Should you get the Hep B vaccine if you already have a compromised liver?

[a81977]

I have NASH, but my question is... if your liver is already compromised (as my liver enzymes stay consistently over 600) if you SHOULD or SHOULD NOT get the hepatitis B vaccine. (It is important for my job when I finish school as it involves blood if this should be taken into consideration). I have read of only one place online about it and said yes do take it, but it wasn't by a very reliable source. Then my own GI and my own dr I've asked twice and they both have been very noncommital as to whether or not I should take it. One of my friends has had 13 liver biopsies and a liver transplant and she told me absolutely no way to take it. Her dr had told her that it could cause liver damage, since it is already messed up. So I'm very confused, I need to make the decision soon on whether or not to get it. Although my friend did mention that you should never take the live virus, but the dead one that is very hard to find and your GI with a specialty in liver disease to approve it. I just don't know what to do. I want to take it because I certainly don't want Hep B, but I also don't want to make myself any sicker than I already am. (I've had the Hep A virus before and that was just a yr before I found out that their was anything wrong with my liver).
Both my mom and my sister have had this vaccine as they work in the health field as well and they both had really bad reactions to it without anything wrong with their own livers.

[a81977]

Thanks everyone for your help. I'm still VERY CONFUSED on what to do. I will have to ask my drs again, but all I get from them is a shrug. So they are probably thinking yes it can cause problems, but it can also cause problems if I don't get one. I will have to weigh my options and see if someone else out there knows what else to do. I know that I can sign a waiver not to get the vaccine for it, but I really don't want the hepatitis B, but then again I don't want to have problems either by getting one and it making me worse.

O and don't worry I don't take tylenol anymore. I try to avoid medicines if I can help it. I don't drink alcohol either and if I need cough syrup I try to get the alcohol free kind.

[Concerned lady]

I hope you can get correctly diagnosed. If I were you, I would not get any immunizations, period. I would never take another Tylenol. I would look for natural, safe methods to treat my ailments, and only use medications as a last resort.

Becoming jaundiced (turning yellow) is a big warning sign of serious liver disease. You should take this VERY SERIOUSLY.

You already know that Tylenol causes liver damage (evidenced by the jaundice). If even the tiny amount of alcohol in cough meds, etc. causes jaundice, you should AVOID ALL ALCOHOL, COMPLETELY!

If you need data on bad (adverse) effects of the hepatitis vaccination, look at an important website called http://www.909shot.com which is the website of the NVIC (National Vaccination Information Center). NVIC was formed by people who were harmed by vaccines, or whose children were harmed.

Your friend who advised you to not get that shot, is your best friend. If I were you, I would listen to her advice. Her doc knows what he's talking about!

It is more important for you to survive, than to get a job that could cost you your life!

Have you looked at the "inserts" of every med you've taken, to see which ones can cause liver damage?

I wish you the best!

Sincerely, Concerned lady

http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com
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[a81977]

Thanks, but I had Hep A before after getting mono, but that isn't the vaccine I am most concerned about getting. I only said that because that was when my liver enzymes had started getting high and they continued on thereafter. Even though I have been tested again for both mono and hep A, and all the others and I was negative for them as well every time I've been tested.
Here is my history:
non-smoker
non-alcohol drinker
non-caffeine drinker (rarely drink any soda even without caffeine)
never abused drugs
no one in my family has any problems with their liver
I was sick quite often and my enzymes stayed high, they thought it was from the illnesses (although I've never heard of any viruses that make you throw up for 10 days with no fever and no other symptoms), but usually I had strep, a cold, sinus infections, bronchitis that nearly turned into pneumonia, pinkeye, the flu, etc... (all those things I had from august-december 2000, as well as a car accident and then this in january of 2001, and confirmed in july of 2001) and they thought both the illness and the medications I would take for them caused them to be high, then they thought it was from my medications (zoloft and an estrogen birth control pill to control cysts and testosterone from polycystic ovarian syndrome, an endocrine disorder) and I discontinued those for a while and have never returned to zoloft, but it was from neither.
I am a little concerned though because so far most of the people I know that have NASH enzymes range from barely above normal, or more commonly 100-300 and mine usually range from 366 at it's lowest to well over 600.
I went in for a physical and then the nurse called the next day telling me to stop all medications and come in because my liver enzymes were slightly elevated at 600??? Those turned out just as bad, they sent me to a GI and I still didn't return to any of the medication for fear of getting bad test results.
My sugar at the time was 120, my triglycerides around 300 and my cholesterol at 200 (the bad being too high and the good being too low), my blood pressure was 134/90.
They did an abdominal sonogram, checking my liver, my spleen, and my gall bladder as best you can with those. The lady came back to tell me that I had fat in my liver and that my liver and my spleen were slightly enlarged the same as the last time I had been there 6 months before, when they told me it was normal.
The GI ordered a liver biopsy and they decided for certain with that and other bloodwork that I had NASH.
The GI gave me ursodiol to see if that would help at all and sent me to a dietitian who put me on a low-fat diet. (actually I was eating okay food, it's just I ate all at one time and she told me I was overloading my body, so I needed to eat more similarly to what diabetics do without artificial sweeteners, although I'm not quite sure why). Anyway, it's been 6 months, I've gone from 243 to 210 and my stomach size has gone down quite considerably. I'm shocked I lost anything as tired as I am all the time. The urso they gave me was 1000 mg a day, then I had no more ins and they changed it to ursodiol at 600 mg a day, since it's less expensive. I have fewer boughts with diarrhea since they did that, but I also have quite a bit more pain from my liver.
My GI seemed to think that it could POSSIBLY be reversed, (since their was no permanent damage as of yet), but he wasn't certain or at least reduced in severity. But he was concerned since my enzymes are so high and I'm so young (24 now) that it could become much worse. He even told me he was concerned that I may end up having to have a liver transplant later on down the road with this, even though everyone else I know that has this has seemed totally unconcerned and act like it's not a big deal. I am wondering if that's how I should act as well, like it's no big deal or if I'm doing the right things and taking care of myself.
I asked if tylenol could be a problem as after I take it my eyes turn jaundiced. He said no that he'd more concerned over ibprofren, but that has never made my eyes turn yellow like that. So I don't know what to think of that, because after taking tylenol I get severe pain in the right side. I get that same pain from alcohol (I'm not a drinker), but even some cough syrups and things have done the same thing to me.
I go to see my dr for my physical soon and then the GI later to see if any of this has helped at all. I don't feel better, I only feel worse, more worn out, more sleepy, more exhausted, just thinner.

[karizmaflip]

I JUST READ AN ARTICLE ON THIS SUBJECT, AND IT SAID PEOPLE WHO HAD HEPATITUS BEFORE CAN GET THE VACINE AFTER THEY ARE TREATED FOR IT. HOPE THIS HELPS. GO TO WWW.WEBMD.COM AND TYPE IN HEPPATITUS AND THEY WILL GIVE YOU THE ARTICLE.