Diseases & Conditions
Should I get the shingles vaccine?
Ask the doctor
Q. I'm 55, and a friend my age just got the shingles vaccine and urged me to follow suit. But I heard the shots' side effects can include days of severe arm pain. Is it really worth it?
A. Yes, it usually is. Here's why: the shingles vaccine — administered in two parts over several months — is meant to prevent a problem much more burdensome than a few days with a sore arm, or other side effects such as fatigue, fever, and achiness.
Called Shingrix (recombinant zoster vaccine), the shots are highly effective against shingles, a reawakening of the chickenpox (or varicella-zoster) virus that stays dormant in nerve endings. Shingles often causes an extremely painful skin rash, and it can also trigger a complication called postherpetic neuralgia. This involves excruciating nerve pain that can last for months or years after shingles blisters vanish.
It's much wiser to prevent these scenarios than to skip getting the shingles vaccine for fear of short-lived side effects. Shingrix is FDA-approved for adults 50 and older. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and ask for her guidance.
Image: © Luis Alvarez/Getty Images
About the Author
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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