My Dr. told me that there will be a new shingles vaccine coming out shortly. If you are interested, the name will be SHINGRIX. It is supposed to be more effective than the previous one.
Shingles vaccine
My Dr. told me that there will be a new shingles vaccine coming out shortly. If you are interested, the name will be SHINGRIX. It is supposed to be more effective than the previous one.
Last edited by TomRL; 02-06-2018 at 02:20 PM. Reason: DNS
Tom
"Blessed are the pessimists, for they hath made backups." Exasperated 20:12
I asked my doctor about this new vaccine a couple months ago. He told me insurance coverage had not yet been determined, as Medicare hadn't released documentation as to how it would cover the vaccine. He expected to know more by mid to late February. I'm going to give him a call next week to see what has been decided about coverage and administration.Originally Posted by TomRL
In October, the CDC, Center for Disease Control made its recommendation as to who should receive the vaccine.
---Shingrix, a two-dose vaccine, should be given to people starting at age 50, a full 10 years earlier than its advice for getting Zostavax.
---The CDC also recommends that people who have already gotten Zostavax should now get Shingrix as well and that Shingrix is officially the preferred vaccine over Zostavax, a single-dose vaccine. Those who've had shingles should also receive Shingrix.
The two shot vaccination (give two to six months apart) costs about $280 (total). If you don't have insurance or your plan does not cover vaccines or you have not met your deductible or have a copay you may pay all or part of the cost.
Yes, I am planning on getting the new one as soon as it is covered by Medicare, although I had the old one several years ago. My physician advised me regarding this a few weeks ago...
My father had shingles in his 70s before the vaccine, and also ended up with life-long post-herpatic peripheral neuropathy as a result. He had pain constantly from this for the rest of his life. Get the vaccine!
(KLD)
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I found out some more details about Medicare coverage of Shingrix. Medicare Parts A and B do not cover this vaccine. Shingrix is not covered by Medicare benefits like the flu vaccine is. The flu vaccine is a covered benefit with no copay, under Medicare. It maybe covered under Medicare Part D (drug) plans. Your overage under Part D may vary depending on the plan you have selected. My pharmacist has seen Part D customers pay from $47 to $147 for the vaccine. $147.00 is the full cost of the vaccination in my area. My particular Part D plan pays $100 and I pay $47.
The pharmacy that I use and the one that NL uses in our area do not currently have the Shingrix vaccine in stock and have been out of it for about a month.
My primary care physician does not have any of the Shingrix vaccine either. When he does have the vaccine, he submits charges to his commercial insurance customers (under 65, no Medicare Part D patients). Some commercial plans cover the Shingrix vaccine, some do not.
For now, it appears that the best those of us who use Medicare can hope for is that our Part D plans will cover a good portion of the cost.
Last edited by gjnl; 08-28-2018 at 10:55 AM.
Another alternative may be Medicare Advantage (part C, which is parts A, B, and D combined). They cover cover everything Original Medicare covers (required by law) and often cover more. I find part C prescription coverage is much better than part D.
I got shot 1 back in May, but when I went back to get shot 2 the pharmacy didn't have it. Said there has been a shortage, so I am on their wait list for when they get #2 in stock.
I also got the "old" vaccine a couple years ago.
I am so … what is shingles ?
From the Mayo Clinic website: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20353054
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus ? the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
While it isn't a life-threatening condition, shingles can be very painful. Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles, while early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and lessen the chance of complications.
The Vaccines
People looking to receive the shingles vaccine have two options: Zostavax and Shingrix.
Zostavax, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006, has been shown to offer protection against shingles for about five years. It's a live vaccine given as a single injection, usually in the upper arm.
Shingrix was approved by the FDA in 2017 and is the preferred alternative to Zostavax. Studies suggest Shingrix offers protection against shingles beyond five years. It's a nonliving vaccine made of a virus component, and is given in two doses, with two to six months between doses.Shingrix is approved and recommended for people age 50 and older, including those who've previously received Zostavax. Zostavax isn't recommended until age 60.
The most common side effects of either shingles vaccine are redness, pain, tenderness, swelling and itching at the injection site, and headaches.
As with the chickenpox vaccine, the shingles vaccine doesn't guarantee you won't get shingles. But this vaccine will likely reduce the course and severity of the disease and reduce your risk of postherpetic neuralgia.
The shingles vaccine is used only as a prevention strategy. It's not intended to treat people who currently have the disease. Talk to your doctor about which option is right for you.
https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/zostavax-vaccine
Make sure you don?t have a compromised immune system. It?s alive!
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