"A New Shingles Vaccine - Prepare For Harsher Side Effects" - Lisa Esposito
If you’re 50 or older, you're advised to get immunized to protect yourself from shingles. If the new shingles vaccine made you feel worse than you expected, you're not alone. Skin rash, joint pain, flu-like symptoms, headaches and fatigue are some complaints from patients who've had the recently approved Shingrix vaccine. Side effects can last two or three days, and the injection site in the upper arm can hurt. "Part of the problem is that health care providers may not have fully understood the instructions of administration," said Talia Swartz, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Providers can refer to the website of Shingrix manufacturer GSK for complete administration instructions for this relatively unfamiliar vaccine, Dr. Swartz suggested. "As providers are more comfortable with it, I believe the administration errors would be expected to be reduced," she said.
- Talia Swartz, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai