Mastodawn

An occasional reminder that if you’re 50 or older and haven’t gotten two doses of the shingles vaccine, this is an effective vaccine that helps to prevent an extremely painful and potentially debilitating disease. While the vaccine gets a bad rap for being rough to deal with (not my experience, personally), literally every person I know who has had shingles has talked about getting shingles being really horrible. https://www.npr.org/2026/04/06/nx-s1-5745209/shingles-symptoms-vaccine-treatment

Amy Maybe 1d ago

@kimu GET YER SHONGLES SHIT

Bytebro 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇬🇱1d ago

Here in the UK, I can't get the vaccine on the NHS until I'm 70, but I can pay for it privately at £250/shot if I choose. So at the age of 68, it's just a risk assessment of the chances of getting shingles in the next 2 years!

Paul Oldham 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 💛 🇺🇦9h ago

@bytebro @kimu move to Scotland: I had my two, from NHS Scotland, a few weeks ago. I'm 65. Always worth remembering there are four NHSs.

Thomas Sturm 1d ago

@kimu @Cdespinosa Co-signed.

My reaction wasn’t worse than a flu-shot. My wife was hit pretty hard by it, but it’s still way better than shingles.

Jeremy DuBois 1d ago

@kimu The vaccine hit me pretty hard, both doses. But I've also had (a pretty mild case of) shingles, and the vaccine was absolutely nothing at all compared to the stabbing knife-like pains from the shingles. Definitely still recommend the vaccine.

Blake Fox 1d ago

@kimu cautionary tale is shingles can cause blindness if near your eyes. Pharmacy’s are required to carry medicine to keep it from happening. But when my husband needed it, only one out of all the pharmacies in the state carried it.

Chris Green 1d ago

@kimu It's also the closest thing we have to a dementia vaccine.

Nanana_Na!1d ago

@kimu It's only available for 60+ over here 😢

draNgNon 1d ago

@kimu my reaction was super bad, fever and overnight shakes and shudders, but I know people who have gotten shingles. A couple nights of fever and shakes, far preferable to shingles and its lifetime effects.

BedastGPT 1d ago

@kimu (adding to this)

As someone who had a shingles flare up (in my 30s...) whatever one might perceive as "rough" from the vax... the real thing is substantially worse. Like not even close.

I got the vax early last year (not 50 yet, but qualifying circumstances) and am dealing with the aftermath of a second flare up now. Yeah, it can happen. However, thanks to the vax, the flare up is WAY less than the first time. It's just a bit annoying, and never had a rash.

Get yer shongles shit!

Chris Ferguson 1d ago

@kimu And it likely helps prevent Dementia/Alzheimer's too. (recent studies correlate this!)

MidgePhoto 1d ago

@kimu
I've had one dose so far.
I was aware that my immune system was working quite hard after it.
This seems rather good, it is the purpose.
If I spent a while exercising my musculoskeletal system in some slightly new way I would expect to be aware of work having been done, and adjustments continuing.

#immunity #exercise #body

Osteopenia Powers ;1d ago

@kimu
As a bonus, it will may reduce your risk of dementia stroke and heart attack.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2026/mar/17/shingles-vaccination-benefits-dementia-risk

‘Strong evidence’ of lowered dementia risk: the benefits of shingles vaccination

A growing body of evidence suggests the vaccine may also lower risk of stroke and heart attack

The Guardian

Emma Liv 1d ago

@kimu I got shingles when I was in my 30s, and I was very lucky that it was "mild". I wonder if that affects whether/when I should get the vaccine.

@not3ottersinacoat @kimu Yes. "Shingles" is just the same virus as "chickenpox." It lies dormant in the system once you've had it and can reactivate later. So getting "shingles" doesn't immunize you any more than getting "chickenpox" does in the first place. Definitely get the vaccine at the appropriate time.

Emma Liv 23h ago

@nazokiyoubinbou Thank you :)

Plausible Human Being 1d ago

@kimu I was still employed when I got my doses. I waited until Friday to get it and laid around watching TV all weekend while sick with the side effects. Nice excuse to goof off.

Paul_IPv6 23h ago

there's also some research into the shingles vaccine helping put off dementia. but just not getting shingles sure seems to make it worth it.

@paul_ipv6 @kimu More and more and more it's starting to look like certain sorts of diseases that everyone thinks of as perfectly normal to keep getting when there are ways they could avoid them may just contribute towards stuff like dementia and Alzheimer's.

But darn, if you avoid all those diseases you'll be stuck with the unfortunate condition of "living healthier and with less suffering." Darn it!

@kimu I have Shingles. I was told for years that I couldn't take the vaccine BECAUSE I already had the problem resident in my body. My PA said nope GO GET IT. I did. I stopped taking the daily med that mostly controlled outbreaks....that was back on October. Fingers crossed, NO OUTBREAKES so far. I am scheduled for my booster next week.
I believe in science and vaccinations and also in talking with people who know the latest recommendations and the science. It can change FAST. Always ask!!!

Tara L. Campbell 22h ago

@kimu I now know of two people *under* the age of 50 (32 & 43) who have had it and both are screaming to go get the dang vaccine even if you aren't yet 50. The antiviral pills are the size of exotic beetles (2" long, thick baddies) and the rash is awful. I'll be bringing this up with my doc next week.

Stress has a strong correlation as well as other immune suppressing factors so don't assume you can put this off for later.

I.M. Bonetti 22h ago

@kimu Absolutely endorsed. I've known a couple people who had shingles, and it was terrible for them.

I got it as soon as I was eligible. For me, the first dose was similar to the first covid vaccine dose I got (site soreness, mild muscle soreness for a few hours), but the second dose was like having a one-day cold: fever, chills, muscle aches, basically all day the following day.

It was still vastly, VASTLY preferable to the misery the sufferers I knew had to deal with.

@kimu also, if you're immunocompromised at all, you can and should get it, no matter your age. I got shingles at age 28, and managed to get the vaccine a couple years later. It hasn't popped up again, so far. But yeah. Do not recommend getting shingles.

Cetraria 12h ago

@kimu for me, the first vaccine was the roughest I've ever had. (I tend to over-respond to all vaccines)

And yet, having watched young loved ones go through shingles infections, I'd get the vaccine every month for a year to avoid that pain and suffering! Twice is no problem at all.

kaffando 9h ago

Also a reminder that you can only develop shingles if you've had chicken pox / varicella-zooster.

In addition, #COVID19 has been shown to re-activate dormant viruses like varicella, which is why there appears to be (well, there is) more shingles around than prior to COVID.

In NZ, the two shots cost more than $700. Would love to get it, but I might wait until it's free at 65.

@kimu
It is. Shingles is absolutely fucking terrible.
You will look like you have The Plague.
You're only a risk to unvaccinated ppl/infants.

I was unlucky enough to have shingles 2 years ago along my jaw. It felt like dental surgery without anesthesia.

It's direct nerve stimulation. Excruciatingly painful.
And it can be anywhere on/in your body.

[Removed unnecessarily antagonizing antivaxx assignments]

Shingles is one of the only immunizations that are live virus. I can't get the other one. 😭