Methotrexate and Covid vaccine
I was diagnosed with RA 21 years ago. I am currently taking Enbrel and injectable Methotrexate. I recently found an article that says if you were taking Methotrexate while getting the Covid vaccines, that the vaccine may not have the same protection compared to people not on that medication. I am very concerned for my safety with Covid, especially since everything is open and people are traveling again.
Hi
, Your concerns about immunosuppressing drugs and the COVID vaccines is certainly understandable. The American College of Rheumatology has released some guidance and one of our contributors wrote about it (with links) here: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/acr-covid19-vaccine-guidance. Anecdotally, I can tell you that my wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), had the same concerns, especially after having COVID and testing negative for antibodies afterward. She was recently tested for antibodies a several months after the vaccination and her response came back very high. Her previously having had COVID may have played a role - it is an unknown. Her rheumatologist has said he has seen patients with a good response and some with no response and has not seen a pattern regarding which medications the patients are on (I know, not terribly helpful, but the medical community was slow to start researching immune response in relation to immunosuppressing drugs and the results are yet to come). He also noted that a lack of antibodies would not indicate a person wouldn't mount an immune response to COVID, only that they didn't have active antibodies at that moment. The interaction of the T and B immune cells could create antibodies if COVID was detected by the immune system. Your doctor should be able to provide further guidance concerning your particular case and what precautions may still be necessary. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
