The herpes zoster virus enters your body when you suffer from the chicken pox. After recovery, this virus lies dormant in your body and can activate when you are older and result in shingles, a painful skin rash that typically affects the regions of your chest and back. Zostavax is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults aged 60 and older. According to the National Library of Medicine, the typical Zostavax dose is 0.65 mL given as an injection in your arm.
Common Side Effects
According to Drugs.com, Zostavax will typically cause pain, redness, bruising and irritation at the injection site. It can cause a headache, diarrhea and skin rash. In a placebo-controlled study of 3,345 patients receiving the Zostavax injection, the National Library of Medicine says that 33.7 percent of the studied population had redness at the injection site, 33.4 percent had pain or tenderness at the site, 24.9 percent had swelling at the injection region, 1.4 percent developed a hematoma (collection of blood underneath the skin) at the site and 6.6 percent of the patients developed pruritis (itching) at the site. Additionally, 1.5 percent developed warmth at the site and 1.4 percent had a headache. These symptoms are not permanent and should only last for two to three days. Notify your doctor at once when these symptoms remain for over three days.
Serious Side Effects
Drugs.com says that Zostavax can cause such serious side effects as a fever, sore throat, chills, weakness and the flu. It may also cause such life threatening side effects as trouble breathing and a severe skin rash. A severe skin rash leads to massive amounts of histamine released in your body. Call your doctor when you experience any of these side effects.
Additional Concerns
You should avoid Zostavax if you are allergic to it. You can develop itchy red bumps all over you body (hives), swelling of your tongue or face and extreme difficulty breathing. Call 911, as these symptoms pose a serious threat to your life.
The National Library of Medicine says that you should not receive Zostavax if you have a weakened immune system due to such medical conditions as HIV, leukemia or any kind of cancer. Zostavax contains the herpes zoster virus and it may cause infection.
It is not known whether Zostavax passes into breast milk, but you should tell your doctor if you plan to nurse or are pregnant.
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