Gilenya and chicken pox

[bigkitty]

can anyone explain why i have to have a chicken pox vaccine before going on gilenya. I realize adult chicken pox is serious, but why are they singling out the chicken pox and not other serious viruses. Does anyone know?

Thanks!

[MrsBones]

I replied to your original post.

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=122508

[mdyogi]

Shingles

Hi there,
I wanted to pass along what my doctor at Georgetown University hospital, Dr. Carlos Mora, told me about this. Apparently, several patients on Gilenya who he has over there reported getting "Shingles" while on Gilenya. He told me that Shingles is an emergency and that if you see signs of it that you must go to the hospital. I am 43 and he did mention the patients who experienced Shingles were a bit older than me.

Since Gilenya lowers your CD4 count while you are on it, and it goes back up when you come off it, you can be susceptible to various infections including Shingles.

Hope this is helpful.

[cosake]

I am taking Gilenya and I just got shingles. I am only 41. I also have an autoimmune blood disorder where I had to have my spleen removed years ago, so that makes me more susceptible to viruses, etc.

Having to take the chicken pox vaccine is to prevent chicken pox, not to prevent shingles. Chicken pox in adults is very serious and dangerous - even if you aren't taking Gilenya. And as you can see in MrsBones's other post, it could be particularly dangerous while on Gilenya.

You can only get shingles (re-activated chicken pox virus) if you have had the chicken pox vaccine or the chicken pox itself. You cannot get shingles otherwise. So techinically, by getting the chicken pox vaccine, you are opening yourself up to being able to get shingles, but avoiding the more dangerous chicken pox.

If I ever need to go off Gilenya for a few months, my doctor is going to give me the shingles vaccine even though it is only supposed to be for people over 60, because I am immunosuppressed (before you even add Gilenya into the equation). She wants to do all she can to prevent me from having another case of shingles.