Hepatitis A adult vaccine

Generic name: Hepatitis A Adult Vaccine
Dosage form: intramuscular suspension (1440 units/mL preservative free; 50 units/mL)
Drug class: Viral vaccines

Usage of Hepatitis A adult vaccine

Hepatitis is a serious disease caused by a virus. 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 A adult vaccine is used to help prevent this disease in adults.

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 A adult vaccine is recommended for all adults who travel in certain areas of the world where hepatitis A is a common disease.

Like any vaccine, the Hepatitis a vaccine may not provide protection from disease in every person.

Hepatitis A adult vaccine side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

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 shot caused any side effects.

Hepatitis A adult vaccine may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

extreme drowsiness, fainting; or

high fever (within a few hours or a few days after the vaccine).

Common side effects of hepatitis A adult vaccine may include:

headache; or

swelling, tenderness, redness, or warmth where the shot was given.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report vaccine side effects to the US Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-822-7967.

Before taking Hepatitis A adult vaccine

Hepatitis A vaccine will not protect against infection with hepatitis B, C, and E, or other viruses that affect the liver. It may also not protect against hepatitis A if you are already infected with the virus, even without showing symptoms.

You should not receive this vaccine if you have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any vaccine containing hepatitis A, or if you are allergic to Neomycin.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

an allergy to latex rubber; or

a weak immune system (caused by disease or by using certain medicine).

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Relate drugs

How to use Hepatitis A adult vaccine

Usual Adult Dose for Hepatitis A Prophylaxis:

1 mL intramuscularly-Administer a booster 1 mL dose 6 to 18 months after the first doseComments:-Administer in the deltoid region

Warnings

Tell your doctor if you use other medicines or have other medical conditions or allergies.

What other drugs will affect Hepatitis A adult vaccine

Before receiving this vaccine, tell the doctor about all other vaccines you have recently received.

Also tell the doctor if you have recently received drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system, including:

steroid medicine;

cancer treatments;

medicine to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders; or

medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection.

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.

This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect hepatitis A vaccine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.