Vaccines
Shingles & Pertussis up to your insurance.
Here at Donlon Pharmacy, we offer:
- Zostavax injections for shingles prevention.
- Boostrix Tdap vaccine for Pertussis (whooping cough) prevention (& Tetanus, diphtheria)
- The Flu Shot, available seasonally, to prevent influenza.
All vaccinations are documented in the state of Iowa IRIS system, which can be accessed from any clinic who may need to see the record. For any vaccine, it is recommended that you wait 10 – 15 minutes afterward just as a precaution.
Scheduling is easy: except in times of national shortage, we always have vaccine on hand and you can simply walk in and ask for the injection. No prescription needed for Flu shots, but a prescription is needed for the others.
It’s best to avoid Mondays, which are busy at the pharmacy: you would end up waiting much longer. Any other day of the week should be fine, but it’s good to call ahead to be sure that the vaccinating pharmacist will be there at the time you will. Please allow 20 minutes or so for the process, and have your prescription insurance information with you.
The shingles vaccine, Zostavax, can be given to anyone age 50 or more and provides good but not 100% prevention of shingles. The injection is a simple one under the skin at the back of your arm and side effects are uncommon: mostly discomfort at the site of the shot.
While there is still a chance a vaccinated person can get shingles, there are two important benefits for even those unlucky few: the shingles episode will be much milder than is possible for an un-vaccinated person and there will be none of the ongoing pain that sometimes follows after a shingles episode is over. Called post-herpetic neuralgia, this preventable pain can be extreme and can last for several months after the actual shingles attack has resolved. Get the Zostavax injection and you’ll be protected from post-herpetic neuralgia.
A prescription is required from your doctor and we will run it through your insurance before injection: copays vary quite a bit from one plan to another, so there’s no way for us to know your cost until we receive the claim response from your insurance plan.
Flu Vaccine is offered during flu season, starting in September or October, as soon as our first shipment arrives.While it’s best to get your flu shot early in the flu season, it is still important even later. Many cases of flu show up in February, so if you don’t get the shot until then, it will still provide you and yours with valuable protection.
Walk-ins are welcome, though Mondays are so busy you would have to wait longer: it’s best to come a different day of the week. A prescription is not required.
We charge a flat $28 for each flu shot, without submitting the claim to prescription insurance plans. Many plans now cover the shot so make sure we try your insurance first.
Flu shots are recommended for anyone age 6 months or more, according to the CDC. Visit the influenza website for more information. If you are likely to have contact with someone who is below that age or is unable to get the vaccine for other reasons, you could pass the virus to them without even realizing it. Vaccination is the best way that you can prevent yourself becoming a carrier for this disease which can be severe or even deadly.
Boostrix (Tdap) vaccine provides protection against Tetanus, diphtheria & acellular Pertussis (whooping cough). We have just added this to our available vaccines.