How long should you wait after shingles to get shingrix

You can protect yourself against shingles and its health dangers. Adults aged 50 and older should get the shingles vaccine.

About the shingles vaccine:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people aged 50 and older get two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) to prevent shingles and its complications.

The shingles vaccine is the only way to protect against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication of shingles. (PHN can cause long-term nerve pain, even after you no longer have shingles.) In fact, Shingrix is more than 90% effective at preventing shingles and PHN for people aged 50 and older who have healthy immune systems.

You should get two doses of Shingrix, given 2 to 6 months apart. People with weakened immune systems can get the second dose 1 to 2 months after the first dose.

You should get Shingrix even if in the past you:

• Have already had shingles
• Received a previous shingles vaccine called Zostavax*
• Received varicella (chickenpox) vaccine

* A shingles vaccine called zoster vaccine live (Zostavax) is no longer available for use in the United States. If you had Zostavax in the past, you should still get Shingrix. Talk to your healthcare provider to determine the best time to get Shingrix.

If you have had shingles in the past, Shingrix can help prevent you from getting it again. There is no specific length of time that you need to wait after the acute stage of shingles is over before you can get Shingrix. However, you should make sure the shingles rash has gone away before you get vaccinated.

Do not get Shingrix if you:

• Have ever had a severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine or after a dose of Shingrix
• Currently have shingles
• Currently are pregnant
• Currently have a moderate or severe illness.  You should usually wait to recover before you get the vaccine.

More About Shingles

Shingles is a viral disease of nerves and skin that causes a blistering rash and pain in the area of the rash. Shingles comes from the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella zoster virus). There is no cure for shingles, but it can be prevented and treated. Anyone who has had chickenpox in the past can get shingles, because the virus stays in your system even after you recover. The shingles vaccine can help you avoid getting shingles.

Shingles can be very painful, but for healthy people, the discomfort and rash usually disappear within two to four weeks. However, adults over the age of 60 and people who have other health problems may have symptoms that last longer. Shingles may also cause complications. The most common of these is long-term nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). This painful condition can stay for years. 

Symptoms of shingles include:

• The first sign of shingles may be tender, numb, painful, burning, or itchy skin. These symptoms can happen before any rash appears.
• Rashes or blisters that appear on one side of your body, often on your face or around your waist
• Burning or shooting pain, tingling, or itching
• Fever, chills
• Headache, upset stomach 

How Common is Shingles?

Scientists do not yet know why some people who have had chickenpox never get shingles and why some do. But about 30% of people in the U.S. will get shingles at some time in their lives. Your risk of shingles also increases as you get older. The chance for complications, including nerve pain, also increases with age. About half of Americans aged 85 years and older have had at least one case of shingles. Having it once doesn’t protect you from getting it again.

Last Updated July 2022

In the journals

The CDC recommends people ages 50 and older get the Shingrix vaccine to protect against shingles. But suppose you haven’t been vaccinated and you get shingles for the first time. In that case, you should still receive the shot to reduce your risk of future attacks, says a study published Sept. 1, 2021, in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Shingles causes a painful, burning rash that usually develops on one side of the body, often the face or torso. The rash consists of blisters that typically scab over in a week to 10 days and clears up within two to four weeks. For some people, the pain from shingles lasts for months or even years after the rash goes away. The researchers looked at the recurrence rate among 17,413 people who had a first-time shingles attack. They found that approximately 4% had another outbreak later. Those ages 45 to 54 had a recurrence after two years on average, while people ages 55 and older had one three years later on average. People with weaker immune systems were at a higher risk for a second shingles attack.

Given the recurrence rates, the researchers said that people who’d already had shingles would still benefit from getting the vaccine. Shingrix is administered in two doses, two to six months apart. The vaccine should not be given during a shingles outbreak or when someone is taking antiviral medications.

Image: Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Images

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