Is The Second Shingrix Shot The Same As The First?

Answer

Shingrix is given as a two-shot series, separated by 2 to 6 months per CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations as this elicits the optimal immune response against the varicella-zoster (i.e. shingles) virus.

The first and second doses of Shingrix are exactly the same. There is no difference between them. Therefore, it is impossible to get the first shot "twice" by mistake or to get them out of order.

In fact, Shingrix is only manufactured as one product. In other words, there is not any packaging or marking on the vials that refer to them as 'dose one' or 'dose two'.

The First And Second Dose Of Shingrix Are The Same And Contain The Same Ingredients

The Shingrix vaccine (both doses) comes in two vials that must be reconstituted by whoever is giving the vaccine prior to injection.

• One vial contains a single dose of the lyophilized varicella-zoster virus surface glycoprotein E (gE) antigen component (appears as a white powder).
• The other vial contains an adjuvant suspension (appears as an opalescent, colorless to pale brownish liquid). As a side note, an adjuvant is a component that enhances the immune response). The adjuvant in Shingrix is AS01_B.

To reconstitute Shingrix, the adjuvant suspension component is transferred via a syringe into the lyophilized gE antigen component vial. The resulting reconstituted suspension contains the following components:

• Recombinant gE antigen
• MPL (3-O-desacyl-4’- monophosphoryl lipid A)
• QS-21 (saponin purified from plant extract Quillaja saponaria Molina)
• Sucrose (as a stabilizer)
• Sodium chloride
• DOPC (dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine)
• Potassium dihydrogen phosphate
• Cholesterol
• Sodium dihydrogen phosphate dihydrate
• Disodium phosphate anhydrous
• Dipotassium phosphate
• Polysorbate 80

Shingrix does not contain preservatives and the total volume injected intramuscularly is 0.5 mL.

As mentioned, Shingrix does not come labeled as 'dose one' or 'dose two'. There is only one Shingrix vaccine available and when you get two doses (separated by 2 to 6 months as recommended by the CDC), you are getting the same vaccine twice.

If you have any further questions about Shingrix, be sure to ask one of our pharmacists!

Final Words

I hope you found this helpful and gave you peace of mind.