Shingles vaccine

[TomRL]

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.

[gjnl]

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.

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.

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.

[SCI-Nurse]

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)