Drug interactions
Bcg vaccine live + Deflazacort
Severity: Contraindicated
Bcg vaccine live and Deflazacort: contraindicated interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Deflazacort suppresses cellular immunity, so the live attenuated BCG organism may replicate unchecked and cause local or disseminated BCG infection. Vaccine response may also be blunted, leaving the patient inadequately protected.
What this interaction means in plain words
Bcg vaccine live and Deflazacort are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two.
Why it happens
Glucocorticoid-induced immunosuppression impairs control of the live attenuated organism and reduces the immune response to the vaccine.
What to do
Do not give BCG to patients on immunosuppressive doses of deflazacort; defer vaccination until corticosteroid therapy has been stopped for the interval stated in the product labeling. Use an alternative preventive strategy if protection is needed urgently.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Is there an alternative to one of these two medicines for me?
- If both are essential, who is monitoring me and how often?
- Which symptoms mean I should stop and seek help straight away?
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Other interactions of Deflazacort
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Deflazacort Contraindicated
- Deflazacort + Influenza virus vaccine quadrivalent intranasal Contraindicated
- Deflazacort + Measles mumps and rubella vaccine Contraindicated
- Deflazacort + Measles mumps and rubella vaccine live Contraindicated
- Deflazacort + Measles mumps rubella and varicella vaccine live Contraindicated
- Deflazacort + Measles vaccine Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Bcg vaccine live with Deflazacort?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Bcg vaccine live and Deflazacort are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two. Deflazacort suppresses cellular immunity, so the live attenuated BCG organism may replicate unchecked and cause local or disseminated BCG infection. Vaccine response may also be blunted, leaving the patient inadequately protected.
How serious is the interaction between Bcg vaccine live and Deflazacort?
MediHelp rates it contraindicated, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Do not give BCG to patients on immunosuppressive doses of deflazacort; defer vaccination until corticosteroid therapy has been stopped for the interval stated in the product labeling. Use an alternative preventive strategy if protection is needed urgently.
What other medicines interact with Deflazacort?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Deflazacort with, for example, Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live, Influenza virus vaccine quadrivalent intranasal, Measles mumps and rubella vaccine. The full list is on the Deflazacort page.
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