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Drug Interactions With the Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine
Heparin, cortisone, and Humira are some of the drugs that can interact with the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Caution should be used when giving this vaccine to people taking "blood thinners." In these situations, it may be better for the vaccine to be injected just under the skin, rather than into a muscle. To help ensure a safe vaccination, tell your healthcare provider about all your current medications.
As is standard with almost all vaccines, the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (Pneumovax®) should not be mixed with any other vaccines in the same vial or syringe. In addition, this vaccine could potentially interact with a few medications. Some of the drugs that may lead to interactions with the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine include:
- Anticoagulants, commonly known as "blood thinners," such as warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®) or heparin
- Immunosuppressants, such as:
- Azathioprine (Imuran®)
- Certain biologic medications, such as:
- Abatacept (Orencia®)
- Adalimumab (Humira®)
- Alefacept (Amevive®)
- Alemtuzumab (Campath®)
- Anakinra (Kineret™)
- Basiliximab (Simulect®)
- Canakinumab (Ilaris®)
- Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia®)
- Daclizumab (Zenapax®)
- Eculizumab (Soliris®)
- Efalizumab (Raptiva®)
- Etanercept (Enbrel®)
- Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg®)
- Glatiramer (Copaxone®)
- Golimumab (Simponi™)
- Infliximab (Remicade®)
- Ibritumomab (Zevalin®)
- Muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone OKT®)
- Natalizumab (Tysabri®)
- Ofatumumab (Arzerra™)
- Rilonacept (Arcalyst™)
- Rituximab (Rituxan®)
- Tositumomab (Bexxar®)
- Ustekinumab (Stelara™)
- Chemotherapy (as well as radiation treatment)
- Corticosteroids, such as:
- Betamethasone (Celestone®)
- Cortisone
- Dexamethasone (Decadron®)
- Fludrocortisone (Florinef®)
- Hydrocortisone (Cortef®)
- Methylprednisolone (Depo-Medrol®, Medrol®)
- Prednisolone (Pediapred®)
- Prednisone
- Triamcinolone (Kenalog®)
- Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®)
- Cyclosporine (Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®)
- Methotrexate (Rheumatrex®)
- Mycophenolate (CellCept®)
- Sirolimus (Rapamune®)
- Tacrolimus (Prograf®).
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD



