What to Expect After Your Shingles Shot

Your arm will likely be tender within minutes of the shot.

For most people, that's just the start. Around 7 hours later, a flu-like wave often follows: joint aches, low back pain, chills, and trouble regulating your temperature.

How long it actually lasts:

• Soreness, redness, and swelling at the injection site: typically 2 to 3 days.

• Fatigue, body aches, headache, fever, or chills: typically 1 to 2 days.

• Even the roughest reactions, severe enough to disrupt your day, usually resolve within about a day for body symptoms and up to 2 days for site swelling.

Don't take a pain reliever before the shot to try to prevent this. Save acetaminophen or ibuprofen for after symptoms start. Taking them beforehand hasn't been shown to help, and it may blunt how well the vaccine works.

Plan the shot for a day you can afford to feel rough the next day, and keep acetaminophen or ibuprofen on hand for afterward, not before.

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