shingles and hepc

[Rangle]

Hi folks long time no see hope all is well ..my doctor sugessted that because of my HCV i get a shingles vaccination
it cost 300$ and I have no insurance
Am I more likely to get shingles because of my HCV?

tia

[curiouslady1]

Yes, and it is my understanding that shingles can cause permanent hearing and vision problems.  I got mine last year too after my cousin came up not only with long term nerve pain but permanent hearing loss in one ear.  Her immune system was compromised from Type I diabetes.  

[pooh55811]

Personally, I would get the Shingles vaccine. In fact, I did get the Shingles vaccine last spring, even before I knew I had Hep C.

The problem with Shingles is that if your immune system gets compromised for any reason, Shingles can become active. I got Shingles when I had systemic vasculitis in 1993-94 and was on steroids for the vasculitis. Luckily, I recognized that I had Shingles fairly early in the outbreak, got a prescription for Valtrex, and had no residual nerve damage. But I do know people who have had severe cases of Shingles with major outbreaks and blistering and weeping. Some of these people have gone on to have persistent nerve pain even after the outbreak had cleared up. Even though I had a rather mild case, that nerve pain with the outbreak was very painful. I got the vaccine because I do not ever want to get Shingles again.

[eureka254]

Some doctors are recommending shingles vaccination to those over 50, and some only to those over 60.  If you have neuropathy or compromised liver function those might be indications to vaccinate, but I'm not aware of hcv infection itself being reason alone. A quick link to CDC guidelines:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6044a5.htm?s_cid=mm6044a5_e%0D%0A

Hope that helps.

[Rangle]

I treated and relapsed just want to be safe
I wont treat again with whats available

[curiouslady1]

Shingles vaccination for over 60s is a good idea whether you have HCV or not.  If your HCV infection goes south and you happen to get shingles; you might end up to be one miserable guy.  

[flcyclist]

Good question, but I'd gather the caution is related to the increased risk of infection that could result from a low ANC/wbc.  If you're done with trt and don't have a low ANC, then there should be no concern.  

[Rangle]

Im not sure why?

[flcyclist]

Sounds like a good idea with the following caution from webmd:

"There are no contraindications for a person with HCV to get the shingles vaccine. However if your neutrophil count is under 750, for any reason, such as due to interferon treatment, vaccination should be delayed."

http://forums.webmd.com/3/hepatitis-exchange/forum/884