Drug Database: Hepatitis B Vaccine

What is a hepatitis B vaccine?What is a hepatitis B vaccine?

What is a hepatitis B vaccine?

A hepatitis B vaccine prevents hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). Engerix-B, Heplisav-B, and Recombivax HB (all brand names) are examples of hepatitis B vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Engerix-B and Recombivax HB are both approved for use in people of all ages. Heplisav-B is approved for use in adults 18 years of age and older.

HBV can be an opportunistic infection (OI) of HIV. An OI is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems—such as people with HIV—than in people with healthy immune systems. To learn more about OIs, read the HIVinfo What is an Opportunistic Infection? fact sheet. To learn how HIV and HBV infection are connected, read the HIVinfo HIV and Hepatitis B fact sheet.

The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents With HIV and/or the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children With and Exposed to HIV include recommendations on the use of hepatitis B vaccines in people with HIV.

What should I tell my health care provider before receiving a hepatitis B vaccine?What should I tell my health care provider before receiving a hepatitis B vaccine?

What should I tell my health care provider before receiving a hepatitis B vaccine?

Before receiving a hepatitis B vaccine, tell your health care provider:

• If you or your child are allergic to yeast or any other ingredient in a hepatitis B vaccine; latex; or any medicines. Tell your health care provider if you or your child have ever had any reactions to a previous dose of a hepatitis B vaccine.
• About any medical conditions you or your child have or have had, including:
  • A weakened immune system or any diseases that may weaken the immune system
  • Any acute (sudden) illness with fever
  • History of fainting while receiving a vaccination
• If your child was born prematurely.
• About any health conditions that may prevent you or your child from receiving medicine by injection.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of getting a hepatitis B vaccine during pregnancy. The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents With HIV may include other recommendations on hepatitis B vaccination during pregnancy. Please refer to these guidelines for additional information.
• If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. For mothers with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. Mothers with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk. Although most medicines are safe to use while breastfeeding, some medicines should be avoided. Always let your health care provider know about all the medicines and supplements you are using before you start breastfeeding.
• About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you or your child are taking or plan to take. Hepatitis B vaccines may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how hepatitis B vaccines work. Ask your health care provider if there are interactions between hepatitis B vaccines and the medicines you or your child take.

How is a hepatitis B vaccine given?How is a hepatitis B vaccine given?

How is a hepatitis B vaccine given?

A health care provider gives the hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccine is usually given as a shot injected into a muscle, usually in the arm for adults and children older than 1 year and in the thigh for infants and children younger than 1 year.

In people with HIV, vaccination with a hepatitis B vaccine is usually given as a series of injections over a period of time. The number of doses you or your child will receive can depend on different factors, such as the specific brand of the vaccine being given, vaccination history, and the body's response to the vaccine.

Read any printed information that your health care provider gives you about the hepatitis B vaccine.

What side effects can hepatitis B vaccines cause?What side effects can hepatitis B vaccines cause?

What side effects can hepatitis B vaccines cause?

Hepatitis B vaccines may cause side effects that can be mild or serious. To learn about possible side effects, see the FDA drug labels for Engerix-B, Recombivax HB, and Heplisav-B or talk to your health care provider or pharmacist. Tell your health care professional if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. Your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some side effects.

You may report vaccine side effects using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System online.

Where can I find more information about hepatitis B vaccines? Where can I find more information about hepatitis B vaccines?

Where can I find more information about hepatitis B vaccines?

• Recommendations on the use of hepatitis B vaccines in people living with HIV, from the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents With HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children With and Exposed to HIV.
• This Patient Version drug summary is based on the following FDA label(s): Engerix-B injection (suspension); Recombivax HB injection (suspension); Heplisav-B injection (solution). The Patient Counseling Information section of the labels include information for people receiving a hepatitis B vaccine.
• Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) (Interim) for Hepatitis B Vaccine available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for hepatitis B vaccine available from MedlinePlus.
• Research studies related to the hepatitis B vaccines from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests.)