These Common Meds Weaken the Response to COVID-19 Vaccines
Researchers at Michigan Medicine recently
found that a small but significant percentage of Americans under the age
of 65 take medications that can weaken their immune system. These
medications increase one's risk of Covid-19 symptoms and make them more
likely to require hospitalization if they contract the virus. Moreover,
there is growing evidence that these drugs may reduce the efficacy of
Covid-19 vaccinations.
Read on to find out which prescription
drugs may cause this, and what can be done to mitigate the problem.
What medications can hamper the immune system?
Data analysis from more than 3 million adults found that nearly 3% take
immuno-suppressive drugs. These kinds of drugs are usually used to treat
conditions where there is an inappropriate immune response that sees
certain parts of a person’s body as a threat. When the immune system
begins to attack these body parts, it can end up damaging them. An
example of this type of condition is rheumatoid arthritis, where the
immune system attacks the joints. Immuno-suppressive drugs are used to
decrease the damage done to the patient’s own tissues.
Another case where people might be
prescribed immuno-suppressive drugs would be after an organ transplant.
Certain types of chemotherapy also have the side effect of suppressing
the immune system.
While these types of medications are only used by people with specific
chronic conditions, there is also a type of immuno-suppressive drug that
is significantly more commonly used - steroids.
Steroids are medications like prednisone and dexamethasone. They are
usually prescribed to treat short-term ailments like allergic rashes,
bronchitis, and sinus infections. As Dr. Beth Wallace, a rheumatologist
at Michigan Medicine, explained to Healthline, “Steroids are very
immuno-suppressive. We’re learning more and more that even short courses
and low doses of steroids can increase people’s risk of infections, and
can reduce their response to vaccines, like the COVID vaccine.”
How can this problem be mitigated?
Vaccines work by teaching the immune system
to recognize a specific threat so that it can respond appropriately if
it ever encounters the same threat again. However, according to Dr.
Wallace, immuno-suppressive drugs work by reducing the ability of your
immune system to recognize and fight off threats.
The new study comes at a time when doctors are beginning to realize the
negative effects immuno-suppressants may have on patients’ response to
the Covid-19 vaccination. This raises the question, 'How can this
problem be mitigated?'
Researchers are currently investigating several strategies. However, as
of right now, “it's difficult to formulate guidelines around vaccinating
these patients." Possible solutions that are currently being looked
into are temporarily halting the use of immuno-suppressive medications
around the time of the Covid-19 vaccination and giving an extra
‘booster’ shot.
Dr. Meghan Baker, a hospital epidemiologist
who works with immunocompromised patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, added that experts often recommend completing the Covid-19
vaccine series at least two weeks before starting the medications. If
this is not possible, however, they recommend that patients speak with
their personal physician about the risks versus benefits of delaying
therapy.
It’s important to note that specific recommendations regarding the
timing of immune-suppressing medications would have to be tailored to
the needs of the individual. For example, if someone is doing
chemotherapy to treat active cancer, the risk of temporarily stopping
that treatment is different from the risk of stopping a medication that
someone has been taking for years to treat their stable rheumatoid
arthritis.
In general, experts claim that people on immuno-suppressive therapies can
and should get vaccinated. Although the protective effect may be
reduced depending on the underlying condition or the immuno-suppressive
therapy, most people will still get some degree of protection from the
vaccine. “It may reduce the chance that they become infected or develop
the severe illness if infected,” said Baker.
Due to this risk, those who are immunocompromised must continue taking
precautions to minimize potential exposure to the novel coronavirus. We
will keep you updated on any new developments on this topic, of course.