Shingrix vaccination - safe to fly immediately?

NoHeat

NoHeat

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Is it comfortable and safe to fly right away after getting the new Shingrix vaccination for shingles?

I don't see it mentioned on the FAA list, where typhoid was the only vaccination I saw listed.

However, I've read that Shingrix side effects are worse than most vaccinations, especially significant pain for two or three days. So I'm wondering if it's safe and reasonably comfortable to fly the next day, or the day after.
 
NoHeat said:
Is it safe to fly right away after getting the new Shingrix vaccination for shingles?

I don't see it mentioned on the FAA list, where it only groups all vaccinations together:
"Vaccinations - Prophylactic injections such as; immunizations or B-12 shots are usually approved provided there are no side effects"

However, I've read that Shingrix side effects are worse than most vaccinations, especially significant pain for two or three days. So I'm wondering if it's safe to fly the next day, or the day after.
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Just got the first injection last week. The only pain was localized muscle soreness at injection site; same as any other intra-muscular injection. Not nearly as bad as the old gamma globulin injections. Haven't noticed any other side-effects so far.
 
I had the Shingrix and the followup. Nothing more than very mild soreness at the injection site.

Still, the Most Conservative Action would probably be to schedule it for when you didn’t have to fly for a day or two.
 
Just got the prescription a couple days ago during my class 2. Doc never mentioned flying restrictions but I’ll wait til my week off to be safe. He said 2 month wait prior to the second shot.
 
lbfjrmd said:
shot today ... fly tomorrow!
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As a followup to my OP, I indeed flew the next day, after the Shingrix shot.

Soreness and a bit of swelling were the only side effects. The soreness was limited to the shoulder where the shot was, and it faded away in about three days. I couldn’t sleep on that side the first night, but otherwise I was able to do everything comfortably that I normally do, including flying using only the affected arm for the yoke. The second day I took an ibuprofen, but it wasn’t really necessary.

Overall, it is a bit more irritating than an average vaccination but nothing to get excited about. I was encouraged to get the shot by a relative who didn’t, and who recently got shingles. Comparing our experiences, I can say that the discomfort from the shot is definitely MUCH less than for a case of shingles, and vastly shorter in duration as well.
 
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Do a few pushups after getting the shot, you will be much less sore. Unless the injection was in your posterior, in which case do a few squats.
 
I had the first dose today during my annual physical. The clinic folks didn't say anything about activity restrictions, and they knew I was planning a hike later in the day. I did the hike - about 4.5 miles, 1450 feet elevation gain, a pretty moderate hike by my usual standards. Boy, now I wish I hadn't. :(

I was feeling a little weaker than normal from the get-go but didn't think much of it. Odd muscle twinges in my upper back and behind the armpits. The hike was MUCH harder than it should have been. At the time I attributed this to the heat and humidity, especially the latter: it was MEAN, and we're on our way to a real heat wave this weekend. The muscle twinges continued and in fact they're still there, and I'm stiff and sore all over, especially in my lower back. I googled shingrix reactions and found the CDC page about the vaccine. Scrolling down to the section on Side Effects and Counseling for Reactogenicity:

In eight clinical trials of more than 10,000 participants, grade 3 reactions (vaccination-related reactions severe enough to prevent normal activities) were common after patients received Shingrix. About 1 out of 10 adults who received Shingrix reported grade 3 injection-site symptoms such as pain, redness, and swelling. Also, about 1 out of 10 reported grade 3 systemic reactions such as myalgia, fatigue, headache, shivering, fever, and gastrointestinal illness. Most people (78%) who got Shingrix reported at least some pain at the injection site.
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Myalgia and fatigue sounds like exactly what I've been experiencing.

I also notice that the page recommends that patients "avoid strenuous activities, such as yardwork or swimming, for a few days after vaccination". Flying? The way I feel now, I sure wouldn't want to, though some of that is probably because I did something strenuous when I shouldn't have.

Fortunately, my plane is still down for annual so flying was never an option. But the possibility of a reaction is something I'd keep in mind when deciding whether to go flying (or doing anything else requiring you to be on top of your game) right after getting the shot.
 
Still very sore, now with general body aches similar to those when coming down with the flu. The injection site is much sorer than it would be a day after a flu shot, and it is definitely swollen and it hurts to raise that arm above my head. My temperature is about 0.7 F higher than it usually is at this time of day, though I wouldn't call it a fever. Definitely a "grade 3 systemic reaction" though, unless I'm actually coming down with something.
 
I just found this Canadian link to a summary of results from two controlled studies on the effectiveness and safety of the Shingrix vaccine. Apparently systemic reactions are MUCH more common than 10% --- more like 30% - 50% in the case of myalgia and fatigue. The 10% only applies to "Grade 3" reactions, which are those sufficiently severe to interfere with normal activities. Mine might not be classified as Grade 3 then, at least not for most people (I'm kinda unusual in that strenuous hiking is a normal activity for me, at least during the summer).

In any case though, that 30% to 50% figure for systemic reactions should be enough to give anyone pause before flying immediately after the shot. HTH
 
Thanks for the info. Yesterday my doctor gave me a prescription for it. I said but I just got the shingles vaccine. She said no this is a new and improved one you should go get it too. Oh bother.
 
Rushie said:
Thanks for the info. Yesterday my doctor gave me a prescription for it. I said but I just got the shingles vaccine. She said no this is a new and improved one you should go get it too. Oh bother.
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FWIW I had the Zostavax too last year, and my PCP still recommended Shingrix. Everything I've read agrees with that recommendation. Just budget for a day or two of downtime, and ignore them if they say they've never had anyone complain about side effects. It's new, not everyone makes the connection; and of course, you might not notice anything at all!

(They were going to give me a TDAP booster at the same time; good thing I opted to delay that, as apparently that always causes significant injection site pain.)
 
azure said:
FWIW I had the Zostavax too last year, and my PCP still recommended Shingrix. Everything I've read agrees with that recommendation. Just budget for a day or two of downtime, and ignore them if they say they've never had anyone complain about side effects. It's new, not everyone makes the connection; and of course, you might not notice anything at all!

(They were going to give me a TDAP booster at the same time; good thing I opted to delay that, as apparently that always causes significant injection site pain.)
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My TDAP booster had me down for a week. It may have been coincidentally I got a virus but I think there is some plausibility to the theory that vaccination might distract your immune system leaving you vulnerable to the bug du jour.

I'll probably do the Shingrix. I really don't want shingles. The flu shot on the other hand, I actually got the flu this year, a very bad case of it, and the variety that went around my part of the country, had I got the shot it would not have mattered anyway. I survived just fine and I'm not going to get a new shot every year just to get the flu anyway. Shingles on the other hand, I already know which virus I already carry. Different animal altogether.
 
Rushie said:
My TDAP booster had me down for a week. It may have been coincidentally I got a virus but I think there is some plausibility to the theory that vaccination might distract your immune system leaving you vulnerable to the bug du jour.
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I tend to agree with that theory, but it's also possible that you had a reaction to the vaccine, according to the CDC page on the TDAP vaccine. Thanks for the info, it only reinforces my belief that I made the right decision.
I'll probably do the Shingrix. I really don't want shingles. The flu shot on the other hand, I actually got the flu this year, a very bad case of it, and the variety that went around my part of the country, had I got the shot it would not have mattered anyway. I survived just fine and I'm not going to get a new shot every year just to get the flu anyway. Shingles on the other hand, I already know which virus I already carry. Different animal altogether.
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Ouch, sorry to hear that you actually had the flu (confirmed influenza, I assume?). I had a "flu" this winter that was similar to the local strain of influenza, but couldn't be confirmed by the quick in-clinic test. Quite bad, and I was very sick for a week and sub-par for nearly 3. The problem with the flu vaccine is the mutation rate, so by the time the vaccine is available, the strain that is predicted to be dominant has often given rise to new strains against which the vaccine is less effective. It usually confers SOME immunity though, so I'm not sure I understand why you would not want to get it. Reactions to the flu vaccines are much much rarer than those to Shingrix or TDAP. Personally I'll continue getting it as my insurance covers it, and I just don't see a downside.
 
azure said:
I tend to agree with that theory, but it's also possible that you had a reaction to the vaccine, according to the CDC page on the TDAP vaccine. Thanks for the info, it only reinforces my belief that I made the right decision.

Ouch, sorry to hear that you actually had the flu (confirmed influenza, I assume?). I had a "flu" this winter that was similar to the local strain of influenza, but couldn't be confirmed by the quick in-clinic test. Quite bad, and I was very sick for a week and sub-par for nearly 3. The problem with the flu vaccine is the mutation rate, so by the time the vaccine is available, the strain that is predicted to be dominant has often given rise to new strains against which the vaccine is less effective. It usually confers SOME immunity though, so I'm not sure I understand why you would not want to get it. Reactions to the flu vaccines are much much rarer than those to Shingrix or TDAP. Personally I'll continue getting it as my insurance covers it, and I just don't see a downside.
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I was very sick for three full weeks, confirmed flu with the clinic test. My problem with the vaccine is I don't like being lied to or misled. For example, the statistics about "flu deaths" are inflated far beyond actual laboratory confirmed influenza. Old people get sick with a flu-like illness, get pneumonia and die, and their deaths are counted in the pushy media propaganda trying to get me to get the shot, but many bugs cause such respiratory illnesses. I have an automatic reject response when lied to so there you have it.
 
NoHeat said:
Is it comfortable and safe to fly right away after getting the new Shingrix vaccination for shingles?

I don't see it mentioned on the FAA list, where typhoid was the only vaccination I saw listed.

However, I've read that Shingrix side effects are worse than most vaccinations, especially significant pain for two or three days. So I'm wondering if it's safe and reasonably comfortable to fly the next day, or the day after.
Click to expand...


Don't fly. This is not a vaccine to be taken lightly! I felt mildly ill for only a couple of days after the first shot. But, after the required second shot, I had chills and fever and swollen joints starting about 12 hours after the shot and and lasting at least 12 hours. My upper arm was extremely sore and swollen for at least 48 hours. I was literally bed-ridden for about 36 hours, and felt flu-like for several days. Three weeks later, I still feel "off". There should be more warning about this vaccine, if only to let people plan accordingly.
 
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