Seniors

lillypaddle

(9,606 posts) Tue Oct 22, 2019, 06:08 PM Oct 2019

"Senior" flu shot

I live in Lexington, KY, and I went to Kroger, CVS, and Walgreens. All of them were out of the stronger dose for seniors and didn't know if or when they would get it. I settled for the regular dose.

This is outrageous as it is only mid-October. Has anyone else run into this? If you haven't gotten your flu shot, you should try to get it ASAP.

14 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

"Senior" flu shot (Original Post) lillypaddle Oct 2019 OP

I didn't know there was a senior flu shot. Croney Oct 2019 #1

They may have given you the stronger dose lillypaddle Oct 2019 #5

I was curious so I logged on to my dr's office portal. Croney Oct 2019 #7

In St. Louis and they were out here but have since Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #2

Got mine at the VA, as usual... Wounded Bear Oct 2019 #3

My pharmacy was out, but got restocked yesterday. Delmette2.0 Oct 2019 #4

Kaiser in Denver had the same problem. DavidDvorkin Oct 2019 #6

First year for getting the "senior" flu shot... NurseJackie Oct 2019 #8

It's cause you're special lillypaddle Oct 2019 #9

LOL! That makes me feel better, thanks! NurseJackie Oct 2019 #10

The quadrivalent vaccine I got at my MD has no senior dose per his nurse. Yonnie3 Oct 2019 #11

I guess they just didn't make enough of it lillypaddle Oct 2019 #12

There never was a senior dose for the quadrivalent vaccine, so there is no shortage. Yonnie3 Oct 2019 #13

Well, that's interesting lillypaddle Oct 2019 #14

Croney

(5,020 posts)

1. I didn't know there was a senior flu shot.

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 06:26 PM

Oct 2019

I got mine and I'm almost 75, and I just asked for a flu shot. Oh well.

lillypaddle

(9,606 posts)

5. They may have given you the stronger dose

Reply to Croney (Reply #1)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 07:42 PM

Oct 2019

without you having to ask.

Croney

(5,020 posts)

7. I was curious so I logged on to my dr's office portal.

Reply to lillypaddle (Reply #5)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 08:56 PM

Oct 2019

They gave me Flucelvax, which is for ages 4 and up, so it's not the high-dose. I don't really care, but I'm surprised how uninformed I was.

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)

2. In St. Louis and they were out here but have since

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 06:31 PM

Oct 2019

restocked. Give it a couple of days and try again.

Wounded Bear

(64,628 posts)

3. Got mine at the VA, as usual...

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 06:38 PM

Oct 2019

was there on an appointment, and they just asked. They're pretty good at it.

Delmette2.0

(4,506 posts)

4. My pharmacy was out, but got restocked yesterday.

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 06:59 PM

Oct 2019

I went in this morning, had to wait 45 minutes but got the flu and pneumococcal pneumonia shot.

I live in Helena, MT.

DavidDvorkin

(20,683 posts)

6. Kaiser in Denver had the same problem.

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2019, 08:02 PM

Oct 2019

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)

8. First year for getting the "senior" flu shot...

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Wed Oct 23, 2019, 10:38 AM

Oct 2019

... also the first year that my injection site turned blue. A huge silver-dollar sized bruise. That's never happened before.

Was it the fault of the pharmacist who gave me the injection? (It didn't hurt when he did it.) Is it just my old skin and bones getting older/thinner/frailer?

Or was it something in the serum that caused it?

It doesn't hurt... the bruise looks much worse than the ordinary discomfort one has from injections. But it's just weird. (Hubby's injection site was just fine.)

lillypaddle

(9,606 posts)

9. It's cause you're special

Reply to NurseJackie (Reply #8)

Wed Oct 23, 2019, 12:12 PM

Oct 2019

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)

10. LOL! That makes me feel better, thanks!

Reply to lillypaddle (Reply #9)

Wed Oct 23, 2019, 03:18 PM

Oct 2019

Yonnie3

(19,567 posts)

11. The quadrivalent vaccine I got at my MD has no senior dose per his nurse.

Reply to lillypaddle (Original post)

Thu Oct 24, 2019, 12:35 PM

Oct 2019

I asked a pharmacist today while grocery shopping and she said that the vaccine they have doesn't have a senior dose. She said when they have the trivalent vaccine there is a senior dose. They were very busy so I didn't ask if they had had both kinds this year.

lillypaddle

(9,606 posts)

12. I guess they just didn't make enough of it

Reply to Yonnie3 (Reply #11)

Thu Oct 24, 2019, 12:45 PM

Oct 2019

Wonder what the deal is.

Yonnie3

(19,567 posts)

13. There never was a senior dose for the quadrivalent vaccine, so there is no shortage.

Reply to lillypaddle (Reply #12)

Thu Oct 24, 2019, 01:07 PM

Oct 2019

I do see news stories that talk about a shortage so I looked a bit further.

I looked to the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccines.htm?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fflu%2Fprotect%2Fvaccine%2Fvaccines.htm#anchor-star

They only list one vaccine as high dose. It looks like the CDC and Medicare recommend any of the vaccines and have not required the high dose for seniors.

lillypaddle

(9,606 posts)

14. Well, that's interesting

Reply to Yonnie3 (Reply #13)

Thu Oct 24, 2019, 02:44 PM

Oct 2019

thanks for sharing that.

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