Age: 54.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: FLUX, VARZOS, FLUX, VARZOS, FLUX, VARZOS
Symptoms: Ear discomfort, Formication, Headache, Neuralgia, Palpitations
Clinical narrative: This spontaneous report as received from a physician refers to a female patient of unknown age. On an unknown date the patient was vaccinated with ZOSTAVAX vial (strength, dose unit, route, lot# and expiry date unknown). On an unknown date after administering with ZOSTAVAX the patient experienced the following adverse reactions, that have last for more than three months including crawling feeling underneath her skin, bad blood circulation, joint pain, heart palpitations, it was hard for her to breathe, pressure in head and ears, tightness in her bones, she felt discomfort, spicy feeling in her fingers and nerve throbbing in her legs. On unspecified dates, she has seen many doctors and was currently wearing a heart monitor because of these symptoms. Physician asked for the following information: Have there been any reports of patients experiencing neuropathic or neuralgia symptoms after receiving ZOSTAVAX and was there any treatment. Physician also asked if a patient could develop post-herpetic neuralgia from the ZOSTAVAX vaccine. The outcome of hard for her to breathe, nerve throbbing in her legs, spicy feeling in her fingers, feels discomfort, tightness in her bones, pressure in her head and ears, heart palpitations, joint pain, bad blood circulation and crawling feeling underneath her skin was unknown. Follow-up information has been received from a physician who provided medical records regarding a 54 year old woman with a history of right trigeminal neuralgia 2011, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and osteoporosis. Office visit (OV) 08NOV2013: Pt was seen for evaluation of 3-4mm cystic lesion on her tongue that came and went for the past 2 months. She was advised to consider an Otolaryngologist (ENT) consult if it persisted. She also requested a flu shot. The pt received ZOSTAVAX (lot # J000434) in left arm subcutaneous, and influenza virus vaccine (manufacturer not specified). OV 15NOV2013: Pt was seen for complaint of "skin feels like spiders crawling all over." Symptoms started 09NOV2013. She had not felt well since receiving the "shingles vaccine" the prior week. She complained of fatigue and a numb tingling sensation in hands and feet. Lab work ordered. She was placed on prednisone 10mg tablets for 6 days. Assessment: possible side effect to the ZOSTAVAX vaccine; hyperuricemia and peripheral neuropathy. 18NOV2013: Complete blood count (CBC), Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and complete metabolic panel, all normal except for a mildly low white count at 3600. OV 23NOV2013: Pt was seen for ongoing problems with reactions to influenza virus vaccine (manufacturer not specified) and ZOSTAVAX including fairly diffuse arthralgias involving the major joints of the upper and lower body and arthralgia of the spine. She noted the prednisone did not really help alleviate her symptoms. Impression: "systemic reaction to the combination of the influenza and ZOSTAVAX." At that point the physician did not see any concerning findings such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome or allergic reaction. The physician felt the symptoms were just associated with a robust immune response to the vaccines. He gave her some RELAFEN 750 mg twice a day to help with the discomfort. OV 05DEC2013: Pt was seen for continued arthralgias and paresthesia. Her joint pain only occurs for a few -up to 10 times a day. The creepy crawler feeling under the skin was constant and could occur diffusely. He felt arthralgia and paresthesia were likely a temporary reaction to "the shingles vaccine". Rheumatology consult recommended. On 07JAN2014 she was placed on gabapentin and on 12MAR2014 she was put on acyclovir. As of 19MAR2014, the symptoms were "improving some". Additional information is not expected. All available medical records will be provided upon request.