Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis are serious diseases caused by bacteria.

Diphtheria causes a thick coating in the nose, throat, and airway. It can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, or death.

Tetanus (lockjaw) causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can lead to "locking” of the jaw so the victim cannot open the mouth or swallow. Tetanus leads to death in about 1 out of 10 cases.

Pertussis (whooping cough) causes coughing so severe that it interferes with eating, drinking, or breathing. These spells can last for weeks and can lead to pneumonia, seizures (convulsions), brain damage, and death.

Diphtheria and pertussis are spread from person to person. Tetanus enters the body through a cut or wound. Vaccines for these diseases contain a small amount of the bacteria, which helps the body develop immunity to the disease.

The diphtheria, tetanus acellular, and pertussis adult vaccine (Tdap) is used to help prevent these diseases in people who are ages 11 to 64 years old. Most people in this age group require only one Tdap shot for protection against these diseases.

This vaccine is given as an injection into a muscle. You will receive this injection in a doctor’s office or other clinic setting.

In most cases, you will receive only one dose of this vaccine. Follow your doctor’s instructions about receiving a booster dose if needed.

Your doctor may recommend reducing fever and pain by taking an aspirin-free pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, and others) when the shot is given and for the next 24 hours. Follow your doctor’s instructions about how much of this medicine you should take. It is especially important to prevent fever from occurring if you have a seizure disorder such as epilepsy.

Before receiving this vaccine, tell your doctor if you are using any drugs or receiving any treatments that can weaken your immune system, including:

• an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine;

• cancer chemotherapy or radiation;

• azathioprine (Imuran);

• basiliximab (Simulect);

• cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf);

• etanercept (Enbrel);

• leflunomide (Arava);

• muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone);

• mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept);

• efalizumab (Raptiva);

• sirolimus (Rapamune); or

• tacrolimus (Prograf).

If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to receive the Tdap vaccine.

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect this vaccine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

There are no restrictions on food, beverages, or activity before or after receiving Tdap vaccine unless your doctor has told you otherwise.

An overdose of Tdap vaccine is unlikely to occur.

Since the Tdap vaccine is usually given only once, you may not be on a dosing schedule. Contact your doctor if you miss a recommended booster vaccine.

Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving this vaccine. If you ever have to receive another vaccine in the future, you will need to tell the doctor if the first shot caused any side effects. Getting diphtheria, tetanus, or pertussis disease is much more dangerous to your health than receiving this vaccine. However, like any medicine, this vaccine can cause side effects. The risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life-threatening allergic reaction after the first shot.

You can still receive a vaccine if you have a cold or fever. However, if you are moderately or severely ill, wait until you recover before receiving this vaccine.

Do not receive this vaccine if you have:

• a disorder or disease affecting your brain;

• uncontrolled epilepsy or other seizure disorder;

• a neurologic disorder;

• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; or

• a weak immune system caused by disease or by taking certain medicines or receiving cancer treatments.

Before receiving this vaccine, tell the doctor if you have:

• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder such as hemophilia or easy bruising;

• if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin); or

• if it has been less than 5 years since you last received a diphtheria, pertussis, or tetanus shot.

You should not receive this vaccine if you have ever received a diphtheria, pertussis, or tetanus vaccine before and the vaccine caused any of the following:

• a very high fever;

• a life-threatening allergic reaction;

• fainting or going into shock;

• Guillian-Barre syndrome (within 6 weeks after receiving a tetanus shot);

• seizure (convulsions); or

• a severe skin reaction.

If you have had any of these conditions after receiving a previous diphtheria, pertussis, or tetanus vaccine, you may not be able to receive the Tdap vaccine.

You can still receive a vaccine if you have a cold or fever. However, if you are moderately or severely ill, wait until you recover before receiving this vaccine.

FDA pregnancy category C. This vaccine may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant soon after receiving the vaccine.

It is not known whether Tdap vaccine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

The adult version of this vaccine (Adacel) should not be given to anyone under the age of 11 or over the age of 64. Another vaccine is available for use in children younger than 11 years old.

Your doctor or pharmacist may have additional information or suggest additional resources regarding Tdap vaccine.

No information available