Am recovering from psoriasis and think I should get shingles vaccine but am scared to as afraid will renew psoriasis all over again.
Will shingles vaccine reactivate psoriasis that I have?
Question posted by vancartist on 21 July 2012
Last updated on 22 September 2020 by psy999
4 Answers
psy999
22 Sep 2020
When I was around 49, I had the first singles vaccine. Around that time I was diagnosed with psoriasis. I had never had skin issues in my life. I used topical medications for a year and then read up on psoriasis chat sites and removed gluten from my diet and my psoriasis cleared up and has been under control for 10 years. In Dec 2019 I had the first installment of the shingrex vaccine, had flu like symptoms for 1-2 days, but all good otherwise. In mid July 2020, I, some family and neighbors had a chigger bite outbreak that I eventually needed a steroid cream for. At the end of July, I had the second shingrex shot, was flu sick for longer (2-3 days), had more reaction in my arm site (swollen and hot for a week) and tired for a week. Shortly after, I started having a psoriasis outbreak on my left elbow, back hairline and on my back near spine and it has been going on for about a month now. Putting it all together now after 10 years, it seems obvious to me that there is a link.
I do want to add that my 23 and me dna workup showed that I have one celiac marker, but I have been tested and do not have celiac disease, and no intestinal issues, so I think I am just sensitive to gluten... or has it been the shingrex vaccine all along and I can start eating my bagels again!? :-)
Jossers
18 Jan 2017
It most certainly can as I had the injection on Monday and now my psoriasis has flaired up and is very sore on my elbows and in my finger nails plus I had a fever and felt terrible
I researched it and found that non live virus injections are ok but live ones like shingles and smallpox can give a flaire up .
It's now a few days and fever subsided but still sore from flaire ups
Wish somebody had warned me about this
justmeloo21
14 May 2013
Actually, it's plausible that the Shingles virus could aggravate Psoriasis. Psoriasis exists because the skin is always in "injured" mode, thus the faster production of more skin cells. When Shingles hits the dermal area it affects, it could trigger the "injured" mode of Psoriasis. Just because they are two, separate things doesn't mean they're mutually exclusive.
kaismama
21 July 2012
I'm sorry but I really have to do this. Why would it even occur to you to wonder if a vaccine for something totally unrelated would flare your psoriasis? No, it wouldn't flare anything.
vancartist
22 July 2012
I feel since both are skin disease, that they both have some similarities and might 'overlap' each other in symptoms. Still have mild psoriasis and so am leery that it will flare up again w/shingle vaccine. Your comments...
kaismama
22 July 2012
Psoriasis is an auto immune disease, and shingles is caused by a virus. There are many skin diseases and they aren't all related.
vancartist
22 July 2012
Thankyou!!
kaismama
22 July 2012
You're welcome, any time
Newyorker
12 Jan 2013
Kaismama,
That's a pretty cavalier answer and it happens to be incorrect. There are many things that can cause a psoriasis flare up including a number of infections that are not at all related to psoriasis... strep for example. In fact it is not at all clear that the shingles vaccine is completely safe for people with psoriasis as no studies have been done. Anybody with psoriasis should discuss this with his or her dermatologist.
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