What is hepatitis B vaccine?
Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver that is spread through blood or bodily fluids, sexual
contact or sharing IV drug needles with an infected person, or during childbirth when a baby is
born to a mother who is infected. Hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver, vomiting, and
jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). Hepatitis can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis, or death.
The hepatitis B vaccine is used to help prevent this disease.
This vaccine works by exposing you to a small amount of the virus, which causes the
body to develop immunity to the disease. This vaccine will not treat an active infection that has
already developed in the body.
Vaccination with hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all adults and children who are
at risk of getting hepatitis B. Risk factors include: having more than one sex partner in 6
months; being a homosexual male; having sexual contact with infected people; having cirrhosis
or chronic hepatitis C; using intravenous (IV) drugs; being on dialysis or receiving blood
transfusions; working in healthcare or public safety and being exposed to infected blood or body
fluids; being in the military or traveling to high-risk areas; and living with a person who has
chronic hepatitis B infection.
Like any vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine may not provide protection from disease in
every person.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking hepatitis B vaccine?
Hepatitis B vaccine will not protect you against infection with hepatitis A, C, and E, or
other viruses that affect the liver. It will also not protect you from hepatitis B if you are already
infected with the virus, even if you do not yet show symptoms.
You should not receive this vaccine if you have ever had a life-threatening allergic
reaction to any vaccine containing hepatitis B, or if you are allergic to baker's yeast. You also
should not receive this vaccine if you have received cancer chemotherapy or radiation treatment
in the past 3 months.
Before receiving this vaccine, tell the doctor if you have:
-
multiple sclerosis;
-
kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis);
-
a bleeding or blood clotting disorder such as hemophilia or
easy bruising;
-
a history of seizures;
-
a neurologic disorder or disease affecting the brain (or if
this was a reaction to a previous vaccine);
-
an allergy to latex rubber;
-
a weak immune system caused by disease, bone marrow
transplant, or by using certain medicines or receiving cancer treatments; or
-
if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin
(Coumadin).
You can still receive a vaccine if you have a cold or fever. In the case
of a more severe illness with a fever or any type of infection, wait until you get better before
receiving this vaccine.
FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell
your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether hepatitis B vaccine passes into breast milk or if it could harm
a nursing baby. Do not receive this vaccine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding
a baby.
How should I take hepatitis B vaccine?
The vaccine is given as an injection (shot) into a muscle. You will receive this injection
in a doctor's office or other clinic setting.
The hepatitis B vaccine is given in a series of shots. The booster shots are sometimes
given 1 month and 6 months after the first shot. If you have a high risk of hepatitis B infection,
you may be given an additional booster 2 months after the first shot.
Your individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines. Follow your
doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live
in.
Your doctor may recommend treating fever and pain with an aspirin-free pain reliever
such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, and others) when the shot is given
and for the next 24 hours. Follow the label directions or your doctor's instructions about how
much of this medicine to take.
It is especially important to prevent fever from occurring if you have a seizure disorder
such as epilepsy.
What happens if I miss a dose of hepatitis B vaccine?
Contact your doctor if you will miss a booster dose or if you get behind schedule. The
next dose should be given as soon as possible. There is no need to start over.
Be sure you receive all recommended doses of this vaccine. If you do not receive the full
series of vaccines, you may not be fully protected against the disease.
Where can I get more information about hepatitis B vaccine?
Your pharmacist has information about hepatitis B vaccine written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of hepatitis B vaccine?
You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life-threatening allergic
reaction after the first shot.
Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving this vaccine. When
you receive a booster dose, you will need to tell the doctor if the previous shots caused any side
effects.
Becoming infected with hepatitis B is much more dangerous to your health than receiving
the vaccine to protect against it. Like any medicine, this vaccine can cause side effects, but the
risk of serious side effects is extremely low.
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
-
fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling,
and red skin rash;
-
fussiness, irritability, crying for an hour or longer;
-
fast or pounding heartbeats; or
-
easy bruising or bleeding.
Less serious side effects include:
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redness, pain, swelling, or a lump where the shot was given;
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headache, dizziness;
-
low fever;
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joint pain, body aches;
-
tired feeling; or
-
nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell
your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about hepatitis B vaccine?
Hepatitis B vaccine will not protect you against infection with hepatitis A, C, and E, or
other viruses that affect the liver. It will also not protect you from hepatitis B if you are already
infected with the virus, even if you do not yet show symptoms.
Vaccination with hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all adults and children who are
at risk of getting hepatitis B. Risk factors include: having more than one sex partner in 6
months; being a homosexual male; having sexual contact with infected people; having cirrhosis
or chronic hepatitis C; using intravenous (IV) drugs; being on dialysis or receiving blood
transfusions; working in healthcare or public safety and being exposed to infected blood or body
fluids; being in the military or traveling to high-risk areas; and living with a person who has
chronic hepatitis B infection.
The hepatitis B vaccine is given in a series of shots. The booster shots are sometimes
given 1 month and 6 months after the first shot. If you have a high risk of hepatitis B infection,
you may be given an additional booster 2 months after the first shot.
Your individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines. Follow your
doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live
in.
Be sure you receive all recommended doses of this vaccine. If you do not receive the full
series of vaccines, you may not be fully protected against the disease.
You can still receive a vaccine if you have a cold or fever. In the case of a more severe
illness with a fever or any type of infection, wait until you get better before receiving this
vaccine.
You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life-threatening allergic
reaction after the first shot.
Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving this vaccine. When you
receive a booster dose, you will need to tell the doctor if the previous shots caused any side
effects.
Becoming infected with hepatitis B is much more dangerous to your health than receiving
the vaccine to protect against it. Like any medicine, this vaccine can cause side effects, but the
risk of serious side effects is extremely low.
What should I avoid while taking hepatitis B vaccine?
There are no restrictions on food, beverages, or activity before or after receiving this
vaccine, unless your doctor has told you otherwise.
What other drugs will affect hepatitis B vaccine?
Before receiving this vaccine, tell the doctor about all other vaccines you have
recently received.
Also tell the doctor if you have received drugs or treatments in the past 2 weeks that can
weaken the immune system, including:
-
an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine;
-
medications to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or
other autoimmune disorders, such as azathioprine (Imuran), efalizumab (Raptiva), etanercept
(Enbrel), leflunomide (Arava), and others; or
-
medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection,
such as basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), muromonab-CD3
(Orthoclone), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).
If you are using any of these medications, you may not be able to
receive the vaccine, or may need to wait until the other treatments are finished.
There may be other drugs that can affect this vaccine. Tell your doctor about all the
prescription and over-the-counter medications you have received. This includes vitamins,
minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new
medication without telling your doctor.
What happens if I have an overdose of hepatitis B vaccine?
