Poliovirus Vaccine, Injection

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KEY POINTS

• This medicine is given by injection to provide protection against polio infection.
• This medicine may cause unwanted side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that are serious, continue, or get worse.
• Tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take.

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What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: vaccine

Generic and brand names: poliovirus vaccine, inactivated, injection; IPOL

What is this medicine used for?

This vaccine is given by injection (shots) to provide protection against polio infection. It is given to infants, children, and adults. This vaccine is not usually given to adults over the age of 18 unless they are at an increased risk of exposure to poliovirus. Adults who are at risk of exposure include those traveling to areas where polio is common and certain healthcare or laboratory workers.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have:

• An allergic reaction to other vaccine shots or any other medicine
• A weakened immune system from cancer treatment, diseases such as HIV/AIDS, or from taking steroid medicines or medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Guillain-Barré syndrome

Tell your healthcare provider if your child currently has an infection of any kind. Vaccinations should be postponed if a child has a moderate to severe infection with fever. If your child has a mild cold or mild infection, your child may still be able to get the shot. Talk to your healthcare provider about this.

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do not breast-feed while receiving this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I use it?

The shots are given by your healthcare provider. In children, a total of 4 shots of polio vaccine are given. The shots are usually given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years of age.

Adults will receive 1 to 3 shots, depending on their previous polio vaccine history.

Your healthcare provider will tell you how many shots you will need and when you should get them. Keep all appointments for vaccinations to be sure that you are protected. If a shot is missed or you get behind schedule, get the missed shot as soon as possible.

This vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

What should I watch out for?

Several doses are needed to fully protect against polio. It is very important to get all of the doses on schedule.

If you need emergency care, surgery, lab tests, or dental work, tell the healthcare provider or dentist you have received this medicine.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help.): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat).

Serious (Report these to your healthcare provider right away.): Fever over 102°F or 38.9°C; seizures; unexplained weakness, paralysis, or numbness in arms or legs.

Other: Redness, swelling or pain where the shot was given; low-grade fever (100.6° to 102°F, or 38.1 to 38.9°C), loss of appetite, tiredness, irritability, nausea, vomiting.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• Cancer medicines such as cisplatin, hydroxyurea (Droxia, Hydrea), vinblastine, vincristine (Marqibo), and others
• Corticosteroids such as dexamethasone, hydrocortisone (A-Hydrocort, Cortef), methylprednisolone (Medrol, Solu-Medrol), prednisone (Prednisone Intensol), and others
• Everolimus (Afinitor, Zortress)
• Immunosuppressants such as azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), mycophenolate (CellCept, Myfortic), and others
• Medicines to treat or prevent blood clots such as dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), fondaparinux (Arixtra), warfarin (Coumadin), and others
• Medicines to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other immune disorders such as adalimumab (Humira), anakinra (Kineret), belimumab (Benlysta), leflunomide (Arava), and others
• Methotrexate (Otrexup, Rasuvo, Rheumatrex, Trexall)
• Multiple sclerosis medicines such as fingolimod (Gilenya), natalizumab (Tysabri), teriflunomide (Aubagio), and others
• Radiation therapy

Keep a record of all vaccines received and when you received them.

If you are not sure if your medicines might interact, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider. Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

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This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.