What do we know about mixing COVID-19 vaccines with medications?
What do we know about mixing COVID-19 vaccines with medications?
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COVID-19 vaccines are not impacted by the large majority of prescription and over-the-counter medications people may take, even people over the age of 60. However, certain medications might impact how effective the vaccines can be be in people who take them regularly. Immunosuppressive medications and other medications that affect the immune system—including chemotherapy and steroids like prednisone—may decrease the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The vast majority of prescription medications do not affect the immune system.
COVID-19 vaccines are not impacted by the large majority of prescription and over-the-counter medications people may take, even people over the age of 60. However, certain medications might impact how effective the vaccines can be be in people who take them regularly. Immunosuppressive medications and other medications that affect the immune system—including chemotherapy and steroids like prednisone—may decrease the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The vast majority of prescription medications do not affect the immune system.
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What our experts say
COVID-19 vaccines are not impacted by the large majority of prescription and over-the-counter medications people may take.
However, immunosuppressive medications and other medications that affect the immune system—including chemotherapy and steroids like prednisone—may decrease the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The vast majority of prescription medications do not affect the immune system.
Immunosuppressive drugs are frequently used in people with autoimmune diseases like cancer and arthritis, people who have received organ and stem cell transplants, and other immune system-related conditions. These drugs can reduce or suppress the immune system's abilities in order to prevent inflammation, cell damage, and the body attacking itself.
People who take immunosuppressant medications have conditions that put them at higher risk for severe cases of COVID-19 and should be vaccinated. Even though the vaccine may not be as protective in these people, some protection against the virus is better than none at all.
Immunosuppressant drugs are not only used long-term in patients, though. For instance, corticosteroids are a form of immunosuppressive medications that can be taken to help fight conditions like bronchitis or sinus infections in the short-term. They also suppress the immune system's function even when the person taking them is not immunocompromised. Anyone taking short-term steroids for a health issue should speak to a health professional about their COVID-19 vaccine strategy.
In general, people over 60 who take medication for conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and heart issues will not have a weaker response to the vaccines because of those medications. These medications include commonly prescribed drugs like blood thinners that work on the body's ability to clot, drugs that help with glucose metabolism to help control diabetes, and statins to help with high cholesterol. These types of medications do not target or impact the immune system in the way immunosuppressive drugs do.
People living with these health conditions have a great risk for a severe COVID-19 infection so vaccination is strongly recommended. For people over 60 who take immunosuppressive medications, the risk of severe infection may be even greater so vaccines may be pivotal to helping their immune systems against the threat of COVID-19.
Vaccine protection wanes over time, though, and this is what may cause a decrease in protection many months after receiving the jab.
If you take any medication regularly and are concerned about how it might interact with a COVID-19 vaccine, speak to your health professional.
COVID-19 vaccines are not impacted by the large majority of prescription and over-the-counter medications people may take.
However, immunosuppressive medications and other medications that affect the immune system—including chemotherapy and steroids like prednisone—may decrease the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The vast majority of prescription medications do not affect the immune system.
Immunosuppressive drugs are frequently used in people with autoimmune diseases like cancer and arthritis, people who have received organ and stem cell transplants, and other immune system-related conditions. These drugs can reduce or suppress the immune system's abilities in order to prevent inflammation, cell damage, and the body attacking itself.
People who take immunosuppressant medications have conditions that put them at higher risk for severe cases of COVID-19 and should be vaccinated. Even though the vaccine may not be as protective in these people, some protection against the virus is better than none at all.
Immunosuppressant drugs are not only used long-term in patients, though. For instance, corticosteroids are a form of immunosuppressive medications that can be taken to help fight conditions like bronchitis or sinus infections in the short-term. They also suppress the immune system's function even when the person taking them is not immunocompromised. Anyone taking short-term steroids for a health issue should speak to a health professional about their COVID-19 vaccine strategy.
In general, people over 60 who take medication for conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and heart issues will not have a weaker response to the vaccines because of those medications. These medications include commonly prescribed drugs like blood thinners that work on the body's ability to clot, drugs that help with glucose metabolism to help control diabetes, and statins to help with high cholesterol. These types of medications do not target or impact the immune system in the way immunosuppressive drugs do.
People living with these health conditions have a great risk for a severe COVID-19 infection so vaccination is strongly recommended. For people over 60 who take immunosuppressive medications, the risk of severe infection may be even greater so vaccines may be pivotal to helping their immune systems against the threat of COVID-19.
Vaccine protection wanes over time, though, and this is what may cause a decrease in protection many months after receiving the jab.
If you take any medication regularly and are concerned about how it might interact with a COVID-19 vaccine, speak to your health professional.
Context and background
Several social media posts have been in circulation in recent months claiming that fully vaccinated people over 60 years of age are getting COVID-19 infections due to lower levels of antibodies caused by particular medications for health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and other heart issues. One particular post allegedly quoting a doctor in Singapore claimed the routine medications many older people take "neutralize" the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. These claims are not true. COVID-19 vaccines are not impacted by the large majority of prescription and over-the-counter medications people may take.
Several social media posts have been in circulation in recent months claiming that fully vaccinated people over 60 years of age are getting COVID-19 infections due to lower levels of antibodies caused by particular medications for health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and other heart issues. One particular post allegedly quoting a doctor in Singapore claimed the routine medications many older people take "neutralize" the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. These claims are not true. COVID-19 vaccines are not impacted by the large majority of prescription and over-the-counter medications people may take.
Resources
- Hybrid immunity versus vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (The Lancet Rheumatology)
- Prevalence of Immunosuppressive Drug Use Among Commercially Insured US Adults, 2018-2019 (JAMA)
- Can vaccines interact with drug metabolism? (Pharmacological Research)
- Long-term use of immunosuppressive medicines and in-hospital COVID-19 outcomes: a retrospective cohort study using data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (The Lancet Rheumatology)
- Immunosuppressants (Cleveland Clinic)
- Share with facebook Share with twitter Share with linkedin Share using email Print Do COVID-19 Vaccines Interfere With Common Prescription Drugs? (AARP)
- There are four types of COVID-19 vaccines: here’s how they work (Gavi)
- Feature Article: Medications and COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Should Know (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Hybrid immunity versus vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (The Lancet Rheumatology)
- Prevalence of Immunosuppressive Drug Use Among Commercially Insured US Adults, 2018-2019 (JAMA)
- Can vaccines interact with drug metabolism? (Pharmacological Research)
- Long-term use of immunosuppressive medicines and in-hospital COVID-19 outcomes: a retrospective cohort study using data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (The Lancet Rheumatology)
- Immunosuppressants (Cleveland Clinic)
- Share with facebook Share with twitter Share with linkedin Share using email Print Do COVID-19 Vaccines Interfere With Common Prescription Drugs? (AARP)
- There are four types of COVID-19 vaccines: here’s how they work (Gavi)
- Feature Article: Medications and COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Should Know (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
