Shingles Vaccine Now Approved for Age 50+

[Travelover]

I thought I'd pass this along.

If you don't know what shingles is, look here:

CDC - Shingles Photos - Herpes Zoster

It is a really nasty skin rash that can affect anyone that had chicken pox as a kid. People over 50 are most susceptible. I've heard it described as like sticking your arm in a BBQ pit.

The good news is that there is a vaccine that has been available to people over age 60. Since March 2011 the FDA has approved it for people aged 50 and up.
FDA approves Zostavax vaccine to prevent shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age

It is not 100% effective, but the younger you are, the more effective it seems to be. My insurance pays for it after age 60, but I paid $220 today out of pocket to get it sooner.

 

[magicheater]

Thank you for passing this along. I have heard of many people getting shingles and this looks like a good preventative measure. Very thoughtful of you.

 

[aczlan]

My grandmother had shingles in the last year or so and she was miserable.

Not something you want to get.

Aaron Z

 

[SimS]

BTDT. The vaccine is hard to find (At least here in Georgia) and it has to remain refrigerated. Finally got some in at the local CVS. I had a prescription from the doc on hand, $250 and the insurance company won't pay for it. But they will pay for the pain meds if you get it. Go figure. Shingles are nasty and $250 is lot cheaper than dealing with the pain.

SimS

 

[GGB]

This is great news! My father has been suffering from the after effects of a BAD case of Shingles, and let me tell you, the pain and suffering he's gone through is almost unbelievable. If you've ever had Shingles or had a family member go through the pain and suffering this can cause, you'd agree.

It use to be assumed that if you'd had Shingles in the past that you could not get it again, but that does not appear to be the case. So even if you've had it before, please get a vaccination. From what I've learned, getting a Shingles vaccination won't prevent you from getting Shingles, but it will reduce the severity of the attack.

Bottom line: Even if you to pay for it out of pocket, please do it. Ask anyone who has had a severe case of Shingles if they would have paid for a vaccination at ANY price.

GGB

 

[buck12]

This is great news! My father has been suffering from the after effects of a BAD case of Shingles, and let me tell you, the pain and suffering he's gone through is almost unbelievable. If you've ever had Shingles or had a family member go through the pain and suffering this can cause, you'd agree.

It use to be assumed that if you'd had Shingles in the past that you could not get it again, but that does not appear to be the case. So even if you've had it before, please get a vaccination. From what I've learned, getting a Shingles vaccination won't prevent you from getting Shingles, but it will reduce the severity of the attack.

Bottom line: Even if you to pay for it out of pocket, please do it. Ask anyone who has had a severe case of Shingles if they would have paid for a vaccination at ANY price.

GGB

I promise you can get it more than once and it does occur in younger people. I had twice in a year and was 38 at the time.

 

[WVBill]

BTDT. The vaccine is hard to find (At least here in Georgia) and it has to remain refrigerated. Finally got some in at the local CVS. I had a prescription from the doc on hand, $250 and the insurance company won't pay for it. But they will pay for the pain meds if you get it. Go figure. Shingles are nasty and $250 is lot cheaper than dealing with the pain.

SimS

Same here - My doctor doesn't carry it - had to get it at Walgreens for $250 - not covered by my insurance - it IS covered by Medicare Part B as I understand it - I'm not eligible for that yet, though.

 

[tallyho8]

My wife suffered through shingles a year ago and she still has lose of use of one of her fingers.

 

[idaho2]

Don't forget the pneumonia vaccination.
On a similiar note where insurance did not pay for vaccinations. Story goes like this, had to make a first time business trip to Brazil and needed vaccinations. Checked with insurance carrier and said they would not pay. OKaaaay, so I used their company policy statement against them. The insurance company printed & gave to each insured that "they (the company)were big in preventative care business". So, I made a second call and kept pushing up the chain of command and asked them what it would cost them to pay for hospitalization in Brazil and any other health treatment costs and also to fly me back state side and then the susequent costs to treat the bugs I had picked up versus the actual cost of the vaccine to prevent that from happening! They replied on the phone get the vaccinations "your covered".
Never saw a bill for any of the vaccines that I needed. So, when they say No. Push back at them. What have you to lose. $$$

orad2

 

[tglass]

Don't forget the pneumonia vaccination.
On a similiar note where insurance did not pay for vaccinations. Story goes like this, had to make a first time business trip to Brazil and needed vaccinations. Checked with insurance carrier and said they would not pay. OKaaaay, so I used their company policy statement against them. The insurance company printed & gave to each insured that "they (the company)were big in preventative care business". So, I made a second call and kept pushing up the chain of command and asked them what it would cost them to pay for hospitalization in Brazil and any other health treatment costs and also to fly me back state side and then the susequent costs to treat the bugs I had picked up versus the actual cost of the vaccine to prevent that from happening! They replied on the phone get the vaccinations "your covered".
Never saw a bill for any of the vaccines that I needed. So, when they say No. Push back at them. What have you to lose. $$$

orad2

Shingles....I've had if once. How long is the vaccine good for? Not something anyone wants to have and always jump to the conclusion it is a ****** thing from the past. NOT TRUE. An after effect from chicken pox. Well looking into and understanding the cause and possible problems with marital ***.
Accusing your partner of getting it from someone else is completely wrong. Check with your doctor before jumping to any conclusions please.

 

[Travelover]

.......... So, when they say No. Push back at them. What have you to lose. $$$

orad2

I totally agree. Crazy thing is that Blue Cross said they would not cover it until I was 60 and only if administered by a doctor - due to my former employer's request. I called my former employer (who pays for my insurance) and they said, it should be paid, get it and if Blue Cross denies it, appeal. My thought was that if I got the vaccination from my doc, there is no way I'd get it for $220 as the doc seems to get at least $100 for every visit, plus extras. So, if I lost the appeal I'm out more than $220.

Bottom line, I don't want shingles and if I got it before I'm 60, I'd never forgive myself for being so tight.

 

[tglass]

I totally agree. Crazy thing is that Blue Cross said they would not cover it until I was 60 and only if administered by a doctor - due to my former employer's request. I called my former employer (who pays for my insurance) and they said, it should be paid, get it and if Blue Cross denies it, appeal. My thought was that if I got the vaccination from my doc, there is no way I'd get it for $220 as the doc seems to get at least $100 for every visit, plus extras. So, if I lost the appeal I'm out more than $220.

Bottom line, I don't want shingles and if I got it before I'm 60, I'd never forgive myself for being so tight.

Guess they think at 60, as I am, you probably won't get it or it will be blamed onto other preigsisting problem and fail to pay. I had it without insurance and the medication was one of the highest the pharmacist had seen. I have blue cross too and didn't know they would not cover it or a reacurrance. Not something I like to talk about, but maybe something worth checking before retirement.

 

[sldva00]

Insurance won't pay probably because age 50-59 is a new indicated group just approved by FDA this year. Zostavax was only approved for 60 and over when it first came out.

Hopefully after Sep. 1, insurance groups will step up and start paying becuase it is FDA approved for 50+.

 

[toy]

I got shingles on my back several years ago and when the symptoms first started coming out I thought I had gotten into poison ivy and I am real allergic to that so I went to the doctor before it got out of hand. When the doctor saw it he said that it wasn't poison ivy it was shingles and told me that I was lucky coming in early that it saved me a lot of pain and aggravation. Gave me some kind of medicine to take and it cleared it up.

 

[GGB]

:confused2:

I totally agree. Crazy thing is that Blue Cross said they would not cover it until I was 60 and only if administered by a doctor - due to my former employer's request. I called my former employer (who pays for my insurance) and they said, it should be paid, get it and if Blue Cross denies it, appeal. My thought was that if I got the vaccination from my doc, there is no way I'd get it for $220 as the doc seems to get at least $100 for every visit, plus extras. So, if I lost the appeal I'm out more than $220.

Bottom line, I don't want shingles and if I got it before I'm 60, I'd never forgive myself for being so tight.

Thank you! Ask my father who has battled the after effects of a bad case of shingles if he would have paid 10 times $220 for a shingles vaccination if it would have reduced the severity of what he's gone through for nearly 5 years?

I guarantee you he's spent far more than that on the morphine and other pain medications since he contracted shingles. Then you could add the costs of all the different medical visits and pain management studies he's done trying to find some relief from the pain from the flareups that even the morphine couldn't completely control. Further, the morphine just about made him a zombie-he had major problems with falling asleep during the day, with memory issues, and with constipation problems from the pain meds.

Fortunately, he has finally been able to get off the morphine, thanks to another pain medication, but still is far from his old self. Frankly he has aged at least 10 years in the last 5 years....

Here is a dirty little secret-according to one of the doctors who have tried to
help him, pain from bad cases of shingles is one of the highest reasons for
suicide in the elderly population. Dad has told me that were it not for the pain meds, he would have been one of that group.....I'm just grateful that we've still got him, especially when I read one of the other threads about other TBNers who are losing their battles with cancer. I'm so sorry to hear their stories, and hope they find peace.

So let me just say that $220 is nothing if it can help you or someone you love avoid what my Dad and family have gone through.........

 

[sldva00]

Pain meds just treat one symptom, not the cause. You need to take an antiviral such as Valtrex for a week to get rid of shingles.

 

[Travelover]

Pain meds just treat one symptom, not the cause. You need to take an antiviral such as Valtrex for a week to get rid of shingles.

Right. If you are over 50 and get a rash, get a diagnosis ASAP. Early treatment with Valtrex, an antiviral, can help a great deal.

Incidentally, if you suffer from cold sores (not canker sores), Valtrex will also treat these.

 

[buck12]

I got shingles on my back several years ago and when the symptoms first started coming out I thought I had gotten into poison ivy and I am real allergic to that so I went to the doctor before it got out of hand. When the doctor saw it he said that it wasn't poison ivy it was shingles and told me that I was lucky coming in early that it saved me a lot of pain and aggravation. Gave me some kind of medicine to take and it cleared it up.

Same here. When I went to the doctor he asked what the white stuff was and I told him it was ivy dry. He then informed me I did not have a reaction to poison ivy. The medicine he gave me was no better than the ivy dry but it did cost more

 

[dreamer]

I got the shingles on December 12, 2010. I am still feeling the effects. I have been telling everyone I know to get the vaccination. Believe me, you do not want the shingles. The pain is almost unbearable and relentless. They had to escalate my pain medication to Percocet just so I could get some sleep. I wish I had heard of the shingles vaccine.

dreamer.

 

[buck12]

I got the shingles on December 12, 2010. I am still feeling the effects. I have been telling everyone I know to get the vaccination. Believe me, you do not want the shingles. The pain is almost unbearable and relentless. They had to escalate my pain medication to Percocet just so I could get some sleep. I wish I had heard of the shingles vaccine.

dreamer.

It had been almost a year since my second round with shingles. When I get stressed it feels like needle pricks to the affected nerves. I don't know if this will go away with time.