Question: Is it safe to get a second shot to prevent shingles from returning?
Dr. Hibberd’s answer:
A single shot for shingles prevention is suitable at least 10 to 15 years after receiving one. There are no current recommendations for booster vaccination.
If you inadvertently get a second shot, you shouldn’t experience any significant negative side effects, except perhaps a local reaction with redness and tenderness at the injection site — a rare and mild reaction that will clear by itself in a week or two without a problem.
Remember, the shingles shot is really a reduced dose of chicken pox vaccine used as a booster for the chickenpox immunity you acquired as a child — either by disease exposure or vaccination.
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