Whether or not the shot is paid for by Medicare depends on the type of insurance that you have. I have an Advantage Program which did pay for it. My friend has traditional Medicare with a supplemental. His supplemental paid for it. Talk to your insurance carrier.

Here is the information from the Center for Disease Control
 

I can tell you that the pain is so great from shingles that it made my friends blood pressure go up so high that at Urgent Care they thought she was having a heart attack. That is not all. It can last for months and sometimes, years. Please read information below;

Vaccines: VPD-VAC/Shingles/Shingles (Herpes zoster) Vaccination: What You Need to Know

Check the local health dept. I had mine done in collier county and they only charged $25.00 it is a very good idea to get the shot.

I too had the shot mid-2012. Got the shingles about Oct 1 2013.
Mild case started with itching. I saw no reason for 2 days. Then the rash appeared. Got to the doctor who prescribed the anti-viral. The rash subsided quickly but the itching remains tho' less and less all the time.

I had the shingles and didn't have the shot and it was really bad pain. I since go the shot and got the shingles again and had almost no pain with them this time. So I'm glad I had the shot.
PP

I had the shingles vaccine in November and got shingles in January, It is not 100% effective. You can still get shingles! Ended up with a paralyzed facial nerve and I'm still waiting for it to get better!

Use your own judgement to decide if it's right for you.

shingles shot
 

I turned 60 in August and the first thing I did was go to get my shingle shot. My Dr. said to wait on it because they are finding people are getting the shot and then coming down with shingles and they do not know if there is any connection with the shot. I must tell you I am not comfortable with this because my greataunt and my mom both suffered from shingles. I am glad that I read all your posts and may rethink the shot.

I've had shingles twice. I was very lucky both times because I recognized the symptoms. I was treated and given medication within 24 hours. I was told that early detection is key in limiting the severity of the virus.

Bogie, in answer to your question ...... my family doctor has now recommended the shingles shot. She says it will either prevent a third episode, or lessen the severity.

DO NOT HESITATE to get it especially if you are over 60, my hubby had it on his butt cheek and it ran down his sciatica. He could not work for over 3 months he was that debilitated. He now has nerve damage in his leg. The outbreak happened over a year ago and he still has pain from it. His leg/foot will go numb at times and can make him fall..IT IS NOTHING THAT YOU EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT GETTING

get the shot~

I've heard that you must have a doctor's order to get the Shingles vaccine. My doctor does not recommend the vaccine and so I haven't gotten it. Can you get the vaccine on your own?

I did. At Walgreen's

I don't believe you need an order from your physician to get the shot. You can obtain it at local pharmacies. However, the bigger issue is why are you staying with a doctor who ignores the wisdom of every national organization that deals with vaccines (except chiropractors and some other non-allopathic fields). There is some concern with efficacy as mentioned by others above. It is not 100% effective with preventing shingles. It will lower your risk of shingles by about 50% and lowers the risk of severe pain with shingles by even more. It would make we wonder about the ability of your doctor to keep up to date and evaluate medical literature. Of course I might be wrong and there is some obscure reason why s/he does not recommend it for you specifically.

The only thought I would add at this point is that the duration of protection is unknown. The older you are when you receive a vaccination the less of a response you get. Additionally your natural immunity from having had chicken pox is fading. I think you will be hearing future recommendations for a booster dose of the shingles vaccine perhaps every 10 years.

Our doctor highly recommended it, The Centers for Disease Control recommend it so that was enough for both of us to get the shot at Walgreens.

I got my shingles vaccine over a year ago.

From memory, one doctor told me that if you don't get the vaccine, your chances of getting shingles is 3 out of 100. If you get the vaccine, your chances will be 2 out of 100. So I guess I didn't gain much by getting the vaccine but I got it anyway. If I do get shingles it will be less severe than if I didn't get the vaccine.

Here's one thing that may or may not be of help. I know someone who got shingles and was told that it came on because of a stressful situation. Stress can weaken your immune system so be careful of that.

Mu uncle got the shingles in his nineties. A WWII veteran who never complained about anything until he got a ncase of shingles. It was extremely painful to him for several years.

IMHO - The shingles vaccine is very well worth the risk to avoid a case of the shingles.