Drug interactions
Hydrocortisone + Yellow fever vaccine
Severity: Major
Hydrocortisone 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 has caused viscerotropic and neurotropic disease, with higher risk in immunocompromised patients. Immunosuppressive hydrocortisone doses may increase this risk and reduce response.
What this interaction means in plain words
Hydrocortisone 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
Corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression impairs control of live attenuated yellow fever virus.
What to do
Avoid in patients on immunosuppressive doses and, if travel to an endemic area is unavoidable, seek specialist advice or consider a medical exemption letter. Low-dose or short-course therapy does not generally 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 Hydrocortisone
- Hydrocortisone + Mifepristone Contraindicated
- Hydrocortisone + Poliovirus vaccine live oral trivalent Contraindicated
- Hydrocortisone + Smallpox vaccine live Contraindicated
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Hydrocortisone Major
- Aldesleukin + Hydrocortisone Major
- Aspirin + Hydrocortisone Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Hydrocortisone with Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as major. Hydrocortisone 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 has caused viscerotropic and neurotropic disease, with higher risk in immunocompromised patients. Immunosuppressive hydrocortisone doses may increase this risk and reduce response.
How serious is the interaction between Hydrocortisone 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 doses and, if travel to an endemic area is unavoidable, seek specialist advice or consider a medical exemption letter. Low-dose or short-course therapy does not generally preclude vaccination.
What other medicines interact with Hydrocortisone?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Hydrocortisone with, for example, Mifepristone, Poliovirus vaccine live oral trivalent, Smallpox vaccine live. The full list is on the Hydrocortisone page.
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