Biologics, Methotrexate and contact with chicken pox; should I be concerned?

[Mall]

I have just spent the bank holiday weekend with a niece who has now developed chicken pox. I take 25 mg methotrexate by injection and benapali. I had chicken pox as a child. Given the drugs and affect on my immune s system what sort of risk is there of developing shingles?

[helixhelix]

You don't get shingles from chickenpox, it is something that occurs spontaneously in people who have already had chickenpox.

However you can get chickenpox twice if you never built up antibodies to it. So if you had close contact over the weekend it might be worth contacting your GP just in case, and certainly if you have any symptoms at all head straight to your GP to get treat,est to damp down the symptoms.

[hawker955]

Pox viruses can be particularly nasty in the immunosuppressed so hopefully you won't get chickenpox again in the first place!

[calamityjane1971]

Helix is right, you get Shingles from the chickenpox virus which lays dormant in your body, I’m just getting over Shingles myself. Not nice. Chances are you won’t get chickenpox again, but if you do, phone the GP who will advise you.

[marie66]

Yes! I was in similar situation. I contacted my GP who spoke to rheummy nurse and both agreed anti vitals were needed to do with the lowered immune system. M x

[ruth_p]

A few years ago half my class of children had chicken pox over the Christmas holiday. I was on mtx, leflunomide and Humira at the time. I also had chicken pox as a child. So hopefully you will be ok, but if you develop any symptoms you should go to the doctor 😷

[Seahorse02]

I don’t mean to hijack Mall’s thread here, but I find the issue of chickenpox and shingles confusing. I am the rare case of someone who has never had chickenpox. I even get varied and differing answers from my docs when I question what I should be concerned with and which - chickenpox or shingles - as in am I apt to take either since immunosuppressed if exposed to someone with it? I cannot get a clear answer on whether I should take a shingles vaccine and that scares me.

[Mall in reply to Seahorse02]

Hi Sea horse.

It seems that you can't get shingles from any one with chicken pox or shingles. It develops from the virus that lies dormant in your body after you have had chicken pox.

The advice given to me after being in contact with chicken pox, even though I had it in the past was to go see my Gp for antiviral medication at the first sign of any spots. Fortunately I did not develop any spots.

I don't think you can have the shingles vaccine once you have started taking immunosuppressant drugs as I think it may be a live virus but you would need to ask this question to someone medically qualified.

Interestingly A few years back I had a really nasty infection following a dental visit. My Gp prescribed strong anti biotics and also anti viral medication as she noticed a rash on my forehead which she thought was the beginnings of shingles precipitated by my dormant virus being triggered by the infection which had taken hold and made me very poorly indeed.

If you want other folks views then you could post your query individually as it's unlikely that many folk will look back at my post as it is a few weeks old. I automatically get notified of any replies to my post.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Seahorse02]

@Mall - hey thanks! After lengthy convos w/ my dermatologist & rheumy, I went ahead & got the first of the 2 shingles vaccine. Better safe than a shingles outbreak! It seems the pharmaceutical companies have come out with a NEW & IMPROVED & DEAD vaccine now, so it is available to the immunosuppressed. But for me, who takes a flu vac every year with zero side effects, this shingles vac put me to bed with aches & pain & 1 degree of fever for 2 days - like a not so mild case of flu. But all is well now. NOT looking forward to the next injection that has to be taken 2-6 months from the first one tho.