Drug interactions between prednisone and Zostavax

GENERALLY AVOID: The administration of live, attenuated virus or bacterial vaccines during corticosteroid therapy may be associated with a risk of disseminated infection due to enhanced replication of vaccine virus or bacteria in the presence of diminished immune competence. Patients may be immunosuppressed if they have recently received or are receiving high dosages of corticosteroids or adrenocorticotropic agents (greater than 10 mg/day or 1 mg/kg/day, whichever is less, of prednisone or equivalent for more than 2 weeks), or long-term topical or inhaled corticosteroids. Such patients may also have increased adverse reactions and decreased or suboptimal immunologic response to vaccines. With respect to chronic corticosteroid inhalation therapy, a study was conducted to examine immune responsiveness to varicella vaccine in pediatric asthma patients ages 12 months to 8 years treated with budesonide inhalation suspension 0.25 mg to 1 mg daily. Compared to patients on noncorticosteroid asthma therapy, there was no significant difference in the percentage of budesonide patients who developed a seroprotective antibody titer following vaccination (85% vs. 90% for noncorticosteroid). In addition, no patient treated with budesonide inhalation suspension developed chicken pox as a result of vaccination.

MANAGEMENT: In general, live virus or bacterial vaccines should not be used in patients receiving immunosuppressive corticosteroid therapy. Vaccination should be deferred until after such therapy is discontinued for at least 3 months in most cases. In patients who have recently been vaccinated, high-dose corticosteroid therapy should not be initiated for at least 2 weeks. Vaccines may generally be administered to patients receiving corticosteroids as replacement therapy (e.g., for Addison's disease).