Saturday, September 20, 2008 Wib asks

Q: RA symptom remission coincidental with Shingles episode or Shingles vaccine?

I have a Google Alert for the words 'remission, shingles, Rheumatoid Arthritis'.

Three hits in the past year have described the remission of RA symptoms - in one case for more than 24 months - when a person with RA developed Shingles, and the RA symptoms disappeared, completely. If true for some people, perhaps the vaccine, which has a weakened live virus, might do similarly?

If you know of cases where this has happened, please let me know. I hope this starts to point to something close to a permanent fix.

Wib Smith Mail me at: wib411atyahoodotcom

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Answers (7)

Kd england

9/22/08 6:59am

I'm prone to coldsores and shingles and have a high level of RA in my body but symptoms very mild on no meds, just nurofen

Ruth

1/28/09 6:58pm

Probably coincidental. The vaccine for shingles is actually contraindicated for people with RA because it is a live virus and can possibly cause shingles with our surpressed immune system. I had shingles on multiple occassions prior to developing arthritis, and have wondered if the opposite was true - that whatever allowed the shingles also allowed or even brought about the arthritis. Both are stress 'aggrivated', although not stress caused, so it may be that the two can go hand in hand - don't know. I have found that even prior to the arthritis, daily doses of the amino acid LLysine reduced the frequency of shingles attacks. Understand tho, if you get enough of that particular amino acid in your regular diet it won't help. Most of us don't tho, and you can't overdose on it. With a shingles attack, I take 3000mg a day, otherwise I take 1000mg a day.

Canuch with RA

4/ 8/09 11:28pm

Don't know if this is significant, but I developed shingles two weeks ago and had a brief and extreme flare of RA just before the shingles rash appeared. AFter the rash appeared the RA symptoms subsided dramatically. My naturopath says he's seen this several times before. My rheumo had no comment. Two weeks ago I was in agony and using a cane to get around, today I'm taking loads to the dump and gardening full bore!

janzenjan

7/16/09 1:05am

It would be great to get more info from that naturopath to add to this discussion!

janzenjan

7/16/09 1:01am

About ten years ago while on a small island off the south-west coast of Thailand I developed the symptoms of shingles. I could only seek medical treatment two weeks after it began. A dermatologist diagosed the shingles and said it was probably too late for the anti-viral medication to work, but she gave me a course of it, a pain-reliever and topical ointment to use anyway. At the time (as now) I was taking daily 150 mg. indomethacin to deal with chronic/sometimes acute pain diagnosed as a type of arthritis. The shingles ran their course and as they eventually faded away, so did the other pain in my body. I was pain-free with no medication for about one year! And I am so happy to hear of others with the same experience!

MinnesotaJon

2/ 4/10 9:47am

I've had Ankylosing Spondylitis since I was 7, so more than 50 years now. Last July I got shingles and stopped taking my Humira, since Humira suppresses some immune function. I didn't have arthritis symptoms during the shingles, and since the shingles attack was slow to clear up, I didn't resume Humira right away. After several weeks, I still wasn't having arthritis symptoms. Anyone who has a rhumatoid arthritis knows that you have good days and bad days, but this was eerie -- no symptoms at all! In total, I was able to avoid using Humira for 5 months, and I just started having mild arthritis symptoms a couple of weeks ago. Even now the symptoms are mild and only involve some back pain after lying in bed for 5 or 6 hours, so that I haven't had to start with Humira again (yet). I think that there may well be something useful to the idea that shingles "resets" your immune system, benefitting rhumatoid arthritis patients.

Wib

2/ 4/10 9:33pm

Minnesota Jon: Thanks for your story. Were I in your position, I would consider getting an attenuated shingles shot to see if that also removed [all or some] of the Ank Sp symptoms.

Lana

7/13/10 4:58pm

All these posts seem to say the same thing. I wonder if the Shingles vaccine gives your antibodies 'some place to go'? In other word give them something "real" to fight against instead of your body? I'v noticed that if I have a few great days that they are most certainly followed by the same 'ole lousy days, as if my antibodies did what they should do...fought off something and then keep going and don't know when to stop! Just a theory...

Wib

7/13/10 11:00pm

Thanks: I did get th shingles Vaccine in January 2010, and absolutlely no reaction. Sadly, no help for my RA either, that I can determine.

Perhaps an active Shingles case is different. I had also looked at the Hygiene Hypothesis, but it appears there are no consistant leads for RA.

Kars

5/13/12 7:20am

I had the same thing happen. I had a flare up of RA joint swelling and then 2 days of absolute energy And no pain or swelling, I did so much in those 2 days, then the Shingles showed up and as soon as soon as I started taking Valtrex my RA symptoms came back Right now with a vengeance- that is right now.

Q: RA symptom remission coincidental with Shingles episode or Shingles vaccine?

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