Zantac while getting vaccines

[Guest guest]

Dr. Hamblin also recommends taking Zantac while getting the

flu vax and the pneuomoccal vaccine.

http://cll.acor.org/pp%20vaccines.htm

" There are some tricks, though, that make vaccination more

effective. If you take ranitidine (ZANTAC) for two weeks

over the vaccination period, this doubles the response rate.

Coupling polysaccharide vaccines to protein (so-called

conjugate vaccines) makes them work better. There are

conjugate vaccines for HIB and meningococcus and

pneumococcus.

So it is sensible to be vaccinated, especially against 'flu

when you have CLL, but be sure to take Zantac during the

vaccination period.

As for pneumococus the standard vaccines are almost

guaranteed not to work in CLL. There is a conjugated

vaccine. In the UK the trade name is Prevenar, made by

Wyeth. Unfortunately, it is 4 times as expensive as the

ordinary pneumococcal vaccine retailing at 40 pounds

sterling a shot. This is made especially for children and

I'm not sure that it is even licensed for adults. I do not

believe that there has been trial of this vaccine in CLL and

it has the disadvantage of only being active against 7

serotypes rather than the 23 available in Pneumovax II.

Again taking it with ranitidine would seem to be sensible. "