Anybody else get shingles after Covid shots?

[leftyladyfrommo]

Did anyone else get shingles after their covid vaccinations? I did.

I have no idea if the two are related but come to find out there is a whole convetsation out there a bout this.
It's happening but I don't think anyone knows why.

Some people are saying no way and others are looking into it.

The thing is that if you get shingles you need to get on medication right away. If you don't it can last for months so it's important for people to be aware.

[Patterson]

1. Not me.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. When you say "vaccination," do you mean for covid, or for shingles?

[leftyladyfrommo]

7. Covid

[gldstwmn]

3. I didn't get shingles but I was vaxxed for that too so...

[zipplewrath]

28. Same here

I had shingles at 12 years old. I've gotten the last two vaccines in order to avoid them. I got the second one last November, well before my March Covid vaccine.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. "Why you might have a shingles flare-up after your covid vaccination:"

https://www.ajc.com/pulse/why-you-might-have-a-shingles-flare-up-after-your-covid-vaccination/U4MPENQYQNAXBJ3GLJFVB6ESQQ/

Some people have experienced a shingles outbreak days after getting the COVID-19 vaccination, but experts say the latter did not cause the former.

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is an infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, 1 in 3 people will have shingles at some point in their lives.

Dr. Gerald Evans, chair of Queen’s University’s infectious diseases division in Kingston, Ontario, told CTV News on Tuesday he’s not surprised some people have reported a shingles flare-up after being vaccinated.

“Shingles reactivates when there may be some mild derangement caused by stress and other things like immune-suppressing medications and intercurrent illnesses, which allow the virus to then begin reactivating and producing the shingles,” he said, adding that the stress of getting a vaccine could act as a factor in causing a shingles flare-up.

[barbtries]

54. thank you for the link.

whether there is a connection is clearly up in the air.

[Gregory Peccary]

5. I'm sorry, but we're going to have to kill you.

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. I don't want to feed the anti vaccination people

Believe me, if I had to choose I would take the shingles.

[Gregory Peccary]

15. I was just having some fun with your headline

Sorry you got a shingles reaction. Hope it's all smooth sailing for you now.

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. I know. But I was hesitant to even bring it up

I felt really bad after my 2nd shot. I went to ER and they ran tests but tests were all ok. It never dawned on me to tell them that the skin on my back was burning and I had a place that wasn't healing.

I just didn't know anything about shingles and I just didn't put it together.

Now it's been 3 months and I don't think the meds will do much.

And what do I do about a booster? This bout isn't too bad but the next one could be a doosy.

[csziggy]

75. Have you had a shingle vaccination? If not, get one before the Covid boosters come out

I have a herpes infection that lives in my left hand that acts very much like shingles. Years ago I had the first shingles vaccination but while it slowed the herpes down it did not eliminate it.

I'm planning to get the newer Shingles vaccination in the hope that it will stop the resident infection and any possible future outbreak of shingles. Since i had chicken pox as a kid, I am very likely to get shingles and want to avoid that if possible.

[fescuerescue]

76. Oh good lord what a choice

Shingles was one of the most painful things I've ever had.

15 years later I still have shingles pain every single day. (although it has been mild pain for about 14 years)

It will never totally go away though.

[Renew Deal]

23. Does she weigh the same as a duck?

[zuul]

48. She turned me into a newt!

I got better.

[Qutzupalotl]

50. Right over.

[cab67]

6. From what I've seen

The vaccine doesn’t infect anyone with the shingles virus, but it might prompt a flare-up, just as many other physical stressors might.

[Hortensis]

25. Yes, big distinction. Viruses trigger a lot of things. My best guess,

but only a guess, is that it could trigger a first Herpes zoster event with the virus already dormant in the body, as well as subsequent.

As you say about various stressors. My husband's trigger, three times, was rare but extreme rage fits. (It should have been only two as a second episode seemed to confirm the cause-and-dreadful-effect I speculated about with the first one, but it took a third agonizingly negative feedback to put an end to his tantrums for good.)

[ZZenith]

8. My wife did.

It wasn’t her first shingles episode so she recognized it and got some medication straight away.

Nasty stuff.

[Ms. Toad]

9. Report it in vaers.

That is how they spot trends and help sort outwhat to investigate.

https://vaers.hhs.gov/

[IcyPeas]

42. This information was given to me when I got my vax too.

I agree OP should add it to their data base.

[hlthe2b]

11. Well, the vaccine clearly did not give you the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles.

You already had it hiding latent in your body from a previous chickenpox infection.

The virus reactivates in some (but not all) with a weakened immune system that can be a consequence of aging.

So a direct effect of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine? No. But, it may tell you something about the overall health of your immune system and the need to take appropriate precautions in the future, given circulating COVID variants. However, might the COVID-19 vaccine push an already weakened immune system to the point where a latent varicella virus could reactivate causing your shingles? Possibly.

And yes, anti-virals for Shingles can be very effective but need to be initiated within 72 hours of symptom onset. So, for those who think they have symptoms, you may need to be very insistent with clinic staff trying to schedule an appointment. Insist that they discuss your need for immediate intervention with the physician. You might snap a photo of your rash (if present) and summarize your symptoms to submit.

[leftyladyfrommo]

12. I had chickenpox but I have never had shingles.

I had no idea what it was and it wasn't too bad so I let it go on too long.

I have prednisone. Anti viral. And gabepentin. But it may be too late for it to work.

[hlthe2b]

13. Gabapentin is an effective pain medication for neurologic pain, which is what is seen with

Shingles. Only the anti-virals are effective only when started early. The pred and gabapentin should help.

[leftyladyfrommo]

22. I think they are helping. This isn't a bad case.

It can be much worse.

[Caliman73]

14. No shingles for me.

I would advise you to steer clear of "conversations" about the topic and focus on what scientists and medical professionals are looking into.

There are resources out there including peer reviewed scientific journals like the Journal of the American Medical Association and the NIH database, even Google Scholar, where you can find free scientific literature about the topic.

We humans are notorious for making associations where none may exist. Not saying there is definitively no link, just that most people aren't qualified to make that determination. There are whole branches of science and medicine devoted to checking it out and that information is available.

[we can do it]

16. I got my shingles shots in November & December.

Wanted to let my immune system crank back up in time for Covid shots, which didn’t happen until March and April.

[leftyladyfrommo]

24. I wish I had thought of that

I was getting ready for cataract surgery and thought I should find out if this could affect my eyes. Mine is on my back and around my ribs on my right side.

I was able to get my surgery.

[we can do it]

38. That's one good thing.

[Tree Lady]

29. I got mine around the same time

I was on a waiting list for the new two shot vaccine which didn't have a lot in my area.

[leftyladyfrommo]

41. It's expensive even with Medicare. But I need to

find the money.

[Tree Lady]

44. Wow guess I was lucky Blue Cross

Covered it I paid nothing. Just got on medicare this month when I turned 65. But we have a good supplement so might have covered it.

[Retired Engineer Bob]

82. Husband and I had about the same timing

My dad had shingles, it was horrible for him. Was on his face, fortunately it stopped before getting to his left eye. I believe he was on antivirals which got it under control.

[we can do it]

84. Yikes! My aunt had a really bad case.

[brewens]

17. It could be because you had chicken pox as a kid. n/t

[liberal_mama]

18. My husband got a severe case of shingles on his face/eye 8 days after his 2nd Pfizer vaccine

He had to miss several weeks of work. He's still having issues months later and having to see an expensive eye specialist, which of course our insurance doesn't cover. His face is pretty scarred up.

I had a bad flare up of my psoriasis after I had my Pfizer vaccinations. I've had psoriasis for almost 20 years and I never had such a bad flare before. It's even on my face and hands now.

Still, I suppose it's better than getting Covid.

I'm really hoping these vaccines last a long time and boosters aren't necessary. I doubt I could talk my husband into getting a booster. Our pro-vaccine doctor said he has seen many cases of shingles after covid vaccination so my husband totally believes it was from the vaccine.

[UTUSN]

19. I think once it/SHINGLES starts it's too late for meds. Trouble is not knowing/identified

until it's too late. Happened to me (NOT about covid). Went to E.R. in excruciating pain. All types of machine scans, no dice. They never looked at the skin under the shirt. Told me it was an inguinal hernia and sent me to a surgeon. He was refusing hernia surgery. Not until I picked up my shirt and asked why the pain was up higher than the "hernia" location did he see the telltale red dots at the waist and he yelled, "You have shingles!"

I hadn't seen them either and wouldn't have known what they were. My couple of bouts of pain were tolerable to ride out.

I've been told stress can trigger? As with so much with this blasted covid virus, linking causes/effects ain't definite?

[Crunchy Frog]

61. I'm pretty sure that I had an early case about 10 years ago.

I was under a huge amount of stress with caring for 2yr old twins, taking nursing prereq courses, and working. I had spent most of the year sick with one thing or another.

I began getting some bumps, mostly within a particular dermatome area, and a strange sensation when the area was touched.

It took me a couple of days to think "shingles" but I went running to the doctor's office as soon as I made the connection.

I must have been pretty forceful, because I walked out with a prescription for antivirals, even though they were skeptical that it was actually shingles.

I still think I dodged a big bullet, as it did slowly clear up without getting any worse. I continued to have strange nerve sensations in the area for a few months, but never any real pain.

[UTUSN]

62. I've had that one a couple of years ago, and the first one about 18 years ago.

The first one was totally MILD, blisters on the top of the shoulder and the (vicious?) traveled down the arm and ended up in my thumb. Of course I didn't know what it was and busted the blisters (DON'T DO THAT). I've still got numbness in the thumb, like neuropathy.

This second/worse one was what I described above. The problem is NOT KNOWING what it is AT ONSET. What I had heard of shingles before was that it was some kind of rash ON THE SKIN. I knew of a couple of people who described severe pain, but I thought it was an external SKIN pain/rash. One described something encircling the torso and not being able to lie on a bed and only being in a recliner.

So when it happened to me (the second time), it was a SEVERE PAIN =- INTERNALLY - in the right side abdomen INSIDE. I had no clue. When it was finally diagnosed, too late, it was those 3 dots at the waist with the pain being INSIDE!

And yes, that first mild event happened a couple of months after I retired. When I retired I thought ALL GOOD, NO WORRIES. Later I found out that LETTING GO of a lifetime of stress means STRESS.

[Crunchy Frog]

63. I was lucky in that I realized what it was very close to onset,

and was able to start on antiviral medication right away.

I had learned about it pretty extensively in microbiology, so I had much more awareness of what it was and how it works than people typically do.

It never progressed beyond bumps and weird nerve sensations. It was also located in one of the "better" dermatomes; so it only affected the back and chest, and not any more exotic body parts.

As I said, I think I really dodged a bullet on that one.

[UTUSN]

64. In retrospect I think my earliest onset symptoms were a very slight fever & slight disorientation

Everything *slight* - barely noticeable. Dismissible.

And I can't even imagine even now spending the whole day in the E.R. with severe pain and with all the diagnostic machinery and they COULD NOT DIAGNOSE IT. Because they never looked under the shirt.

And they said it was an inguinal hernia (because they made it up). And I asked them, why is the pain up above, not down there?

Oh, their made-up answer was, because ulcers MOVE AROUND.

[Crunchy Frog]

65. ERs can be horrible. I went in with a kidney stone about 6 years ago.

It was such an awful experience that I plan to stay at home if I ever get another one.

The combination of incompetence and cruelty was beyond belief.

[UTUSN]

67. Well, mine did what they could, all that super expensive machinery. Plus all the drama.

It was PACKED. And lots were people without insurance, nowhere else to go. And lots were desperate. I saw some patients in the waiting area, strangers to each other, looking out for each other. And there was this woman doing the whole scene from "Terms of Endearment" - screaming at the nurses to DO SOMETHING for her desperately sick daughter.

What I saw, they were doing everything they knew and could do. Just that for me, my condition and I weren't a match for the tools.

[StarryNite]

20. The vaccination may or may not have triggered it but

as someone else suggested it should be reported to VAERS. Let the scientists and doctors determine if there seems to be a connection.

[diane in sf]

26. Shingles, being a herpes virus, can be inhibited by the amino acid lysine, this is found in fish and

dairy foods. Arginine, another amino acid, can make herpes worse. It’s found in nuts, peanuts, and chocolate, among other things.

[leftyladyfrommo]

34. I was taking oil of wild oregano when this started

And I think that may have helped to keep it a milder case.
It's an antiviral. And antibiotic and anti fungal

[LisaL]

27. No shingles here.

NT

[beaglelover]

30. Nope.

[leftyladyfrommo]

31. It may be more older people or people with

compromised immune systems.

They need to be aware so if they start getting symptoms the can get meds quickly.

[RussBLib]

32. ouch

didn't get shingles, just two days of feeling like shit. Hopefully those who experienced what you did are very, very few.

Time for me to get a shingles vaccine.

[leftyladyfrommo]

33. Me, too. But I don't think you can get one while you

have shingles.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

35. I didn't but

my roof was fine. I did get my kitchen remodeled.

Sorry, bringing some levity.

Seeing myself out

[leftyladyfrommo]

37. My roof is getting old. nt

[Bev54]

36. i highly doubt it is related but stress can be

[leftyladyfrommo]

39. There's too many cases of it. Something is going on. nt

[Bev54]

43. Really? Is there more cases than usual?

There are many many cases of shingles every year, is it coincidence that these cases just happened after the vaccine? If everyone is getting vaccinated around the same period of time and some get shingles, that does not tell me it is related in any way.

[a kennedy]

40. I gotta get my shingles shot.......

thanks for the reminder.

[NNadir]

45. No, but I know people who got shingles without being vaccinated.

[zuul]

46. No. I got the first shingles vaccination about a month after my COVID vaccination.

Got my second shingles jab about a month ago. Glad to have it done and over with.

Now I'm waiting for a COVID booster. Damn J&J vaccine!

[milestogo]

47. Interesting. I got the Shingles vaccine 4 days before my second Moderna shot.

I was miserable for 24 hours after the shingles vaccine.

Absolutely nothing after the Covid shot. But I suppose it could kick up your immune system. I had it six years ago and it was awful.

[wiggs]

49. I got my two covid shots in between my two shingles vaccinations. No reactions but the pharmacy

told me that shingles shots prior to 5 years ago have been found to be less effective. Those who had shingles shots before then have to get new shots, she said.

Also: shingles vaccine at pharmacy = really expensive. Get at your doctor's office for insurance coverage.

[ucralum]

52. Shingrix

My husband and I have different insurers (Cigna and UHC) and neither of us has an expensive plan. We both got our shingles vaccinations at CVS and neither of us paid a cent.

Tl;dr—check with your insurer.

[Jilly_in_VA]

51. You can get the shingles vaccine

even if you've already had shingles once. Or twice, as in my case. It's effing expensive, even if you have Part D, or GoodRx, or whatever, so be prepared for that. My husband got his while he still had insurance and it was cheaper for him, dammit. But get it.

[barbtries]

53. i did not.

i had a shingles vaccination though. i haven't heard of this before. Sorry it happened to you, whether or not related.

[leftyladyfrommo]

55. Kick

[spanone]

56. Nope. Vaccinated for shingles.

[ecstatic]

57. Check the vaers database. Nt

[susanr516]

58. I got shingles about a month after I recovered from Covid

I had a very mild Covid case right before Thanksgiving. It was like a cold and I had very little chest congestion. Worst thing was I felt extremely tired for about 3 weeks. I was surprised when I didn't break out in cold sores like I usually do when I get a bad cold or sinus infection. Around mid-January, I got shingles. I'm fairly sure the stress of my bout with the coronavirus brought on my shingles, which was way worse than Covid for me.

I got the Moderna vaccines in Feb. and Mar. Other than getting the "Covid arm" rash with the 1st shot, I had no other side effects. I got the 1st Shingrix and pneumonia shots in Apr. and the 2nd Shingrix in June. That June shot made me achy and tired for 3 days. Still, not as bad as shingles. It was expensive, but I never want to get shingles again. Six months later, I still have constant nerve pain on the right side of my torso where I broke out. I also still have a significant loss of my sense of smell from Covid. My sense of smell comes and goes now.

I have learned a painful lesson. Never put off immunizations. I will be getting the flu shot every year, and I will get that 2nd pneumonia shot next Apr.

[leftyladyfrommo]

78. I saw a lot of reports of people with Covid getting shingles. nt

[VickiSmith]

59. Flu shot

in 2019 I got them a couple of weeks after the flu shot. I was so afraid it would happen again with the Covid vaccine but did not.

[Sancho]

60. My wife and I got both....

...frankly, the "reaction" to shingles was a bit worse than covid for me. They are not related as far as I know.

[Celerity]

66. no nt

[GulfCoast66]

68. Had shingles in my mid30's. 55 now.

It was a mild case as was my chicken pox but still sucked. I was under lots of stress which my doctor said can cause them. With the general stress of the last year I’d not be surprised to see and overall increase in cases.

My doctor did not want me to get the singles vaccine too close to my Covid shot which he wrote a letter for allowing me to jump the line due to my totally controlled hypertension.

Thanks for the reminder. I call on Monday about getting the shingles vaccine.

Hope it clears up soon. I took no medicine and it cleared up in a few weeks.

[Meowmee]

69. No

My father had a high fever and weird itchy rashes and other symptoms after his pfizer shots which were given 3 months after a covid infection which required nearly a month hospitalization. We don’t know for sure what caused the rashes and they continue on and off, he has had numerous health issues since the infection and is a long hauler. Some people did have similar rashes after covid vax with pfizer.

He had a mild case of shingles a few years ago. I have been thinking about getting the vaccines because I do not want to go through that. No one has recommended it for me yet. I know I will need a covid booster at some point so I should prolly do it soon.

[leftyladyfrommo]

70. I just read that you can get the shot as soon as the

rash clears. I am going to ck on that.

I want to be able to get a booster without worrying about getting shingles again.

[DemocraticPatriot]

71. But, were you ever vaccinated for shingles, previously?

I strongly suspect there is absolutely no connection.... but there is a shingles vaccination. I suppose I am in the age group that should get it, but I haven't yet. My father caught a case of it in his 80s...


At least no person that I know about, ever died from shingles. That is not the case with COVID...

[KewlKat]

72. YES I did. Broke out on second day after shot.

I have a compromised immune system and figured it was because the vaccine was challenging it. I’m not looking forward to a third shot.

[blugbox]

73. I got shingles shortly after recovering from suspected COVID-19

My roommate ended up getting both of us sick early last year, around late February, early March. It was either the worst flu we've both ever experienced, or it was COVID-19. We are both in our mid 30's and in fine health, and we both get yearly flu shots, figured that's worth noting. We were both sicker than I've ever seen either of us, and he's a childhood friend.

After recovering from that ordeal, around 1 1/2 to 2 weeks later, I started noticing my lymph nodes in my neck were swollen. A couple days later, I started having some sort of weird acne outbreak or something, cause I had little spots showing up on my face. A couple days after that I started feeling like major crap and had to leave work (just before lockdowns started). Never even thought of it possibly being shingles until I went to the doctor. The instant he walked in he was like "woah, you have shingles on your face!"

Long story short, even with high strength pain meds, shingles on your face really sucks. It's all the pain of shingles, but centered around your brain. I don't want to experience shingles level headaches ever again please. I also have scarring on my face, and nerve damage that has actually not let up at all after a year and a half almost. It's not nerve pain luckily, just tweaked touch sensations. I am very very fortunate that it did not affect my eyes at all. That was the major concern with having it on your face. If it gets to your eyes, it can possibly blind you. There is absolutely a relation between COVID-19 and immune system weakening. I'm sure there will be many more links to COVID-19 or the vaccine weakening the immune system and lowering your defences to other things like shingles.

I also wanted to add that EVERYONE eligible for the vaccine should absolutely get it. The worst case of shingles in the world is better than suffocating to death. Get your vaccine! I had absolutely zero side effects after both Moderna shots!

[leftyladyfrommo]

74. I am calling my doctor this week to see about

Shingles shots. I need to be able to get a booster for Covid.

[greatauntoftriplets]

79. No.

[leftyladyfrommo]

80. I have started taking Oil of Wild Oregano from Greece

again. It's a powerful anti viral.

I think it kept me from getting much worse shingles.

Now I am taking it to help ward off Covid break through. I am vaccinated.

[Hekate]

81. No, but probably because I had the shingles vax

…this year as well