Fluzone is a brand-name drug that’s prescribed to help prevent the flu in adults and certain children. It’s a vaccine that’s given as an intramuscular injection by a healthcare professional. The dosage can vary depending on your age.
Fluzone is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help prevent influenza, also known as the flu. It’s given to adults and children ages 6 months and older. Fluzone High-Dose is approved for use in adults ages 65 years and older.
Fluzone is a biologic and belongs to a drug class called vaccines. Fluzone is not available in a biosimilar version.
Keep reading for specific information about the dosage of Fluzone, including its strengths and how it’s given. For a comprehensive look at Fluzone, see this article.
Note: This article describes typical dosages for Fluzone provided by the drug’s manufacturer. However, your doctor will prescribe the Fluzone dosage that’s right for you.
Below is information about Fluzone’s form, strengths, and dosages.
Fluzone form
Fluzone comes as a liquid suspension (a type of liquid mixture) that’s given as an intramuscular injection. Your doctor or another healthcare professional will give your injection at a pharmacy, clinic, doctor’s office, or another healthcare setting.
Fluzone injection is available as a:
- prefilled, single-dose syringe, which contains 0.5 milliliters (mL) of vaccine
- multi-dose vial, which contains 5 mL of vaccine
Each form of Fluzone above delivers an equal amount of vaccine. The form you receive will be determined based on the location where you receive your vaccine and which form your doctor uses.
Fluzone High Dose is available in a prefilled, single-dose syringe which contains 0.7 mL of vaccine
Fluzone strengths
Fluzone comes in two strengths:
- Fluzone Quadrivalent
- Fluzone Quadrivalent High Dose
Fluzone Quadrivalent High Dose contains four times more flu antigen than Fluzone Quadrivalent. This is meant to help older adults (age 65 years and above) have better protection against flu. (An antigen is the component that causes your immune system to build protection against a foreign substance, such as the flu virus.)
Typical dosages
The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended in adults.
Dosage to help prevent influenza
Doctors may prescribe Fluzone to help prevent influenza. The dosage for this use is one dose each year.
If you’re under age 65 years, you’ll receive 0.5 mL of Fluzone Quadrivalent.
If you’re age 65 years or older, you’ll receive 0.7 mL of Fluzone Quadrivalent or 0.5 mL of Fluzone Quadrivalent High Dose.
For more information about your specific dosage, talk with your doctor.
Children’s dosage
Fluzone is approved to help prevent influenza in children ages 6 months and older.
The dosage is based on the child’s age and whether they had a previous flu vaccine. This includes flu vaccines other than Fluzone.
The table below lists the typical dosing schedule for Fluzone for children under 9 years old:
| Age range | Previously received a flu vaccine? | Dose | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months to 35 months | No, or not known | two doses, either 0.25 mL or 0.5 mL | doses are separated by at least 4 weeks |
| 6 months to 35 months | Yes | one or two doses, either 0.25 mL or 0.5 mL | if giving two doses, doses are separated by at least 4 weeks |
| 36 months to 8 years | No, or not known | two 0.5-mL doses | doses are separated by at least 4 weeks |
| 36 months to 8 years | Yes | one or two 0.5-mL doses | if giving two doses, doses are separated by at least 4 weeks |
Children ages 9 years and above will receive one dose. This is the same as the dose for adults described in the
“Typical dosages” section above.
Talk with your child’s doctor if you have questions about their dosage of Fluzone.
Long-term treatment
Fluzone is given as one dose to adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Certain children may receive two doses of Fluzone, which should be separated by at least 4 weeks. See the “Children’s dosage” section above to learn more.
Fluzone comes as a liquid suspension that’s given as an intramuscular injection by your doctor or another healthcare professional. They’ll give your injection at a pharmacy, clinic, doctor’s office, or other healthcare setting.
Your doctor or another healthcare professional will inject Fluzone into the muscle in your shoulder. In children under age 36 months, Fluzone may be injected into the muscle of the thigh. This is if their shoulder muscle is not large enough for the injection.
Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.