• Basic Info
• Top Questions
• Clinical Info
• Interactions

Before receiving this vaccine, tell your doctor if you are using phenytoin (Dilantin), theophylline (Respbid, Slo-Bid, Theodur, Uniphyl), or a blood thinner (warfarin, Coumadin).

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

• an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine;

• medications to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders, such as azathioprine (Imuran), efalizumab (Raptiva), etanercept (Enbrel), leflunomide (Arava), and others; or

• medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection, such as basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with this vaccine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you have received. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Influenza virus injectable (killed virus) vaccine will not cause you to become ill with the flu virus that it contains. However, you may have flu-like symptoms at any time during flu season that may be caused by other strains of influenza virus.

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. If you ever have to receive another influenza virus vaccine in the future, you will need to tell the doctor if the first shot caused any side effects.

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

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• severe weakness or unusual feeling in your arms and legs (may occur 2 to 4 weeks after you receive the vaccine);

• high fever; or

• unusual bleeding.

Less serious side effects may include:

• low fever, chills;

• redness, bruising, pain, swelling, or a lump where the vaccine was injected;

• headache, tired feeling; or

• joint or muscle pain.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.