I had a shingles shot when I was 60. Now I'm 62.5. What's my outlook for getting one of these new and improved shingles shots? Is it too soon after my first one? Does insurance typically pay for it? (My first one was completely covered by my BCBS.)

Will definitely check this out. Thanks.

Unlikely insurance will cover it because CDC still has to issue recommendations regarding "revaccination" with the new version.

Good for you getting it at age 60. If it were me, at age 64 and 11 months (almost 5 years post vaccination), before going on Medicare, I might have a conversation with my doc about getting it.

No idea what the cost will be.

New England Journal of Medicine link

http://www.jwatch.org/fw113323/2017/09/14/fda-advisers-recommend-approval-new-shingles-vaccine

Thank you, it's interesting to me too. DH has had a shingles shot, I have not and really should.

Are you a doctor mdln?

Interesting information, although we don't get "new" vaccinations in our house.

How long does this work for? I read somewhere the older version lasts for 5 years so you shouldn't get it in your 50's.

@ lisa_fla, that is correct and why this new vaccine may be a great development, as at 4 years it has shown to still be >87% effective.

Thank you so much for all the many ways you share your professional knowledge with us here. I turn 50 next year, so I will add this vaccine to the list along with the colonoscopy :-)

Yes I got mine at 60. I didn’t know there was a update.

If only there was an Alzheimer’s prevention shot. I really really don’t want that and it runs in my family.

What does this mean for those of us who had the other shot? 65 seems old for insurance to cover the new shot. Mine was covered at 55. Sorry to be debbie downer but all these new drugs...sometimes it is better to wait and see....I will always remember what my baby doc said--it can take DECADES and then some to really know what a chemical is doing to our bodies.....

I am 64 and got the shingles vaccine at about age 60. Just went to my primary care physician last week and he mentioned the new improved one- saying that he would follow what the wisdom is for people like moi who had the old one, and also to see what the insurance situation is.. I will be following and I thank you for bringing this up here.

Thank you for the update, just saw my internist and face palming myself for not asking (again) if it was available. Good to know!

My docs had advised not to get the current version because I was immune suppressed and with the drugs I am taking it could be a problem. I wonder if this would be different. Is it a live vaccine? I am in the age category. My husband already had the vaccine.

I'll check with my oncologist at my December appointment. I had shingles in my 40's. I do know that my Stem Cell Transplant wiped out ALL my vaccinations, and when it is time, I will be receiving my "childhood" vaccinations again. I'm sure they'll address this also.

As a provider, find it annoying Medicare fully covers influenza & pneumonia vaccinations, but not shingles. Understand risks & costs of hospitalization/death from influenza & pneumonia are not present with shingles.

CDC recommendations age 65 and older:

@ raven, CDC recommendations for immunocompromised:

Are you a doctor mdln?

I'm not sure where this puts people like DH and me who have been vaccinated with Zostravax. We are mid-70's and were vaccinated eight years ago. I had had a mild case of shingles two years earlier. (I think my shingles was mild due to early diagnosis; I was on anti-herpes meds within 24 hours of visible scales.)

We've had both pneumonia vaccines. Just had our flu shots (the Senior-recommended variety).

Funny, I was just wondering today about all the vaccinations we had in childhood. Surely, they must be 'shot' by now.

Not providing medical advice, just health education and occasional commentary.

Have been helped by the generous contributions of others with different expertise on GW, just trying to give back to the community.

@ chisue, if really concerned can get titers for childhood vaccinations; I had to for work and still had immunity.

Will be interested to see what CDC recommends for revaccination, as it is what insurance will generally cover.

Thanks for the info--I hadn't heard about this one yet. Approved at 50 does not mean they will recommend giving it at that age for most patients. My medical plan insists upon waiting until 60, unless there are special circumstances. Even with the newer version, I'm not sure they will lower it for a while. At least by the time I get shot, they will probably have switched to the longer lasting one.

Got our flu and shingles shots last month, whatever kind of shots they were giving then, we are 70.

Glad to know about this. Glad the shingles shot in my early 60's - had to pay for it. But having had shingles TWICE, I sure don't want it a 3rd time.

"Not providing medical advice, just health education and occasional commentary."

No one here has accused you of dispensing medical advice. I, for one, appreciate receiving information from someone who is in a position to know. But you have been asked several times if you are a physician. Why won't you answer that question?

• Are you an Medical Doctor?
• Are you a Doctor of Osteopathy?
• Are you a Nurse Practitioner?
• Are you a Registered Nurse?

In your opening post, you said, in part, "Am encouraging my patients >50 & <65 to check coverage under their commercial insurance." Seems to me that we should at least know in what capacity you are encouraging your patients.

No one should be asked about their personal life information on an open forum. If they choose to disclose their own personal information that's their business. How many have willingly provided what they do for a living? It's not something that is required information.

I also appreciate the shared knowledge and experience.

Raven, I think it's mdln's statement that she is "encouraging...patients" and that she is "providing....health education" that is causing 2 of us to question if she is sharing her information on a professional level or if it's simply an opinion equal to "hey, folks, look what I saw. I'm in...".

She most certainly isn't required to say what she does.

I, personally, don't give the information any more or less weight than anyone of any occupation who would have shared it, but some people might, due to the friendliness of some and the openness assumed here. It's the nature of the KT...

"No one should be asked about their personal life information on an open forum. If they choose to disclose their own personal information that's their business. How many have willingly provided what they do for a living?"

No one has asked MDLN to reveal anything about her personal life. Questions about her personal life would be more along the lines of "How old are you," "are you married," "are you straight or LGBTQ," "what's your annual income," etc. Her occupation is her professional life. There is a huge difference. MDLN has on quite a few occasions rendered what she calls "health education" on a variety of medical subjects. For a period of time I thought that perhaps she is a veterinarian, but with her OP in this thread saying "Am encouraging my patients >50 & <65 to check coverage under their commercial insurance." it would appear her patients are of the human variety since animals don't have Medicare ("Over age 65, the shingles vaccine is covered under Medicare Part D with varying copayments."). I don't know if animals get shingles.

There have been lots and lots and lots of times when someone has posted a question about a medical situation, and then lots of folks here at the Table post their advice, opinions, etc. Sooner or later Elmer or someone else with a sensible mind will remind folks that if they need an answer to a medical question they should ask a doctor - not random strangers of varying occupations on an Internet forum.

So, if MDLN is, indeed, a physician, it would help a lot of people to know that, because they would know that her "health education" has a solid basis.

Yes, it's her right not to disclose her occupation (although "admitting" that she is a physician, nurse, or does the insurance billing for a medical office, she is still not revealing where she lives or works). Plenty of folks here at the Table have talked about their occupations - both those who are still working as well as those who have retired.

However, since she has chosen not to respond, I will presume that she is the receptionist in an internist's (or family practitioner's) office and will ignore her "health education" information because it is no more valid coming from her than coming from the cashier at the grocery store.

I imagine she's not answering because identifying herself as a doctor could be a liability. Doctors tend to be careful not to give medical advice to people who are not their patients. If someone were to ask her advice without having a medical exam or background done, and something went wrong, that person could claim that they were being treated by her, and she could become responsible.

She's anonymous to us but she wouldn't be to law officials if it came to that. I've never seen her give medical advice, as she encourages people to talk to their doctors, but I certainly understand the caution.

This is just a guess. I think lawyers have similar rules so that their words aren't taken as legal advice.

I'm seeing a commercial here, not medical advice. No more credibility given than anyone else expressing an opinion or endorsing a product. . Liability as an excuse? That's reaching too far for me. I appreciate opinions and suggestions but to not give an idea if they're competent to give advice as such only loses credibility. I'm going to encourage my patients to seek competent medical advice from their own chosen and trusted practitioner.

I've been speaking with my doctor about the Shingrix shot. It's 2 doses, and the cheapest I've found is $140 each at Costco. Our pharmacist charges $145 for them ($290) so I might as well get them from him. I've been putting it off because of the cost. I pick it up and take it to the doctor to administer.

Our provincial government will cover the cost only between the ages of 65-70. I've been hearing of more and more people in their 40's getting it, so that age rage means nothing. Everyone else has to pay for it.

I also checked with my medical coverage and they don't cover any of it.

I just got the new shingles vaccine last week, as I had shingles a couple of years after the other type, but not as severe as it could have been. I have some residual problems with that shingles, with itchy eyelid and eyebrow. The new vaccine is very costly, at over $200 for each of the two. I do not know yet whether my insurance and/or Medicare will cover any of it. I know they partially paid for the first vaccine I got.

I got the first one at Costco, its now time for my second one. It is expensive but (for me) better to pay than get shingles.

new thread "The New Shingles Vaccine"

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5263297/the-new-shingles-vaccine?n=70

My physician told me about this and I don't remember why (formulary didn't cover it yet, something like that. I get seen where I work, so she knows how my insurance works), but I have it down on my calendar to get it when she thinks it's ready. Must be good stuff!

My P.C. told me about the new vaccine last month. However, it took me so long to get the last one it's less than a year. So I think I will have to wait on this one. I've been doing my best to pass the info along to as many friends as possible.

I’ve had shingles twice. The last time was about a year ago. I will be 53 in June.

I’m not getting the vaccine as I’ve developed weird allergies in my adult life and I’m just positive I’ll have a reaction to the injection. And as far as I know there is no reversing an injection.

Getting old sucks.