Drug interactions
Dexamethasone + Yellow fever vaccine
Severity: Contraindicated
Dexamethasone and Yellow fever vaccine: 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
Yellow fever vaccine is a live attenuated virus vaccine. In patients on immunosuppressive doses of dexamethasone it may cause serious vaccine-associated disease, and immunity may be inadequate.
What this interaction means in plain words
Dexamethasone 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
Glucocorticoid-induced immunosuppression impairs control of attenuated virus replication and blunts the immune response.
What to do
Avoid vaccination during immunosuppressive corticosteroid therapy and for about 1 month after stopping. If travel to an endemic area cannot be avoided, seek a specialist assessment 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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Other interactions of Dexamethasone
- Bcg vaccine live + Dexamethasone Contraindicated
- Dexamethasone + Mifepristone Contraindicated
- Dexamethasone + Rilpivirine Contraindicated
- Dexamethasone + Smallpox vaccine live Contraindicated
- Dexamethasone + Varicella virus vaccine live Contraindicated
- Dexamethasone + Zoster vaccine live Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Dexamethasone with Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Dexamethasone 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 a live attenuated virus vaccine. In patients on immunosuppressive doses of dexamethasone it may cause serious vaccine-associated disease, and immunity may be inadequate.
How serious is the interaction between Dexamethasone 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 vaccination during immunosuppressive corticosteroid therapy and for about 1 month after stopping. If travel to an endemic area cannot be avoided, seek a specialist assessment and consider a medical exemption letter.
What other medicines interact with Dexamethasone?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Dexamethasone with, for example, Bcg vaccine live, Mifepristone, Rilpivirine. The full list is on the Dexamethasone page.
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