<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

>I'm a RN at a local hospital and the Hepatitis vaccine has been
>offered to me for a number of years...I found out that the vaccine
>is derived from yeast and when the doctors and even the company
>that produces the vaccine were asked, the response was "We
>don't know if there is any side effect".  Evidently since the vaccine
>is not taken through the GI tract then possibly this might be the
>difference...Do you have any feelings about this? Before you had
>gotten the vaccine did anyone have any concern over your being
>a celiac and taking the vaccine?

I don't normally have a problem with yeast which, as I understand
it, is not a problem for those with gluten intolerance.  If you
do have a problem with yeast, it is probably in addition to your
problem with gluten.  I use Brewer's yeast without problem,
although the stuff I use is grown on beet molasses.  I don't know
about other kinds of yeast...perhaps someone else can better answer
that than I can.

I agree with your suggestion that, since the vaccine is not taken
through the GI tract, it cannot affect the intestinal villi.  When
I went through the hepatitis shots, I was in a stage of recovery
where even small amounts of gluten would result in four days of
diarrhea and crampy low back pain.  I did not get this reaction
from the vaccine.

I was working in surgery at the time I went through the hep shots.
I worked regularly with four G.I. surgeons, two of which knew I
had celiac disease.  Neither of them expressed any concern about
my taking the hep shots.

I want you to know, of course, that I am not giving anyone
medical okay to take the hepatitis shots.  I am just reporting
what happened (or didn't happen) to me when I received them.

                                BJ