What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider Before Getting Menactra?
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- An immune-suppressing condition, such as HIV or AIDS, diabetes, or cancer
- Had any sort of a reaction to a vaccine before
- A moderate or severe illness
- Any allergies, including to foods, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Breastfeeding.
Make sure to tell the healthcare provider about any medications you are taking, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Specific Menactra Warnings and Precautions
Precautions and warnings to be aware of prior to receiving Menactra include the following:
- You can receive Menactra if you have a mild illness, such as the common cold. However, it is usually best to postpone the vaccine in the case of a moderate or severe illness.
- Make sure your healthcare provider knows if you have ever had any serious reactions to any vaccines before.
- If you have an immune-suppressing condition, Menactra may not be as effective as usual for protection against invasive meningococcal disease, as your immune system may not be fully capable of responding to the vaccine.
- Although Menactra contains diphtheria toxoid, this vaccine does not provide protection against diphtheria. The diphtheria toxoid proteins are used to make this vaccine more effective.
- Menactra vials contain latex. If you have a latex allergy, make sure the healthcare provider uses Menactra from a prefilled syringe, not a vial, since the prefilled syringes do not contain latex.
- This vaccine is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means it is unknown if it is safe for use during pregnancy (see Menactra and Pregnancy).
- As with most vaccines, Menactra is considered safe for breastfeeding women (see Menactra and Breastfeeding).
- Menactra does not contain thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative. People who are concerned about exposure to this substance can be confident that this vaccine has no thimerosal -- not even trace amounts. Some people also are concerned about the aluminum content of vaccines. This vaccine contains no aluminum.
- This vaccine is not made from animal components or human fetal cell lines, unlike some vaccines.
