I got it because many of my relatives got shingles and one of my aunts lost an eye to the disease and was hospitalized. My mother , and three other aunts had it so I thought it was a necessary thing to do because of their suffering.

Once your insurance will pay for it your Doc will recommend you get it assuming you had chicken pox. It is different for every company. 50 sounds early for Insurance to cover it..55 is more the norm I was told. Why wouldn't you get it? I got mine, shingles can be MISERABLE.

Scott, the shingles vaccine is approved for people 50 and older, but the CDC doesn't recommend it for anyone under 60. The protection from it lasts about 5 years, so if you get it too young, it won't be effective when you are older and more at risk for shingles. Peak protection lasts about three years, and it is ineffective after 8 years. To date, there is no booster shot for it. Medicare Part B does not pay for the shingles vaccine (although Medicare Part D does), but other insurance may (or may not). My doctor always tells me whether or not she would get a vaccine before recommending that I get it. When I asked her if she would get the shingles vaccine, she said that she would, but when she was going to get it she wasn't yet 60 years old so her insurance wasn't going to pay for it. Without insurance the patient would have to pay anywhere between (approximately) $200 to $250, Then, right before she turned 60, she got the shingles! Fortunately, she had a very mild case.

Shingles is often brought on by stress. I have had severe stress for extended periods of time more than once (being the caregiver for my brother from the time he converted from being HIV+ to when he died from AIDS; dealing with a supreme witch-with-a-capital-B manager at work who denied my 3-day time off request to take care of a heart condition, etc.) and I figure that if I didn't get shingles during those times that I'm pretty "good to go" for avoiding them (knock on wood). I'm 67 and will turn 68 in less than 5 months, and since the vaccine is most effective in folks between the ages of 60 and 69, I will most likely not get the vaccine.

I did not get the vaccine-I did get the shingles when I was 55-yes,it was horrid-typical place for me for them-around the ribs from the spine to the right breast-still have them showing up-used homeopathy to treat mine as it was too late for the medical treatment when I seen my doc

Thanks Lindsey! The commercial doesn't mention age 60 or that it doesn't last forever. Probably in the fine print.

My mom got hers and also said it wasn't covered. You'd think it would or should be covered as preventative like a flu shot. Darn.

I'll wait then since it wears off.

Poor ont. sounds terrible. I really don't want it, but my relatives have had it. So I might be susceptible.

I don't, because I had a very, very mild case of shingles when I was in my 30's, I guess. It was confirmed by my doc, and I was assured that I wouldn't get it again.

aok,

There is no guarantee you won't have shingles again. Some people have shingles two or three times during their life. Since the vaccine is harmless and convenient, it's not worth risking another round of shingles.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, you can have several outbreaks during a lifetime.

I am in my 30s and I have had shingles twice now. Not fun.

I got the vaccine. Nothing is perfect but I figured why not get it?

Medicare pays for the shot - I got mine a year ago. No it's not a preventative but does lessen the effects if you are unlucky enough to get it. I had it in my early 20s and I don't want it again.

I've posted here earlier about having the vaccine but getting shingles a few years later. I am glad that I had the shot, as I think my experience with the ailment was lessened because of it. I did not break out, but had pain on one side of my head and a "covering" over my eye. This was frightening, but had it checked daily for about a week, when sight returned to normal, after use of prescription eye drops. I am still having repercussions of the shingles in that my head, eye brow and eye lid itch in that area, but it is not something that is serious. At the time I got the vaccine, I had to argue with my doctor as she was against it at the time!

I got it too. They say that if you do get it, the case will be mild. Hopefully that is true.

I never thought about it until I heard of a few people that I actually knew, who got it.

I have not gotten it yet. They cost over $200

1. The shingles vaccine is not guaranteed to protect you from getting shingles. You have a 51% lower chance of getting shingles. However, if you do get shingles after having gotten the vaccine, you will likely have a milder case than if you hadn't received the vaccine.

2. The shingles vaccine is a live vaccine made from the varicella zoster virus (the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles). However, it is made from a weakened form of the virus.

3. The most common side effects from the vaccine are redness at the injection site, pain and/or tenderness at the injection site, swelling around the injection site, and itchiness at the injection site.

4. Medicare Part A (hospitalization) and Medicare Part B (medical) DO NOT COVER THE SHINGLES VACCINE. All Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plans do cover the shingles vaccine. Medicare Part D plans are not mandatory to have, so there are folks on Medicare who would have to pay out-of-pocket for the vaccine.

5. From the Medicare.gov website:

Forgot to add that you should not get the shingles vaccine if you have had an allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin or any other component of the shingles vaccine; or if you have a weakened immune system due to HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system.

I got the shingles shot last summer and medicare would not pay for it. It was about $275.00 but the clinic gave a discount if you paid within 30 days. My doctor said he knew people who would have paid that much to NOT have had the shingles. Lol Two of my sisters had the shingles so I figured I could be next.

I got the vaccine. My county health department will administer it to persons over 60. And my BC/BS insurance paid for it ($200 I believe).

I got the vaccine because I get every other freaking skin ailment, it seems. ESPECIALLY skin cancers, extreme reaction to insect bites, and poison ivy.

Yes, I got mine. Why? Because my son got Shingles when he was 30ish, and the pain he went through was unbearable. It did leave a large red itchy rash for a few days, nothing a little ice pack couldn't fix. ;) My Shingles Vaccine Reaction (it's normal) :)

eta: My shot was free. And not because I work in a drug store. My benefits covered it 100%.

Interesting collection of experiences here. I will probably get the vaccine some years in the future.

I did have a very, very mild case in my early 40s. Moderate itching, just six eruptive bumps, and some not terrible stabbing pain. About four years later I got an even milder case. Nothing since then, thank goodness.

My understanding is that many cases of shingles occur when a person is seriously health challenged otherwise, such as in the hospital for, say, pneumonia. I think it would be so difficult to have shingles on top of some other illness.

Oh yeah, I was not ill or under any stress at the times I had shingles events. It just came out of nowhere.

I didn't know it was only good for a certain number of years. I guess I'll have to wait too. I'll turn 55 on Monday. I did have the. Chicken pox in 2nd grade. My kids were vaccinated for it, but my middle child ended up with mild chicken pox several weeks after the shot. Hoping that exposure strengthened my defense!

I'm just shaking my head in confusion.

On your eyelid? Hell no! That's terrible.

The pictures of shingles I've seen look terrible & painful. And I sure don't want it. At all.

I'm also sad and surprised it's not covered like a flu shot under preventative.

I'm always under lots of stress and it runs in my family. I'm still gonna ask my doctor about it.

I got the shingles vaccine about 5 years ago after someone close to me got it and I observed how painful it was close hand, and how long the recovery was. Before I got it, I talked to a good friend and neighbor who is an internist and she is someone I really trust as far as medical straight talk. She said that: 1) it was maybe 75% effective, and b) I should get it. She said that just because it wasn't 100% effective (and many vaccines aren't), she considered it advisable based on how commonly she saw shingles in her practice.

The shot was not covered by Medicare; my HMO charged $150 for it, but I thought that was a small price to pay for something that had 3 in 4 chance of protecting me. Two years later, I got a few itchy bumps on my back and I asked my neighbor to take a look at it. I work out in the yard every day during summer and figured it was a couple of bug bites. Doc takes one look at it and says: "You've got shingles, but it doesn't look very bad." There was no pain and the tiny bumps scabbed over and went away in a week or so. Talked to the doc again and her assessment was that the vaccine had likely prevented me from having a full blown case of shingles.

Bottomline: Glad I got the vaccine. It wasn't 100% effective for me, but I'll personally settle for 99% effective ;-)

The TV ads for the vaccine show the horrible rash but fail to mention that the worst of the shingles pain is not on the surface but deeper, where the herpes zoster virus invades major nerves.

My first case of shingles was on the left side of my back, just below the waist. I had no rash, but was in so much pain I drove myself to the ER in the middle of a Saturday night. I caught a glimpse of myself in a hospital mirror--I looked like I'd aged decades. Having been seriously over-radiated in childhood, I firmly avoid any unnecessary x-rays. But the pain weakened my defenses, and the ER doctors talked me into a CT scan with relative ease. They had no idea why I was in so much pain, and sent me home with pain pills that made me sick to my stomach.

The day before, I had gone to my doctor, who was out of town. His nurse-practitioner diagnosed the pain as an abscessed colon and prescribed Flagyl, which is risky and would have been useless for shingles. Glad I didn't fill the prescription. It wasn't until Monday, when my doctor returned, that I got the diagnosis of shingles. I was out of work for two weeks, sleeping in a chair because the pain made it impossible to lie down, and I never got the rash.

Scott, ask your doctor if you should get the shingles vaccine.

I see the same commercials on television so on my last visit I brought it up. Should I get the vaccine or not?

Because I was taking chemotherapy at the time and my immune system was compromised Doctor said NO. It's a live vaccine. Chances are I would GET shingles from the vaccine.

I didn't get the shingles vaccine. But flu shot and pneumonia vaccine were fine for me to get.

Kessala

My doctor recommended and so I got it. Even it just lessens the pain, it's worth it to me.

I had a stress-related bout over my right eye. DH had recently required antibiotics for a spider bite, and I thought that my few spots may have been the same thing, so I went to the doctor. It was shingles. Because it was caught early, I benefited from the herpes medication that is usually given for genital herpes. My shingles was quite mild.

So -- If you are not sure what some new lesions are...don't 'watch and wait'. Go to your MD. If it's shingles, treatment within 72 hours will help you.

A year after this episode (ten years ago), both my DH and I got the vaccine. No reaction. No shingles either. I was not aware that the immunity decreases to *nothing*. That may not have been known ten years ago, but it's good to know. I will not dismiss any lesions, thinking they 'can't be shingles'.

I wish people could get it earlier. My youngest son just turned 29 yesterday. He had chicken pox five times as a young child. Very severe cases each time. This was before there was a vaccine for chicken pox. I'm sure he is a ticking time bomb for shingles.

I did get it ( I think I had just turned 60). I knew 2 people at work that had AGONIZING cases of Shingles. Super miserable and super painful.......and it lasted a long time too. If it is possible to avoid- sounds like a plan.

I don't think this has been mentioned yet...

*** IMPORTANT ***

The shingles vaccine must be stored frozen, and administered right away after it is removed from the freezer. Most doctors' offices do not keep a supply on hand, but pharmacies do. You cannot get the vial at the pharmacy and then take it to your doctor's office to have someone there administer the injection.

mdln-

Thanks...good info. My Medicare didn't cover the shot, but now I understand why: I don't pay for Medicare Part D coverage

@ kudzu9, Very unfortunate Medicare Part B does not pay for it, when they cover other recommended vaccinations.

Encourage people get it before they turn 65, while they have commercial insurance.

• I doubt I'll get it. As far as I know I have never had any vaccines, but I did get a tetanus shot following a very bad horse bite. I don't know if that counts. ;)

Yes, marilyn, a tetanus "shot" is a vaccination, an immunization to protect you from disease.

Recommendations are Td booster every 10 yrs, and Tdap once, to protect you against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis.

To get Medicare part B to cover the cost of your Td/Tdap booster, you may want to request it ASAP after sustaining a wound.

marilyn-

You've never been given polio vaccine (oral)? Shots for mumps? Measles? Rubella? Flu? Varicella (Chickenpox)? to name a few...

While at the doctor for the physical just last week I inquired about pneumonia and shingles vaccines. When the home care nurses were out a few years back they pushed me hard to get both of them but when I checked then I was told I didn't qualify for either. Now the (same) doctor recommended them both. It was interesting that he said (as already mentioned) that the shingles vaccine does NOT prevent shingles although it does a slight bit of prevention. What it does do is lessen the aftereffects. However, as he described it I felt it would be valuable to get it. I got the pneumonia shot while I was there but it was interesting that he recommended NOT getting it at the clinic. He suggested getting it at a pharmacy. He said there's a lot of issues with insurance denying coverage for clinics. I'm also going to check with the insurance to make sure it's covered. A few years ago he was saying the insurance companies didn't like to cover it because it was so expensive. I guess it's relative. To me, $250-$300 isn't cost-prohibitive. Sure, I'd rather not pay it out of pocket, but for the potential benefit, I'd pay it if I had to pay it.

cynic-

I question what your doctor said about the vaccine not preventing shingles. As I noted above, I have had the shot, and I did contract a trivial case of shingles a couple of years later, so I was glad I had gotten the shot. But, I do believe that it does prevent shingles in many cases...just that it didn't do so completely in me. WebMD says it protects about half of the people who get the vaccine, and lessens symptoms for many of those who get the vaccine but still get shingles (like me): Shingles vaccine effectiveness

In addition, there was a report last year on an improved shingles vaccine that trials showed protected about 90% of adults, and had longer effectiveness. When this one is available, I'll be getting it: Experimental shingles vaccine

Received the vaccine at Costco, best price around and storage of vaccine was as recommended. Didn't know the duration of protection, thanks for information.

Meant to add, had chickenpox at 18 and was very ill. Know various people who have had terrible, terrible cases of shingles - one of whom kept the internal pain the rest of her life, pain nothing helped. I'm interest to know if I need another vaccine in 5 years? Thanks!

lovemrmwey-

They don't think the current vaccine is good for life, so I am going to consider a second shot in a couple of years when, hopefully, the newer version is available.

Terilyn, that is BIZARRE. The chicken pox vaccine is, as they all are, dead disease that increases your bodies antibodies to fight live disease. Where it is possible to have such a slight case of chicken pox one might not become immune, to have that many "sever" cases--would be most unusual, if not impossible according to generally held beliefs on disease. My son brought chicken pox home from Kdg. the year the vaccine was just being made readily available. He had maybe 10 pox. His sisters three and 6 mos got it MUCH worse. The 6 month old was COVERED. I do think he is likely not to be immune and I worry about him getting it as an adult. When I asked my doctor about the shingles vaccine she let me know it could be prohibitively expensive and that I should check with my Insurance provider. I was happy to be covered. Thank the lord for private coverage!!! I received the pneumonia shot in my 40's. I had been contracting bronchitis and or pneumonia at least twice a year and the Doc was concerned about lung damage. I was told it was unknown how long that shot was good for--they usually give it to people 65+ and most die still covered. I will likely get a booster in a few years.

"The chicken pox vaccine is, as they all are, dead disease that increases your bodies antibodies to fight live disease."

Vaccines are made from the LIVE but very much weakened virus.

Marilyn_c - The tetanus shot is very important due to bacteria from bites, punctures and cuts. With the animal rescue you do, it's likely you get quite a few. I get a shot every 10yr to stay protected against lockjaw. JMO

I probably had one when I had surgery on my broken wrist. You're right, Scott. I did get the sugar cube. No childhood vaccinations other than that. I had measles, mumps, and chicken pox. Also did not get the small pox shot that was common at the time. Neither did my husband, until he went into the Army, and then he got a lot of vaccinations. I had a very light case of chicken pox....ditto didn't get very sick. Same with the others. I don't know why I didn't get vaccinated. I don't know if there a particular reason. I remember going to the doctor twice when I was a kid. Once for an earache and once for a sore throat. I may have gone more than that before I was old enough to remember, but I remember going when I was 4 for the earache. I was about 8 for the sore throat. My mother never got sick. And she didn't believe anyone else did either. She didn't have a lot of patience. I've never had a flu shot, or the flu. I don't get sick very often either. Haven't had a cold in many years.