COVID vaccines and RA medication

PWarman
PWarman Member Posts: 2
in Chat to our Helpline Team

Does my RA medication (Etanercept and Methotrexate) make my 2 Astrazenica vaccinations ineffective against COVID-19?

Comments

  • chrisb
    chrisb Moderator Posts: 757
    edited 23. May 2021, 12:23

    Hi @PWarman 

    Welcome to the versus Arthritis forum. 

    I’m afraid I don’t have a definitive answer to your question but there’s a lot of help and information on our website that may give you the answer: 

    https://community.versusarthritis.org/categories/covid-19-corona-virus
    https://www.versusarthritis.org/covid-19-updates/vaccines-for-covid-19-your-questions-answered/


    In addition you may find that some forum members will be able to provide input.

    Failing the above you could call our free Helpline on 0800 5200 520, or email helpline@versusarthritis.org (Mon-Fri 9am – 8pm) 

    I hope this helps.

    Best Wishes

    ChrisB (Moderator)

    Need more help - call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,782

    Hi @PWarman 

    Thank you for posting on the helpline forum with your question about RA medication and the effectiveness of the two AstraZeneca vaccines you have had.

    Thanks to ChrisB for providing the links to our Q&A page on the Covid-19 vaccinations and to the forum thread about this. I hope you have found it helpful.

    It's important to remember that no vaccine offers 100% protection. Sometimes this is because the body doesn’t produce antibodies as well as expected in response to the vaccine and sometimes this is because, although the body produces antibodies as expected, the protective antibody level in the blood falls over time. That’s why everyone in the UK should follow government advice on reducing the spread of COVID-19, even after they have had the vaccine.

    Based on the current available evidence, some people who are taking drugs that suppress the immune system may be given advice to continue avoiding exposure to COVID-19 after they have had the vaccination. This is because their medications could mean their immune system doesn't respond as strongly to the vaccine as people who don't take these drugs.

    Scientists are learning more about this all the time. A new UK study called the OCTAVE study is currently investigating the response to the new COVID-19 vaccines in people whose immune systems make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 and other infections. This will help ensure that those more at risk from infection receive the best protection possible. We expect that some early results from the Octave study will be available over the next two to four months. You can read more about it here:

    https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/216393/covid-19-vaccine-response-patients-with-impaired/

    You are welcome to call us on our freephone helpline: 0800 5200 520 so you can talk things through with one of our helpline team. 

    I hope this is helpful.

    Best wishes

    Mags

    Helpline Team

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