@Tammy Dickson,

I’ve had both my Shingrix shots, and am grateful for it. My elderly mother had shingles affecting her trigeminal nerve, and it was hideously painful. Her nurse in the hospital where she was admitted for pain control told us, “It’s the worst pain there is.” I believe it. Shingrex wasn’t available at that time. We are lucky.

I got my 1st shot this past Saturday. It hurt like a mother going into my arm, but I was generally fine other than a sore injection site until about 6 hours later. It started with mild nausea and then progressed to a fever, chills and tiredness that didn't go away until Monday afternoon. I started feeling better but would have nausea here and there, especially at night. On Wednesday, my lymph nodes in my armpit and down my side (on the injection side) started hurting and then Thursday morning (today) I woke up itching like crazy on my torso and arms and am still very tired. I took a benadryl and am taking advil and hoping these symptoms subside sooner rather than later. I surely don't want to get my 2nd shot if I am going to have to do this all over again. I did call my dr. and let him know how bad my side effects have been. He said this is definitely not normal.

1st dose was just a swollen and hurt arm . after my second shot and at the 24 hour mark : joint pain, chills, low fever and nausea. and headache Will this go away? please say yes b

I got my two doses in 2018. Just a sore arm both times. Sandra .......I'm sorry your experiencing more than a sore arm....but...hang in there. It's so worth it!

First shot tomorrow - we shall see.

If the needle hits a nerve, it can be very painful.

got shot yesterday. woke up in so much pain. ack.egs and very dizzy

My first shot was nothing to report, no sore arm or feeling bad. I've heard the second is the one to worry about. I have moved my appointment to a week with nothing else on my calendar lest I go down for the count.

When I got my first shot 5 days ago the pharmacist asked me if I had any questions and I said no, I'm expecting to feel like cr@p! and planned my weekend for it. He said it's about 50/50 for each person with each dose that they will have an intense response. My arm felt sore much like a tetanus shot but I had no other reaction. Next time could be the same. Or not. It's better than getting the disease.

So glad to find this info. Just got girst shot. Very tired.

I got my second dose Sunday at 5PM, woke at 4am shaking uncontrollably and with migraine aura and dizziness, by 9 had a fever of 103.4 and my calm husband then became worried, thankfully, his brain was working when he remembered I got this vaccine the previous day, was much better within 24 hours, but not yet 100%

Give it a few days and you'll feel better. I had a hard time after my 1st injection, I felt really bad.

I had my first shot in Sept 2021, and my arm still hurts. My doc wants me to see a physical therapist, but moving it is not the issue. I‘ve been moving it since i got the shot??!! i had no side effects with the second shot in my other arm. But the pain is debilitating — it hurts to shower, get dressed, put on my seatbelt, sleep, etc. What can i do?? Help!!

DH got his 1st shot a couple weeks ago. He felt tired and achey for about 2 days. The second night, he had itchy feet and hands.

I’m supposed to get mine this Wed., but I may put it off a week because I have a busy weekend coming up.

I received my second shot yesterday. Like most others some arm pain at the injection site. I planned on a day after to take it easy and it was necessary. After the first shot, it was kinda the same. Not really bad though. Achy joints are tolerable and really not much of a headache to speak of. If I would have worked or done anything it would have been kinda tough as the headache would have been worse. I had no issues with the covid three shots or flu. So most of the shingle's side effects as written are pretty accurate. But there is no way I would want shingles...Yuck... I'm 60 and my wife forces me to get vaccines..LOL, I'm usually incorrigible.

Great news! My second shingles vax went tremendously better than my first! I had only a few days of sore arm and a couple days with a slight headache and tiredness as compared with the first time having to deal with 10 long days being sore and exhausted and naucious and dazed and sleeping the headaches away. I don't know if any of the following helped this time but I waited til the very near 6 month mark for the second one, I was super hydrated this time, and I made sure to eat healthier that day before I got the shot. All in all, GET the second shot and you may have a better reaction than the first time!

Update: after a week of feeling awful - and i rarely get sick, i am beginning to feel like normal. Still some slight abdominal tenderness but nothing like it was.

***********^

So I had tge second Shingrix dose 5 dsys ago. Has anyone experienced abdominal blosting and abdominal pain? Pretty severe on days 2 and 3. Subsided some but still uncomfortable.

I had the 2nd shingles vaccine a week ago and just starting to feel better. It took a lot out of me.

I got my second Shingrix on Friday and basically sailed through it.

I had no reaction with the first but read so much about people having bad reactions with the second that I kept kicking the can down the road, cancelling, and rescheduling my second. In fact, I was just past the 6-month mark and thought I was too late, kinda hoping I'd be scolded and sent home without a shot. Nope, apparently the window is longer than they say.

Aside from a slightly sore arm, which is no big deal, I felt fine, appetite never better. At the 30-hour mark last night I felt slightly warm, took my temp, and it was 99.5. It lasted one hour. During my "fever," I reformatted an old computer and searched for and found important files on the backup drive. I thought, you shouldn't be doing tech stuff right now, but the computer had been ailing for too long.

I'm so glad I got the shot. Normally I don't intentionally avoid getting what's good for me, but I had a weird aversion to this one.

Not sure if I admitted before, but we were late on our second dose too, Bunny. I have read that they studied people who were up to a year late on does 2, and it was still effective.

Dose 1 was only sore arms. Dose 2 I had a mild headache and low grade fever for one day, DH had a headache.

Meanwhile my DS has been suffering since last July, and she is looking into alternative pain management as the pain is ongoing.

it's been4 months since SHINGLES SHOT, besides pain, chills tired I'm still a little dizzy. I'm 72 yrs old and afraid of falling because need to care for severely handicapped son. Hope dizziness goes away soon! pain where shot given red lump and sore arm for 2

Charlotte do make sure to let your Dr know you are dizzy! I hope you are better soon.

Mtn, is your DS still suffering from the Shingrix shot, or a dose of actual shingles. I'm so sorry for the pain she's experiencing. I'm a bit confused if it's your DS or DD because of the pronoun. Maybe that's a typo or just for a different thread. :)

Charlotte, that is way too long to feel like that, IMO. I hope you have seen a Dr. If so, what did he say if you don't mind sharing?

I hope you all are reporting any of the bad side effects. The Shingrix shot has only been out since 2017, I think? It's pretty new and maybe there is another vaccine you can get instead? Vaccines have been recalled in the past, so it's not unheard of at all. I don't have a dog in the fight and do not know much about it, but I would certainly be asking questions. Even though, it doesn't seem life threatening on this post, it seems some are losing some quality of life. I realize shingles could be worse, but DANG!

Thanks, Bunny, I feel so bad for her (my sister). And she is not a complainer so it must be quite awful.

My sister got Shingles last July, and is still suffering. That was what spurred me to get the vax.

I don't think kids get Shingles, right?

They can. A friend of my daughter's got it in high school, but fortunately had no lasting effects.

@mtnrdredux_gw I have not heard of younger children having shingles, but when I was working, it was not uncommon for us to have a college (undergrad or graduate) come down with shingles. Stress can apparently have something to do with the onset of a bout with shingles.

gee, Tina, I did not know that.

@mtnrdredux_gw I know a 4th grader who had a pretty nasty case of Shingles. She was out of school for a month and doctors gave her some meds but she suffered. She has scaring along her lower back from the blisters. This was 15 years ago. She is grown now and perfectly healthy.

I am so tired and my legs ache, i was also skeptical but the side effects did happen to me.

It was the next morning i felt so tired, about 15 hours after my first shot.

I had my first shot on Thursday and just a sore arm. Woke up Friday morning wondering if anyone had gotten the number of the bus that hit me. It's Sunday today and I still have all-over body aches, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue and fever. I've gotten the flu shot every year for years but have never had a vaccine reaction like this. This is horrible. Seriously questioning whether or not to get the second shot if the first one is this bad.

Yea, sorry to hear of this Robert. I too had rather significant reactions to shingles shot 1 & 2. I'm a few months past shot 2 now. Still having some side effects. I tell myself as bad as this has been, it's still better than having shingles.

My friend had reactions very bad, worse than me and passed on shot 2. Not sure how prudent that decision will turn out to be. Most people have a little discomfort and then don't have another thought about it from what I can tell from >50 friends. Hope you feel better in a few days.

I would speak to your physician, but generally I am totally pro-Shingrix.

My sister got shingles a year ago, and it still suffering greatly with postherpetic neuralgia.

I was basically okay ( a little headachy) after the first shot but after the second one I felt as if I had been hit by a semi. Anecdotally from friends, it seems as though if you had a bad reaction on the first shot the second one isn't as bad and vice versa.

Blfenton said exactly what I was going to say, and is what the pharmacist who gave me the shot said too. There is no way to know what your reaction will be to the second shot.

However what is known is just how bad shingles are. A few days of misery is worth it over a lifetime of agony from shingles. Get the 2nd shot.

Robert, I had a very strong reaction to the first shot and was a bit afraid of the second. Both my doctor and pharmacist said they saw that most people could have a stronger reaction to the first OR second shot, but typically not both. I had flu-like symptoms, but it was my arm with an angry red softball implant and swelling from shoulder to elbow that was most concerning and took the longest to resolve. I had some deep pain even after the swelling resolved. I didn't get the second shot at the minimum time (6-8 weeks IIRC), but went something like 3 months later when I had no pain or swelling and then had nearly no reaction. I would do them both again, even if I had a second reaction, to avoid what I saw DH go through with a "mild" case of shingles and months of nerve pain. My dad had a worse case and my cousin had it near his eye and had to worry about blindness. This vaccine is very effective. Even with side effects, it is strongly urged everyone get it -- that tells you something about shingles. It's not just blisters or discomfort. It lasts weeks, months or longer. Trust the people who have seen or experienced it and just get both shots.

Thanks for the advice. My doctor urged me to get the second shot and I was told I could wait until December (6 months deadline) to get it if I wanted, so I'm going to do that.

That sounds like a reasonable decision. Good for you, for being smart about it. 🙂

10 days later and I still have mild nausea from my second shot..feels like morning sickness…started day 2….my arm pain lasted 7 days..otherwise a fair reaction..

Had 1st shot yes (Friday). Arm a spot sore but nothing much at all. Fast forward to next day… arm very sore, red and warm. No appetite, mild headache, fatigue. But what is blowing me away is I am emotional…like depressed! Never had any issues with depression. Feel blah and weepy. Is this possible from this vaccine??

Hello,,how are you doing now? I am so upset..I received my first dose of the Shingrix vaccine a little over 2 weeks ago an extra day or two after that! I am still having right axilla/underarm pain and maybe a swollen lymph node as well. Sometimes I feel a sensation still at the injection site and down my arm but mainly in my armpit as the Tecnician inserted the needle close to my shoulder! I got a Mammogram 3 days after my vaccine and I made a bad mistake as the swollen lymph nodes showed up on the imaging so they were listed as benign! I am still having sorness now and hoping it goes away soon. I am taking plenty of Tylenol and applying muscle rub with menthol. This is making me very depressed and I have completely lost my appetite! Is this happening to anyone else? Thank you!!

Had my 2nd dose this morning along with my COVID booster. Feeling very very tired, had a little nausea this afternoon. The arm soreness happened about 5 hours afterwards. Ice does help and I also took some Tylenol. CBD oil taken orally also helps with discomfort but I still feel like I have the flu due to feeling so weak. When I had the first shingles vaccine I pushed through the side effects by going to work but won't do that again if I feel bad tomorrow.

@Patty Whitelock CBD does help with side effects

No thanks. I'm pretty much a Tylenol person. Besides, turns out I was back to my old self a week after getting the shot. My doctor also told me the strong reaction I had to the shot was a good thing. It means my body launched a strong immune response to the vaccine and I'll have lots of antibodies to fight off shingles if it decides to come calling on me.

Horrible vaccine. After 1st dose fever to 101, retching, vomiting, chills, headache. Lasted 2 days. Arm felt like it was on fire for a week! Never again! They keep calling me to do 2nd dose! No way. I had shingles and the shot was much worse than the shingles.

I received my 2nd dose yesterday 10/3/2022. Im experiencing fatigue, muscle aches and chills. I experienced the same on my 1st dose. It does go away. My 1st one only lasted 1 day. I just want to go home and go to bed, but i am at work. All is good !

I'll have my second shot tomorrow. This time I'm prepared! Getting all the laundry and housework done today and bought convenience foods at the store so I don't have to bother with cooking in case I feel sick again.

Yay! Glad you are getting the second shot. And always good to be prepared for feeling a little down a day or two after a vaccine if you can. After a strong response to the first, my second was nothing unusual (little arm soreness? I remember the first -- not the second. LOL). I hope you have the same.

I strongly encourage anyone who has reservations about a second shot to get it. My feeling is that if you had a strong reaction, you are EXACTLY who benefits most from and may need the vaccine, including the second dose, the most. If you still had a strong immunity to the virus and were likely to hold the virus at bay over the years, it doesn't seem your body would have such a strong response. Seeing my husband's pain for months and my cousin worrying about her husband possibly going blind was enough for me. I'll get a third shot if they ever decide it is needed....

Hi. Thanks for the encouragement. I had the second shot on Wednesday. Some soreness at the injection site and I had a low grade fever for awhile on Thursday, but I feel okay otherwise. My doctor said the strong immune response I had to the first shot was a good thing, too. It's just good to know I'm done now and won't ever have to do this again. :-)