Drug interactions
Cyclosporin + Yellow fever vaccine
Severity: Contraindicated
Cyclosporin and Yellow fever vaccine: contraindicated interaction.
Last updated Sources: Health Canada product monograph
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 may cause serious vaccine-associated viscerotropic or neurotropic disease in immunosuppressed patients. Cyclosporin may also reduce the protective response.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cyclosporin and Yellow fever vaccine 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
Calcineurin inhibition impairs immunity needed to control replication of the live vaccine virus.
What to do
Avoid yellow fever vaccine in patients on cyclosporin and advise against travel to endemic areas where possible. If travel is unavoidable, seek specialist advice and consider a medical exemption letter.
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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References
Other interactions of Cyclosporin
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Cyclosporin Contraindicated
- Aliskiren + Cyclosporin Contraindicated
- Bcg vaccine live + Cyclosporin Contraindicated
- Bosentan + Cyclosporin Contraindicated
- Cidofovir + Cyclosporin Contraindicated
- Cyclosporin + Dengue vaccine Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cyclosporin with Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Cyclosporin and Yellow fever vaccine 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. Yellow fever vaccine is live attenuated and may cause serious vaccine-associated viscerotropic or neurotropic disease in immunosuppressed patients. Cyclosporin may also reduce the protective response.
How serious is the interaction between Cyclosporin and Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates it contraindicated, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid yellow fever vaccine in patients on cyclosporin and advise against travel to endemic areas where possible. If travel is unavoidable, seek specialist advice and consider a medical exemption letter.
What other medicines interact with Cyclosporin?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Cyclosporin with, for example, Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live, Aliskiren, Bcg vaccine live. The full list is on the Cyclosporin page.
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