gave me.

The next night I was in so much pain that I went to the ER at 3:00 a.m. I was there for hours while they performed more tests than I ever would have agreed to if I hadn't been hurting so much. At one point I saw myself in a mirror. I looked as though I had aged 20 years overnight from the pain.

No diagnosis from all that, so on Monday I went back to the doctor. I saw him this time, and he diagnosed shingles. We scrapped the antibiotics and he started me on an anti-viral, which helped enormously. Even so, I was out of work for two weeks.

my only consolation azzalea, is that if the stress I've had the past five years has triggered it nothing will. Yea, yea, that's the ticket.

;)

Fear tactics or whatever,get the shot-do not let the $$ aspect of it stand in the way

"I" still have them-a mean mothering dose of them-I've been "sick" with the more than excruciating pain,itch, temperature and general feeling of unwell now since the 18th of August-I have nerve damage on my back becuz of them,and they still are a wee bit scabby and itchy.

I too,went to the doc,about 3 days after that god awful pain started;BUT,I didnt have anything to see,so you know,it just can't be shingles.

So,money or no money,I didn't get anything preventative for them at all.

I was to the hospital as well with them-twice.

The ONLY thing that gave me any relief at all was my Homeopathic remedies,which stopped that pain.

Mine started at the spine-bra strap level,and wrapped right around to my right breast and up it.

Nothing to fool with people-it hurts like a bas$%^&.

I paid $7.00 for my shot .My insurance covered the rest.

In the next few years I will be getting the vaccine. After seeing someone I know suffer from pain that even morphine wouldn't help there is no way I would want to go through that. He had shingles so bad on his side and waist area that he could only tolerate wearing a bathrobe and if he had to go out putting clothes on made him suffer even more. His shingles were long term but thankfully he can get out and about now.

My sisters who both had cancer also had an outbreak of shingles.

Preventing possible pain and suffering or managing to find the money to pay for the vaccine, I would pay the money.

Anne

When DH and I got our shingles vaccines, our Medigap (supplementary) insurance paid for it. Now, Medicare Part D is mandated to cover such vaccinations.

If you have ANY health insurance, ask if the shingles vaccine is covered, at least in part. (You may have to pay a fee to have the shot administered.)

I had one mild case -- right front quadrant of my head. It was diagnosed within the 72-hour timeframe for anti-herpes meds to be effective. It still lasted three weeks, but was merely an annoyance. (My outbreak was definitely stress-related.)

If you have to pay for the shot, think about what you can do without that would add up to $200. IMO this is like 'insurance': You don't expect to have an accident, and the insurance may not cover all your costs, but you buy insurance anyway.

My SO is about 4 weeks into his first bout of shingles. On his chest and back.
He is so stoic, I dont know exactly how bad it hurts, but enough for him to take advil every 2 hours all day, stop at the store to buy more, and even asked me for a sleeping pill a few times.
He even mentioned going to the dr a couple times...So I know it must be bad.
He said he was getting a shot as soon as it clears up....we'll see what he says about the price!

It's horrible thing to get so I got the shot a few years ago which cost over $200 but my insurance paid for the whole thing. Husband got one too. We had to get it at our Rite Aid, and I had absolutely no side affects, not even a sore arm. Every relative on my maternal side of the family had shingles, and for one aunt it was devastating. She had to be hospitalized and lost the vision in one eye. My mother had a mild case. I would never risk getting it and even if my insurance didn't pay , I would not have hesitated.

wow..never knew how pricey it was but dh got a case on the face! havn't a clue of dr has ever given him a shot or not...3 of my 4 kids had cp, but only the twins wwere really bad! poor babies it was bad enough i almost didn't want touch them..i kept them in a oatmeal bath as much as possible, and thank goodness no scarring that i remember...ds1 never did get anything! dd1 was very mild..

Shop around, for prices. Just before I retired I had very good ins. and asked the DR. about it. Was not sure if I had had the pox, so she did a test. They didn't have the stuff in the office so she wrote a scrip and I went to Safeway to get it.After the insurance the bill was still $200.00 Other places had the same,or near price. I ended up a few months later at the DR's office where I payed no copay. I have watched a lot of people with it, and it is not nice, and even caused my brother-inlaw pass (from heart issues) faster.

The immunization tricks your immune system into thinking it is the chicken pox virus even thought it is NOT the virus. Then your immune system builds up resistance to the chicken pox virus. No immunization is 100% effective because everyone's immune system is particular to that person...some work better than others. If you had chicken pox as a child some of the virus is still dormant and hidden in your nerve cells...if your immune system becomes weakened for any reason including old age then the virus can activate and cause the shingles. I;m sure if your google shingels a good explaination will be there.
Joann

After I saw my significant other deal with shingles for 4 months, I decided the $170 cost for the vaccine was a bargain. In addition to the pain, I also found that, if the shingles is in the vicinity of your nose, cheek, or forehead, your chances of developing something called ocular shingles increases to about 40 percent. Ocular shingles is a very serious condition that can permanently affect your eye health. Vision problems can include blurry vision, lack of sensation in the eye, and temporary or permanent blindness.

That was enough for me to make my mind up.

Salgal, my 85 yr old neighbor had shingles last summer, she had anti-viral med, prednisone, pain medicaton - her doctor told her to wait 6 months after the outbreak and then get the shot - so even if you've had shingles, apprently there is still benefit to the vaccine. The six months would be up next month.

Your SO may want to check into the timing, I don't know if she was given those instructions due to her later age or not.

I got my shingles vaccine when I was 64. My co-pay was $48. Worth every penny of it. I saw my mom and others suffer with shingles over the years.It can be horribly painful and last for months.

I got the shingles vaccine last summer. The cost @ the local pharmacy was $186 & our insurance paid 100%.

I just got one and my Blue Cross completely covered it. I have heard too many horror stories of the pain that is associated w/them so was ready to pay it myself if necessary.

DH and I have talked about getting it now that we are over 60. I checked into it when Walgreens started giving it but here you have to have a script for it and the Medical Clinic that is the monopoly in this town will not write scripts for it to be given by any other place. The price at Walgreen was about $225 and at the clinic $345, I think. And - the clinic will not file insurance for it. I found out that I can pay upfront and then file myself with my insurance. That is what we were planning on doing before the end of the year but today I was at the clinic for my flu shot and someone I know who works the front desk told me the clinic had "applied' to be able to file the insurance. The reason they wouldn't write scripts for someone else to give it was that they couldn't control the care of the vaccine and would be held responsible if something happened. They won't file insurance now because it is considered a prescription.

Hopefully we will make it till the beginning of the New Year till they do file or we might get it anyways. I know someoone who has had Shingles multiple times and she even gets them internally.

Just a waarning: my brother got shingles on his face and eye. It destroyed the vision in that eye. Several years ago I had terrible pain in my upper leg; went to my doctor twice in 3 days and on the second visit he saw the beginning of the rash. The antiviral meds stopped the blisters from forming but I really suffered with the pain for seven weeks! I was no able to sleep at night without taking vicodan for the pain. Several months after I recovered, I took the vaccine shot to prevent a recurrence of shingles. At that time, insurance companies were not covering it and it cost me 200 dollars, but I didn't care. I would spend ten times that amt. to prevent shingles.

She

Not to hijack this but at what age do they recommend getting the vaccine? I'll be 50 on my next b-day. Is that too early?

Also, I've been told that they can do a blood test to determine if you had chickenpox. Does anyone know if that is true?

Scissors, it's available for people 50 and over. Used to be 60, but they lowered the age some time back.

I meant to add to Mboston that I'm surprised you needed a script. I wonder if this is something determined by individual states. When I researched an article for the newspaper last year, I read that no prescription is necessary. That was the case when I got my own vaccine too.

I've been advisesd by my insurance agent to get both the flu and shingles vaccinations at a pharmcy. For example, Walgreen's is half the price of a doctor's ofice visit and the insurnace coveage is the same for either one. My insurance pay the same amount at either place and is not 100% coveage.

Getting vaccines at pharmacies is cheaper than at the dr. office. Doctors charge you for a vaccine and again to administer it. I paid over $100 at my doctor's office to get my whopping cough vaccine, which Medicare did not cover and my doctor said I had to have since I was around infants.

I could say that I visited my doc for a pain in the ass ... but there wasn't any pain ... on Tuesday. He said that it was likely a prolapsed haemhoroid(sp), and not to worry.

Also some concern with recent increase in arthritic issue, for which he recommended some O T C product that helps substantially some people who are dealing with it.

I asked about shingles vaccine. He said only recently out, cost $160.00 (not covered by our medical services) ... and only effective about 50% of the time ... though he referred to someone who'd had it in his eye, he sounded very little enthused about it.

He did say that it was important for one to get one's (rear end - my expression) in to the doc within three days in order to get treatment that would go a long way toward mitigating the major deleterious results.

Got my (free) flu shot, though.

ole joyful

I could say that I visited my doc for a pain in the ass ... but there wasn't any pain ... on Tuesday. He said that it was likely a prolapsed haemhoroid(sp), and not to worry.

Also some concern with recent increase in arthritic issue, for which he recommended some O T C product that helps substantially some people who are dealing with it.

I asked about shingles vaccine. He said only recently out, cost $160.00 (not covered by our medical services) ... and only effective about 50% of the time ... though he referred to someone who'd had it in his eye, he sounded very little enthused about it.

He did say that it was important for one to get one's (rear end - my expression) in to the doc within three days in order to get treatment that would go a long way toward mitigating the major deleterious results.

Got my (free) flu shot, though.

ole joyful

Alisande - maybe it is determined by the state. I just know that here in our area, Walgreens will give it but you need a script for it and I have been told the same is true at Publix (a local grocery store with pharmacy) and at CVS.

There are independent doctors that will write the script - like at a walk in clinic but then you have their fees for a visit and if its not in your insurance plan, you pay for that.

This one large medical clinic in our town has long time had a monopoly on providing medical care - has (had) a good reputation for its doctors. About 10 years ago, they tried to go into business with our regional hospital to build a cancer center in town. All of a sudden, they started demanding the hospital foot the bill for the building and equipment and they would "manage it and hire the doctors." The two had a falling out and each built its own cancer center. I know all about this since my husband works in Radiation Therapy in the hospital owned cancer center. The hospital is not for profit and of course the clinic is not so they send all their non paying cancer patients to where my husband works and the paying insured patients stay with them.

Its the same with the vaccine - they want the money - more than the amount charged by the other places and they don't want to file the insurance, whereas the other places would.
For us, we can afford to pay upfront and be reinbursed, but how many others don't have that luxury and perhaps are too young for Medicare.

We will get it - hopefully before we get shingles!

Mine was free. I live in the USA.