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Shingrix vaccine side effects

(10 Posts)
LadyStardust Wed 21-Aug-24 13:21:07

Anyone had a similar reaction to me? My vaccination site is red, warm to the touch and quite itchy, a week later. It's about 4 inches across and 2 inches deep now and seems to be getting bigger slowly! I feel fine in myself and the arm isn't painful. Everything online says it should be fine after 2 to 3 days! It just seems a trivial issue to hassle the GP with.

Jaxjacky Wed 21-Aug-24 13:30:35

Check with a pharmacist perhaps?

B9exchange Wed 21-Aug-24 13:41:11

I had a large lump that itched for weeks afterwards, it did finally go. If you have no systemic symptoms, then it shows you have a good reaction to the vaccine and just live with it I am afraid.

sharon103 Wed 21-Aug-24 14:02:21

Not the same vaccine but when I had my first covid jab, 10 days later I came out in exactly the same as you've got.
It was red all up my arms and top of my feet would you believe.
Just as though my skin had been burned and itched like mad.
I phoned our local chemist and they said to buy some steroid cream which I did. Not E45 but a proper steroid cream.
After a couple of days it was a lots better and the itching had gone.

Ginny42 Wed 21-Aug-24 14:13:48

As someone just recovering after a severe attack of shingles, I can't believe I was so foolish as to believe I didn't need it! You were absolutely right to get it.

Isn't the vaccine a live virus? Could it be that you're experiencing a mild shingles rash?? I'm not a medic so this is just a suggestion, but a pharmacist would know surely?

LadyStardust Wed 21-Aug-24 14:16:36

Thanks everyone. I have some mild steroid cream so I'll try a bit of that. Yes it feels just like sunburn! If there's no change soon I'll pop into the pharmacy.

LadyStardust Wed 21-Aug-24 14:22:38

Ginny42. Hope you are fully recovered now. My mum had it last year and was so poorly. As soon as I got my invite for the vaccine I was there! I didn't want to go through what poor Mum went through.

Ginny42 Wed 21-Aug-24 14:38:10

Thank you for your good wishes LadyStardust. Sorry to hear about your Mum. Yes, the pain is dreadful, day and night. It wasn't helped that a Dr prescribed a pain killer I shouldn't have had, (I have Gilbert's syndrome) and I ended up in hospital for 5 days. The painkiller had caused a build up of 'unexpected substances' in my liver and made me violently sick, so it was scary whilst is lasted.

The only plus was that when the ambulance crew said I had shingles, I was in a bed in less than 20 mins, in a corner well away from everyone!

Hope your rash clears up soon.

LadyStardust Wed 21-Aug-24 18:21:36

Thank you Ginny42. That story sounds horrendous for you! Makes my rash sound very feeble! Sending flowers

Snowshill Mon 26-Aug-24 15:38:11

I had side effects for 5 weeks. They ran a titre, and I showed such an enormous immune response that I was told not to take the second shot.