The doc i see usually gives me a priscribtion of some anti inflamatory meds and some steriods and in less than 12 hours all the pain is gone. when i started getting them it was every 3 months then it went to twice a year and they kept spacing out further apart and i know it has been 2 maybe 3 years since the last accurance. Funny it may just be cause im no longer working for someone else now days and havent for the last 3 years.I think I'd get the vax. If it doesn't work you really haven't lost anything. From what I've heard from others, shingles suck big time.