Shingles Shot Covered By Medicare Part D

If you have ever suffered from shingles, you know how painful it can be.  Shingles is extremely debilitating, especially to the elderly.  It usually starts with extreme pain on one side of the body.  This pain can include severe itching, tingling, burning, constant aching, or deep shooting pain.  Usually between 1 – 3 days after the pain starts, a rash with raised red bumps and blisters breaks out in the same area that the pain has been in.  The bumps fill with pus and turn to scabs in about 0 to 12 days.

If this reminds you of the chicken pox, it is because it is from a relative of the same virus, which is a form of herpes virus. If you have had the chicken pox as a child, the virus becomes dormant and remains in the body.  They don’t always erupt later, however, sometimes they do.  There is no specific issue or reason that creates the eruptions, however, if a person has had an organ transplant, HIV or cancer, these compromise and weaken the immune system and could make a person more susceptible to any virus.  These are not necessarily the cause of shingles, and most people with shingles are otherwise quite healthy.

It is suggested that most people over 60 years of age receive the vaccine against shingles every year.  The good news is that Medicare Part D covers the cost of this vaccine.  The vaccine enhances the immune system’s ability to fight off the virus that causes shingles, and decreases the incidence of the disease.  Booster shots are being looked into so that individuals don’t have to take the vaccine shot every year. 

It is strongly suggested that – especially if you are over 60 – you talk to your doctor about the shingles vaccine.  Since Medicare Part D will cover the expense of the vaccine, all it will cost you is a little time, and it can save you a lot of pain.