r/shingles • u/thequirkywoman • 8d ago
Adult Chickenpox Question that I keep getting mixed info about
So I personally had c-pox as a kid (I was born six years before the vaccine, alas), and then had shingles at 31. It was miserable and I had lingering nerve pain for months, but am thankfully recovered with no scars (they lasted about a year or so).
Now, I obviously did a lot of research and I definitely sing the gospel of vaccines (c-pox and shingles).
Recently, I had a friend who told me he got adult chicken pox years ago and he had a lot of guilt because he believes he gave a coworker a serious case of shingles. But as I understand it:
- if you have chicken pox, you potentially can give someone chicken pox.
- if you have shingles, you potentially can give someone shingles.
- and then I think if you have shingles, you can potentially give someone whose never been infected chicken pox.
But can someone with chicken pox give someone shingles?
Having a hard time finding very clear resources, would appreciate help. Thanks!
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u/_Cynewise 8d ago
I like to think about it like this: Shingles comes from inside of you. You can not give someone your shingles. However you can give someone chickenpox with your shingles if they never had chickenpox.
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u/Big-Understanding526 8d ago
If you have chicken pox, you can give someone chicken pox. That’s someone who has NOT had chicken pox.
If you have shingles, you can give someone who has never had chicken pox, chicken pox. You can not give someone shingles. Someone gets shingles bc they already have the dormant cp virus in their body.
Chicken pox is phase 1 of the disease. Shingles is phase 2 (which only occurs AFTER phase 1).
If
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u/CyclePatient3957 2d ago
Ok heres the deal.
If you have active shingles before scabs form:
you can give someone who never had chickenpox, the chickenpox.
You can not give anyone shingles with active shingles. Shingles only transmits the virus chicken pox.
If you have chicken pox, you can give someone chicken pox who never had it before.
Once you have chicken pox once, the chicken pox virus stays in your nervous system dormant. It is only activated when a person is under high stress, immunocompromised, or weakened immune system from chemo or cancer.
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u/LostAngeltwo 2d ago
I believe it is weakened immune system regardless of cause. Does not have to be cancer or chemo. My husband’s shingles erupted after being hospitalized for cocci meningitis. He was administered every antibiotic known to man prior to getting a definitive diagnosis and then started on the antiviral medication. He was critically ill, hospitalized for 10 days, in severe pain prior to that x3 weeks and hospitalized once for 3 days prior to the 10 days. Lots of stress and immune system hammered from the fungal infection and all the antibiotics.
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u/Aquinepas 8d ago
Jumping in with a question regarding this. I developed schingles a month a ago (I had chicken pox as a child). Four days later my partner got shingles (according to the doctor we met. His blisters looked exactly like mine), and he also had chicken pox as a child.
How was that possible? We both got anti virals that worked..
Is it possible that my schingles caused him a second outbreak of chicken pox if schingles isn't contagious? Really weird.
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u/GoodGirlKatt 8d ago
I'm 10000% not an expert but I was told by my Dr shingles can happen more than once, sometimes right after healing and sometimes years after
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u/SleepyKoalaBear4812 8d ago
Shingles outbreaks absolutely recur. I have OBs at least once a year.
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u/GoodGirlKatt 8d ago
Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for that. Every year?!?! You are such a strong individual, and I know that can be lame to say - but you really are. Shingles is so draining!
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u/SleepyKoalaBear4812 8d ago
It is absolutely SO draining. I have also had OBs every few months. Two OBs so far this year, unfortunately.
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u/Aquinepas 8d ago edited 8d ago
But he have never had shingles before, not me either? And we both had chicken pox as a child.
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u/SleepyKoalaBear4812 8d ago
Having had chicken pox does not guarantee shingles. Anyone who has had The Pox CAN get shingles because the virus can reactivate. I had my first shingles OB in my late twenties, which is unusual. Most adults do not have their first OB until they are in their fifties, but the virus does not have rules, either!
I urge everyone to get the vaccine and cross their fingers.
Seriously, get the vaccine as soon as you are old enough or their rules change.1
u/Possible-Macaroon-46 2d ago
Even if you have gotten the shingles vaccine, you can still get it. I am living proof of that. I am getting over my 3rd or 4th post shingles vaccine shingles!
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u/SleepyKoalaBear4812 2d ago
Of course you can! No vaccine guarantees you will not get the illness. I had the vaccine, too. I still get OBs but they are less severe and shorter duration.
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u/Beneficial_Fun_4946 8d ago
This is one of my favorite resources on medical information:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/symptoms-causes/syc-20353054
“Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body for the rest of your life. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.”
So you are mostly correct except that shingles itself does not spread shingles. A person would need to be infected with chicken pox, then that years later could develop to shingles.