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Drug interactions

Methylprednisolone + Yellow fever vaccine

Severity: Contraindicated

Methylprednisolone and Yellow fever vaccine: contraindicated interaction.

Last updated Sources: US FDA label

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 that may cause serious vaccine-associated disease in immunosuppressed patients, and the response may be inadequate. High-dose or prolonged corticosteroid therapy raises this concern.

What this interaction means in plain words

Methylprednisolone 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.

Evidence level: Moderate

Why it happens

Corticosteroid suppression of cellular immunity impairs control of the replicating vaccine virus.

What to do

Avoid vaccination during immunosuppressive steroid doses and defer until about one month after high-dose therapy ends. If travel is unavoidable, provide a medical exemption letter and mosquito-avoidance advice.

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?

Bring a full list of your medicines, including over-the-counter products, supplements and herbal remedies, to every pharmacy visit.

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References

Frequently asked questions

Can I take Methylprednisolone with Yellow fever vaccine?

MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Methylprednisolone 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 that may cause serious vaccine-associated disease in immunosuppressed patients, and the response may be inadequate. High-dose or prolonged corticosteroid therapy raises this concern.

How serious is the interaction between Methylprednisolone 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 steroid doses and defer until about one month after high-dose therapy ends. If travel is unavoidable, provide a medical exemption letter and mosquito-avoidance advice.

What other medicines interact with Methylprednisolone?

MediHelp also lists interactions of Methylprednisolone with, for example, Bcg vaccine live, Measles mumps and rubella vaccine live, Measles mumps rubella and varicella vaccine live. The full list is on the Methylprednisolone page.

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