Did your Hep B Vaccine Take?

[jmjm530]

My series of Hep B vaccines did not take.

This the third time I've had the series, and while the first two times I might have missed the third shot -- this time I got all three shots within the required time period.

Wondering what the collective experience here is on the Hep B vaccine. Did it take after the first series? After the second series? Did you have a third series? Did you double dose at some point?

I'm guessing the next step is the doc will double-dose the vaccine -- either that or tell me to forget about it.

-- Jim

[desrt]

Does the !@#$% actually have chronic HBV or just the antibodies? My understanding is that chronic HBV is fairly rare.
My experience with 'naturally' acquired HAV/HBV antibodies (exposures 1961/1973 respectively) are that the antibodies are durable.

[jmjm530]

Antibody blood tests for both "A" and "B" will tell you if it "takes", i.e. if you have enough of an antibody level to fight off either.

In my case, the Hep A vaccine worked and the Hep B didn't. This is not uncommon for the Hep B vaccine not to take.

I assume, or at least hope. that your docs followed up and checked your antibodies at some point after your vaccines, easy enough to ask.

The tests you need are the ones I posted earlier in the thread where I show the values.  At least those are the way the tests are reported from Quest Labs.

As mentioned, sometimes if they don't take, they then double-dose the vaccine.

-- Jim

[alagirl]

Many physicians recommend HCV positive patients go ahead and get immunized for Hep A & B so I would think that there is felt that there is not much risk.  They also typically recommend a flu shot for HCV positive patients.

[alagirl]

I'm a little confused.  What do you mean they didn't take?  How do you know?  I had the A and B Vaccine series as did my son.  I had my series about four years ago after I received a blood transfusion.  My son, of course, had his as a youngster.  My rapist's prison records show he was positive for all three heps, A, B and C (although probably not transmitting the A given that the records were a few months old [pulled from his last incarceration] - at least as I understand the the A virus to work?  You clear it but it leaves the antibodies?  But in any case, he definitely had not been treated at all for the B or C) I only got Hep C and God knows my immune system just loves to glom on to any available virus just for the sheer sport of it, so I'm thinking my Hep B vaccine was "working."  Hard to say though, I could have just been "lucky."  Or maybe the Big Guy Upstairs was trying to save me from a complete and total nervous breakdown... ;)

[ruth709]

halo,guys....can anybody help me interpret the result of my med test a while ago...thnak you very much.

SGPT: 58.10   normal value should be 0-49 mg/dl
Hbs Ag Sreening Test: Reactive

Thanks again!

[Myown]

Mine didn't take. I think they said I'll get the double this time. I'll check it after the first of the series though since some seem to have only needed that ONE extra shot.