Drug interactions
Cholera vaccine + Melphalan
Severity: Moderate
Cholera vaccine and Melphalan: moderate 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
Oral cholera vaccine may be a live attenuated product, which poses a theoretical replication risk in patients immunosuppressed by melphalan. Immune response to any cholera vaccine may also be reduced.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cholera vaccine and Melphalan can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Why it happens
Chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression reduces vaccine response and may permit replication of a live attenuated strain.
What to do
Check whether the product is live or inactivated. Where possible vaccinate before chemotherapy or delay a live product until at least 3 months after melphalan, and consider a non-live alternative.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Melphalan
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Melphalan Contraindicated
- Bcg vaccine live + Melphalan Contraindicated
- Influenza virus vaccine quadrivalent intranasal + Melphalan Contraindicated
- Measles mumps and rubella vaccine live + Melphalan Contraindicated
- Measles mumps and rubella vaccine + Melphalan Contraindicated
- Measles mumps rubella and varicella vaccine live + Melphalan Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cholera vaccine with Melphalan?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Cholera vaccine and Melphalan can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Oral cholera vaccine may be a live attenuated product, which poses a theoretical replication risk in patients immunosuppressed by melphalan. Immune response to any cholera vaccine may also be reduced.
How serious is the interaction between Cholera vaccine and Melphalan?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Check whether the product is live or inactivated. Where possible vaccinate before chemotherapy or delay a live product until at least 3 months after melphalan, and consider a non-live alternative.
What other medicines interact with Melphalan?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Melphalan with, for example, Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live, Bcg vaccine live, Influenza virus vaccine quadrivalent intranasal. The full list is on the Melphalan page.
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