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A friend of mine got a tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) shot yesterday, and the doctor said he mustn't drink alcohol for 3 days after getting the shot. Unfortunately, my friend forgot about that for a while and drank a bottle of beer today. Now he's worried about complications.

Is it known what complications could arise from drinking alcohol shortly after TBE vaccination, if any? Could the vaccine be ineffective because of that? Could he get encephalitis?

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  • Get your friend to call his doctor's office
    – Narusan
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 17:56
  • @Narusan-in-coma Well, the doctor apparently was quite busy and responded along the lines of 'Nothing you can do about it now'. I figured it meant it was nothing serious, but my friend is still worried..
    – Minethlos
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 19:57

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No, you can't get encephalitis from the vaccine. According to a company that provides one brand of the vaccine:

https://centrumcestovnimediciny.cz/en/prices-of-vaccines/encepur-for-adults/

On the day of application it is recommended to avoid any strains, sauna or excessive alcohol drinking.

One beer doesn't constitute excessive drinking.

The manufacturer of another brand of the vaccine doesn't even mention avoiding alcohol.

https://www.drugs.com/uk/ticovac-0-5-ml-suspension-for-injection-in-a-prefilled-syringe-leaflet.html

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    I guess it’s recommended to avoid excessive alcohol on any day, so that’s a welcomed reason by most GPs. I doubt that drinking a lot would be beneficial or neutral under any circumstances....
    – Narusan
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 23:00
  • I guess, theoretically, excessive drinking could affect the immune response after vaccination and thus the effectiveness of the vaccine. But, as said, one beer in 3 days is far from excessive in this regard.
    – Jan
    Commented Jun 1, 2018 at 11:33

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