I have read where it states not to receive a "live" vaccine while taking methimazole. does this mean

24 Sep 2009

yes indeed it does. a flu shot has a weakened form aka non-dead virus.

15 Oct 2009

you can not have any preventive shot live flu or H1N1 or anything that is "live". what live means is that they are injecting you with a weak strain of a virus. metimazole is normally given when you have an autoimmune disease, that means your immune system is very weak and a flu shot could possibly kill you.

7 Nov 2010

Yes and no. The flu shot itself contains dead/inactivated viruses, making it perfectly safe for someone with a weakened immune system. The nasal flu spray is what you'd want to stay away from, as it does contain weakened live viruses. I myself am using Methimazole 40mg daily. I had to do a lot of research about the flu vaccine and its possible interactions with the medication, since I am actually required to take it. So, I would say feel free to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the flu by taking the shot. Please visit the CDC website to educate yourself and debunk certain health myths at: http://www.flu.gov/myths/index.html