@intparent I agree. Two different doctors we asked–I didn’t word my post well. H’s dr. that googled Shingrix during the office visit was not on of the ICU doctors, but was a new lung specialist at the state teaching hospital. I especially thought she should have some idea, given her more vulnerable, in general, population.
I was also trying to say I thought he was nuts for getting Shingrix/flu same day!
I got my first Shingrix shot 2 months ago. My CVS is saying they don’t expect to have it in stock again until January. Have people been having any luck with other pharmacies?
I’m on the list at my docs office. Because of this post, I just called them to see if they had an ETA. They said SPRING!! Its backordered and I can only get free from doc office with my insurance.
I was at Target today and asked (my insurance doesn’t cover it there)…and they have well over 100 people on a waiting list for Shingrex. They doubt they will see the vaccine before January.
Im going to Ohio for the weekend, and am asking there. A friend got her first shot in Texas last week…no problem. She may return there to get the second one…and visit her grand kids!
But she also said…her insurance didn’t cover it because she hadn’t met some deductible…she is on Medicare and has Express Scripts. Any idea what that means?
I received both doses of Shingrix at the Seattle store of a small chain called Pharmaca Integrated Phamacy. They have had Shingrix in stock when no one else in the city had it, and also seem to get restocked from the manufacturer more readily than any of the other places I have called. I just checked their Redmond, Washington branch and they have eight doses in stock right now. If I were still looking to get a shot, and I lived near one of their branches, I would call them once a week to see if they had more supplies in stock.
It is primarily a West Coast chain but also has shops in Boulder, Santa Fe and Chicago.
I’m due for my 2nd shot. CVS had none in stock and had no idea when they would get more. I was told none of the pharmacies have it. I then tried Walmart pharmacy and was told it might be available after February.
@CTmom2018 , if you are in CT, we found that the pharmacy in the Big Y would get periodic supplies when no one else seemed to have any. This is from the CDC website: Note4: Due to high levels of demand for GSK’s Shingrix vaccine, GSK has implemented order limits and providers have experienced shipping delays. It is anticipated order limits and shipping delays will continue throughout 2019. In response, GSK increased the US supply available for 2018 and plans to make even more doses available in the US in 2019. Additionally, GSK will continue to release doses to all customer types on a consistent and predictable schedule during 2019. Updated November 2018
Not once, but twice, in the last few months, I have had a store have Shigrex in stock and told my DH to get his, including once at Costco when he was at Costco. Nope, he just has not done it. Because I was not with him to make sure it got done right? Why are so many guys so silly about this kind of maintenance stuff?
I will keep checking around.
Ditto for SoCal. I called a dozen pharmacies and my local CVS said “backordered until June”. Yikes.
My cvs has 100 people at least on their waiting list and don’t expect to see one dose of shingrex until mid-January at least.
Because I had such a horrible reaction to the first Shingrix, I’ve been avoiding reading this updated thread because I’ve been known to, well, brood.
Had my first shot 9/18 and second shot 12/3.
9/18 – Won’t go into specifics, but first shot high fever (102+), aches, chills yadadada for about 48 hours. Also, doctor recommended and I followed getting flu shot same day. Poor advice.
12/3 – Fever, aches but much diminished compared to first vaccine – fever 100, manageable with motrin which I started immediately to offset extreme peaks. Arm still has bruising about an inch above a softball size, not too painful, red rash. Keeping it seasonal – reminds me of a nice, red Christmas ornament.
Crank sidebars:
– I hope that this supply/demand issue is resolved soon. “Everyone! Everyone! Vaccination Critical!!! Don’t Delay!/////Oh, so sorry … We don’t, can’t, won’t (fill in the blank).” An additional layer needing navigation.
– Getting the impression after researching side effects that some of the medical community are “tempering” responses to these adverse reactions/downplaying side effects for fear that people will not get second dose. It feels a bit disingenuous and dismissive.
I hope everyone is able to get second dose in a timely fashion/no reactions.
@thumper1 wrote:
I’m number 200 on the waitlist at our local Rite-Aid. They told me they get approximately 10 per month (if they’re lucky.) Wow.
I got the 2nd shot last weekend and had pretty much the same side effects as the first time. No fever, but muscle and joint aches the next day and my neck really hurt, too. Arm a little sore but nothing I couldn’t handle. I had much worse reactions to the 2nd pneumonia vaccine. Shingrix was a walk in the park in comparison.
Still no Shingrex available anywhere here…long waiting lists, and some places aren’t even taking names for a wait list.
Any update on the availability of shingrix?
Here in CT, every place I’ve been to says they won’t really see this vaccine until at least mid-January…and even then…they are expecting limited quantities.
fo those on a WL for #2, make sure your Pharm knows that you are awaiting for number 2. Per CDC guidelines, you are supposed to jump to the front of the line as the second shots are supposed to get priority.
I started this thread in June after my wife first started to suffer from Shingles outbreak some time in late March or early April, so it’s been about 8-9 months. It’s been miserable months and she’s still suffering from headaches with no end in sight. I believe it’s going to drag out few years as her current symptoms seem permanent. We’d be lucky at this point if the symptoms disappear completely after a few years of suffering. It’s forcing her to retire early, most likely in February. Hopefully, her suffering would be milder in her retirement.
We were invited to a friend’s place for dinner the other day. Over the dinner conversation, we learned that the husband of the host had his first shot a while back but forgot to take the second one. Panicked he looked at his online calendar to learn that it’s been 7 months since his first. The very next day, he called everywhere even in nearby cities, found one place that still had it and immediately got his second shot secured.
I got my 1st shot in July and started calling around a couple of weeks ago to get the 2nd shot and found the same thing as others - a major shortage. One pharmacy in town had a few doses saved for those who needed the 2nd shot so managed to get one. Shingles seems to run in my family so I was very motivated. I did not feel well for about 48 hours after the 1st shot (muscle aches, not much energy) but felt Ok after the 2nd shot. My H call the manufacturer and was told the vaccine would become more available in January.
Best of luck to your wife’s recovery, TiggerDad, as shingles is pretty horrible. With the shortage of vaccines it’s best to be proactive and call around and preferably find a pharmacy that will take your name and number so you are on a waitlist.