| Pneumonia vaccine | FDA approval |
|---|---|
| PCV21 | 2024 |
| PCV20 | 2021 |
| PCV15 | 2021 |
| PCV13 | 2010 |
| PPSV23 | 1983 |
In 2020, you probably got PCV13 and/or PPSV23.
More information on the various vaccines, including the serotypes covered by each: About Pneumococcal Vaccines: For Providers | CDC
Our GDsā coughs have lingered as well. Only older GD was diagnosed with walking pneumonia, but her sister and I ended up with very similar symptoms. GD was given an antibiotic for the ear infection that developed.
I got concerned when my cough didnāt get better and finally went to my PCP who wrote a Rx for Singulair, which has a black box warning. Given the issues I had with some other prescriptions over the years, I decided to not take it. After a few more weeks of hot tea, lemon and honey, steamy showers and sleeping in a recliner, the coughing finally ended.
H and I want to get the pneumonia vaccine, but had trouble getting it scheduled. He has reacted with multiple days of fever, chills, lethargy, etc. to every vaccine heās gotten in the past five years, with Shingrix being the worst. Weāre taking the risk that we can avoid getting sick until early December in order to block out three days for rest after getting the shot. It will be just the two of us for Thanksgiving this year, and we mask when we go to the grocery store, so I think we have a chance. 
Let us know how he does. I way overreact to vaccines, covid was a horrible vaccine for me and Shignrex, oh my. I am overdue for a repeat (only good for 5 years) but I need to find a good time to be very sick for a few days 4-6 months apart!
Assuming you mean Shingrix, I have not read any recommendation for needing repeat vaccination after 5 years. If you had the older less effective Zostavax, you can get Shingrix after at least 8 weeks (since Zostavax has not been available in the US since 2020, it has been much more than 8 weeks since then).
Typo! Thanks, ucbalumnus, for the good news. I had avoided the vaccine, but not bothered to Google it.
Shingrix- hmmm, why has my PCP been bugging me about repeating that dose. I suppose part of the longevity info limitation is that the Shingrix has only been publicly available since what, 2017?
Iāll keep procrastinating watching the research!
Google does show this:
Shingrix has demonstrated high vaccine efficacy for at least 7 years after vaccination in people without immunocompromise,1 and immunogenicity data suggest that protection may persist for at least 10 years .
Does your PCP believe that you got Zostavax rather than Shingrix?
By any chance did you not receive both Shingrix shots of the two part series, two to six months apart? Or maybe one is all that was documented?
If your PCP understands that you got (both) Shingrix shots, and still suggests another, Iām very curious about the reasoning. I have a dread fear of shingles after the horrible case my mother experienced, and my (then teenage) daughter later got. I was so relieved to get the vaccine.
Despite our reactions to the shot, Iād get a booster when and if thatās recommended.
Wow, I had no idea this was a thing (Iām not 65).
I had bacterial pneumonia last fall (Iām 58), and it was easily the sickest Iāve ever been. It was rough, and lasted a few months from start to finish. I didnāt end up in the hospital, but I was on two different antibiotics and an inhaler towards the end.
When I had it (the first time) in my 30ās, it took three weeks and two antibiotics to get through the active infection, three months to get my strength back, and a full year to get rid of the last couple of after-effects (shaky hands and blurred vision when I was tired). I also wasnāt hospitalized.
I had so-called walking pneumonia and I couldnāt walk to the bathroom without getting winded. It resulted in the first of two weeklong hospitalizations after Covid several months before. Ugh, just ugh,
My pcp gave me a new pneumonia shot five years after the previous one (different insurance, different pcp, different network but it was on my EHR of the new doc/network). NYC Dept. of Health does a great job tracking vaccines, including childhood vaccines for kids.
Got PCV20 (Prevnar, what was available) recently. Had a little bit of soreness at the injection site, but that was it for noticeable effects. It was not as sore or long lasting as with Janssen and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. No feeling tired for a day like with Shingrix. Your experience may vary.
Had that same vax yesterday. Armās a bit sore, otherwise no side effects.
Am getting this momentarily - as soon as the pharmacist comes over. I was going to put it off until the major sickness around here died down, but then someone somewhere mentioned a possibility of insurance not covering it anymore. And my coworker was pressured into hers at a doctors visit last week, so I figured I may as well go.
3/9 people in the office are sick today - but all 3 STAYED HOME! I canāt remember this ever happening in almost 28 years. Of course Iām listening to someone with a super nasty cough in line. (Iām hiding in the waiting area far away)
Edit - I did have pneumonia for 3 months as a kid and also once as an adult after the flu. On a good day, I have 80% lung capacity due to allergies so I do worry a bit about pneumonia.
Hmm, my husband got the PPSV23 vaccine in 2020. His provider today asked if he wanted the pneumonia vaccine (but maybe he didnāt look at his records to see he already got it). I had thought this was a lifetime vaccine, but looking at the notes, maybe not.
Iāve had a slew of different pneumonia shots. Pneumovax, prevnar 13, prevnar 23, and some others. Because Iāve got bad lungs, my docs seem to want to to have all the pneumonia shots there are an get them every 5 years or more often. I am trying to keep track in a spreadsheet because otherwise my head will explode. I do try to get my shots at local CVS, so they have a record of our shots as well.
The pharmacist told me it was a once in a lifetime shot and it was āthe newest oneā, but looking at my records it was the CAPVAXIVE vaccine, not prevnar
And this is the first time Iāve seen on the cvs website that they have all my shots since 2014, even the ones I got at the health department and the covid ones I received at my work place. They are tied in with our state health dept it says. I can download a pdf of them too.
Practice Alert: Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines Approved for Adults | AAFP shows the serotypes covered by the various pneumonia vaccines.
PCV20 is a superset of PCV15 and PCV13, but PCV20, PCV21, and PPSV23 are not supersets of each other. The PCV vaccines tend to generate stronger immune responses than the PPSV vaccine.
Of course, if a future PCV vaccine contains more serotypes that were not in the vaccine you got, you may still choose to get it then. Actually, someone who wants maximum serotype coverage would get both PCV20 and PCV21, but that currently is not in the recommendations.
My understanding is that itās not just about the serotypes, but primarily about the type of vaccine. If you have previously received PPSV23 (as seems to be the case for @busdriver11ās husband), it is still recommended to get PCV20 or PCV15, even though PPSV23 covers almost all of the serotypes covered by PCV20 and PCV15.
Iāve also been getting boosters for these periodically, since around 1980 when I lost my spleen. And despite the shots, Iāve also had pneumonia a bunch of times. Iām apparently due for another pneumonia shot, which is why Iām trying to figure out which one Iām supposed to getā¦
Iām confused. Should my husband also get another vaccine? Or should he wait awhile? Why bother to get one when you need different one also?
