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Adverse effects and warnings
Like any other vaccine, hepatitis B vaccines have relatively common side effects and other rare and uncommon side effects we should also know about.
The most common side effects, found in more than 10% of the patients, include:
- Erythema and pain in the area of injection
- Burning or itchy sensation in the area of injection
- Nodules in the area of injection
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Vertigo
- Headaches
Other side effects are relatively uncommon and are usually reported by less than 10% of patients. They include insomnia, irritability, lightheadedness, constipation, arthralgia, tachycardia, lymphadenopathy, or a lupus-like syndrome.
The only absolute contraindication against hepatitis B vaccine should be an allergic reaction to a hepatitis B dose in the past or a known allergy to yeast or another vaccine component. It is essential to report any allergic response, and patients with severe atopy should be supervised by their healthcare provider.
We don’t have scientific evidence to know how pregnant women and their babies would react to a hepatitis B vaccine. Thus, it is only administered in high-risk patients and under close monitoring of their healthcare provider.
