That's how it was for me. The first dose was just sore at the injection site. The second dose knocked me flat for a day. But it's still better than suffering through full-blown shingles. My daughter has had shingles attacks four times now, starting at age 10 (she's now 35). Insurance won't cover vaccination until age 50, and it's super-expensive if you have to pay out of pocket. She caught the latest one early enough that the physician was willing to prescribe acyclovir, which really limited the adverse effects.