re: Anyone get the shingles vax?

About 1/3 of people will get shingles in their life
About 1/10 of those will have a long term complication, most often pain that never goes completely away along the nerve.
The vaccine (shingrix) is pretty good. About a 90% reduction in cases in the group that got it, and much much lower risk of postherpetic neuralgia in those who got it than not


BUT


You will probably feel like shite for about 2d after you get the 2nd shot.





Unrelated musings:
When I started medical school, the common thought was, “If you see shingles in someone under 50, test for HIV (and think about other immunocompromised states).”
This has not really been the case for at least the last decade. I see it in 20-40 year olds fairly frequently (probably 6-8 cases a year in this crowd).

My suspicion is that with the invention of the Varicella vaccine that began being used in the early 90s, we have seen a dramatic decrease in circulating cases of the chicken pox virus, and subsequently, immunity wanes a bit quicker than previously thought without constant re-exposure. It wouldn’t surprise me if in a decade or two the recommendation is to get the zoster vaccine earlier or on a schedule similar to Tetanus (or maybe every 20 instead of 10. I don’t know. But my point is you will probably see this recommendation change in your life).



Overall, it’s one that I will get when I’m 50. Shingles itself sucks.