“the second, Flublok, is grown in insect cells.”
That sounds creepy. Apparently it uses armyworm caterpillars.
“Each 0.5 mL dose of Flublok may also contain residual amounts of baculovirus and Spodoptera frugiperdacell proteins ≤ 14.3 mcg), **baculovirus and cellular DNA/b, and Triton X-100 (≤ 100 mcg)”
Anyone see “The Fly”? 
I didn’t pay attention to which vaccine I got, I wonder if I still have the paperwork.
Shingrix is about 90-95% effective, compared to Zostavax, which is 40-60% effective (lowest efficacy in oldest patients). Shingrix is more effective because it uses an adjuvant, a chemical that causes a more vigorous immune response. I’m advising my patients to consider waiting till Shingrix has been out for a couple of years to see if there are any unexpected serious side effects, and still recommending Zostavax in the meantime. Shingrix is approved for people who had Zostavax, so it would be possible to get the one vaccine now and the other in a few years. (Not sure how insurance companies will handle revaccination, but recent data suggest Zostavax is effective for 8 years. We won’t know how long Shingrix lasts for quite a while.)
@techmom99 your son is a saint.
I had the shot already, with no reaction. I get it every year.
I got the shot a few weeks ago. Felt fine. I usually get a stiff arm but nothing this time.
I thank those of you who do the right thing and get the shot if you’re able to. You’re protecting a lot of lives that way 
I just got mine today, slight soreness but only if I think about it - my doctor thinks people can be immunized too early and recommends the shot be given after Halloween but a minimum of 2 weeks before Thanksgiving (so you’re fully immunized before any T-Day gathering).
The last time I had the flu was in 2009 (H1N1). There was a vaccine shortage in the fall of that year and while I was able to get my kids vaccinated during their HS sports physicals, I wasn’t about to ask their pediatrician for a dose that should go to her pediatric patients. Sure enough, I came down with the flu about a week after Thanksgiving. Between the flu and accompanying bronchitis, I was sick for the whole month of December. Never again…
Yup, I target the 1st week of Nov for mine. I bug my kids in mid-Oct. D1 (the obedient one) has done it. D2 (the “other one”) hasn’t yet.
I always get the flu vaccine as soon as it is available because in HI we have so many visitors our flu “season” is unpredictable, plus I fly in planes a significant amount and want what protection I can get.
re #76, 98, 99
I never knew there were different vaccine formulas in a given flu season. Why would doctors/pharmacies be administering the less effective vaccines when other, far more effective ones are available? Does this come down to which pharmaceutical company they have contracted for their vaccine supply?
Fortunately I got the Flucelvax Quad at Target/CVS (covered by my insurance) and received a $5 gift voucher in return and no pain or side effects. I guess this will be one more thing we will have to start shopping around for …
Got my flu shot a month ago since I was flying every weekend for 10 weeks chasing football games. Sitting in an airport this time of year is motivation…a petri dish! As for shingles, my poor 19 year old college sophomore was diagnosed about 2 months ago with shingles…she had the chickenpox vaccine as an infant. She presented with a very nasty rash on one side in her underarm/shoulder/rib cage area. It was nasty and painful. I was shocked but they told her it was on the rise in college age students due to stress. Hmmmm.
Yes, stress can definitely contribute to shingles! My mom was told the same thing by her doctor.
Could be that the non-egg-based flu vaccines are more difficult/expensive and therefore mainly offered to those with egg allergies, since the lesser effectiveness against some A-H3N2 strains may not have been known until recently.
Cost may also be why trivalent flu vaccines are still the most common, and that you have to specifically ask for the quadrivalent flu vaccine if you want the extra B strain (the trivalent ones have A-H1N1 and A-H3N2 and one B strain, while the quadrivalent ones add a second B strain).
As mentioned upthread, insurance coverage isn’t always available for all versions.
Wow, I did not know you could get shingles unless you actually had chickenpox. I had the vaccine as an adult and always thought I would escape the possibility of getting shingles
Just saw an article on how time of day affects healing. It also affects immune response for vaccines; totally eye-opening for me as I would never in a million years have thought time of day would have an effect on a vaccine’s effectiveness.
My takeaway is that if you’re old enough to be concerned about having a decreased immune response to the flu vaccine, schedule your shot in the morning. Here’s a link to the NIH paper.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4874947/
Results
The increase in antibody levels due to vaccination differed between morning and afternoon administration; mean difference (95% CI) for H1N1 A-strain, 293.3 (30.97–555.66) p = .03, B-strain, 15.89 (3.42–28.36) p = .01, but not H3N2 A-strain, 47.0 (−52.43 to 146.46) p = .35; those vaccinated in the morning had a greater antibody response. Cytokines and steroid hormones were not related to antibody responses. No adverse events were reported.
Conclusions
This simple manipulation in the timing of vaccine administration to favour morning vaccination may be beneficial for the influenza antibody response in older adults, with potential implications for vaccination strategies generally.
Re: shingles after chicken pox vaccine
Possibilities:
A. Person had a mild case of chicken pox without obvious symptoms, resulting in hidden virus that later produced shingles.
B. Chicken pox vaccine has live weakened virus. A rare possibility with such vaccines is back mutating into a form that can do worse than just inducing immune response.
Thanks for the nudge. I went this morning to Walgreens & got a flu shot. No insurance coverage. I just paid out of pocket for the convenience, rather than make an appointment with the PCP in our HMO.
No Excuses, People: Get the New Shingles Vaccine
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/health/shingrix-shingles-vaccine.html