Can a Flu shot lead to Shingles?

I had the h1n1 flu shot on Friday, December 4, 2009. On Saturday, Dec 5, my right side was in pain. On Sunday, Dec 6 I went to emergency. Because they thought it was a kidney stone, they told me to see a Urologist. He ordered a CAT scan that came back negative. By Wednesday I was in so much pain, I called my primary doctor for an appointment. They took me immediatedly and he diagnosed me with the shingles. I had a small but painful rash which I pointed out to the other doctors. They ignored it because I was also complaining about pain from under my rib cage to my waist and around to my back, same area. The shingles attack a band of nerves. So this explained why I was in so much pain. Whether it correlate to the h1n1, I can't say for sure, but what a coincident!

Hi,

I received my flu shot (mandated by my employer) on Dec 04, 2009. On Dec 06, I started seeing 'rash like' spots appearing on my body. I also had severe itching, redness and swelling on my left upper arm, where the injection site was. I have also been having severe headaches/lump feeling in my throat, and cannot stop scratching at the site. I ended up taking Benadryl, which did decrease my immune response. Then, I went to my doctor, who said the local reaction/headaches were caused by my reaction to the flu vaccine. She also asked me if I had ever had chicken pox. I told her yes, in the 4th grade I did. She said my 'rash like' spots were Shingles, most likely brought on by the flu vaccine I had 10 days prior. WTF!? I am no longer required to receive a flu shot. Just getting the word out....

BTW, I wish the people with the crazy theories would just stop.

Shingles can attack when the immune system is weak. The flu short may challenge the immune system giving shingles the opening it is looking for.

With more info perhaps they can fine tune the vaccine to reduce this possibility. Others who are worried about shingles can choose to skip the vaccine.

Nothing more than that.

Thanks, I filled it out.

Hi everyone - I just checked the most recent update from the Centers for Disease Control, and they are not reporting shingles as a side effect from the vaccination. Of course, people would need to report that they had this side effect in order for CDC to recognize this. Here's how to do that, for those who live in the US.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a national vaccine safety surveillance program co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VAERS is a post-marketing safety surveillance program, collecting information about adverse events (possible side effects) that occur after the administration of vaccines licensed for use in the United States.

VAERS provides a nationwide mechanism by which adverse events following immunization may be reported, analyzed, and made available to the public. VAERS also provides a vehicle for disseminating vaccine safety-related information to parents and guardians, health care providers, vaccine manufacturers, state vaccine programs, and other constituencies.

The link to VAERS is http://vaers.hhs.gov/index

Hello, I would just like to add that I got shingles on my neck about 10 days after my flu shot (H1N1). I am a 43 old healthy male and I had never had shingles before.

There would seem to be enough here to warrant more investigation.