Lyme Disease Vaccine (Systemic)
   
Lyme Disease Vaccine (Systemic)
Description
Lyme disease vaccine is an active immunizing agent used to prevent infection by Lyme disease bacteria. It works by causing your body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against the bacteria.
Lyme disease causes rash, fever, weakness, and joint and muscle pain. The disease is caused by bacteria passed to humans by the bite of infected ticks.
The risk of getting tick-borne infections can be lessened by such precautions as wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, tucking pants into socks, treating clothing with tick repellent, and checking for and removing attached ticks.
This medicine is no longer commercially available.
Special Considerations
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For Lyme disease vaccine, the following should be considered:
Allergies
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to Lyme disease vaccine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as preservatives.
Pregnancy
Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.
Breast-feeding
This vaccine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.
Children
Lyme disease vaccine has not been tested in persons younger than 15 years of age. Use is not recommended in infants and children.
Teenagers
Lyme disease vaccine is not recommended for use in persons younger than 15 years of age.
Older adults
Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly as they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of Lyme disease vaccine in the elderly with use in other age groups, this vaccine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.
Other medicines
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.
Other medical problems
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of Lyme disease vaccine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems.
Administration
Dosing
This medication is not longer on the market
Side Effects
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Numbness; tingling; unusual tiredness or weakness.
Less common
Bone pain; chills; cough; fever; muscle aches; runny or stuffy nose; shivering; skin rash, itching, redness, swelling, or other sign of irritation not present before vaccination; sneezing; sore throat; sweating.
Rare
Difficulty swallowing; dizziness; fast heartbeat; headache, severe; puffiness or swelling around eyelids; shortness of breath.
Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
More common
Back pain; pain in joints and/or muscles.
Less common
Depression; diarrhea; dizziness; feeling unusually cold.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other side effects, check with your doctor.
July 10, 2003 
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