Drug interactions
Budesonide + Yellow fever vaccine
Severity: Major
Budesonide and Yellow fever vaccine: major 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
Yellow fever vaccine is live attenuated, and immunosuppression from corticosteroids raises the risk of vaccine-associated viscerotropic or neurotropic disease and may reduce protection. Risk depends on the dose and duration of budesonide exposure.
What this interaction means in plain words
Budesonide and Yellow fever vaccine can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for.
Why it happens
Glucocorticoid immunosuppression permits increased replication of the live attenuated virus and weakens the immune response.
What to do
Avoid in patients on immunosuppressive steroid doses; if travel is unavoidable, issue a medical exemption letter or defer until steroids are stopped. Low-dose inhaled budesonide alone does not usually preclude vaccination.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Does the benefit of taking both outweigh the risk in my case?
- Do I need any blood test, ECG or other check while on both?
- What early warning signs should I watch for, and what should I do if they appear?
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Other interactions of Budesonide
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Budesonide with Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as major. Budesonide and Yellow fever vaccine can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for. Yellow fever vaccine is live attenuated, and immunosuppression from corticosteroids raises the risk of vaccine-associated viscerotropic or neurotropic disease and may reduce protection. Risk depends on the dose and duration of budesonide exposure.
How serious is the interaction between Budesonide and Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates it major, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid in patients on immunosuppressive steroid doses; if travel is unavoidable, issue a medical exemption letter or defer until steroids are stopped. Low-dose inhaled budesonide alone does not usually preclude vaccination.
What other medicines interact with Budesonide?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Budesonide with, for example, Aldesleukin, Atazanavir, Bcg vaccine live. The full list is on the Budesonide page.
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