Vaccine Guidance
The physicians of Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates encourage our patients to obtain any of the COVID-19 vaccines as they become available. Based on the data for the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S., there is no preference for one COVID-19 vaccine over another.
Please note we are unable to provide COVID-19 vaccine in our clinics at this time.
We support the new (2/10/2021) guidance from the American College of Rheumatology regarding how to take various medications around the time of COVID-19 vaccinations that use mRNA (by Pfizer and Moderna):
If you take any of the following medications, and your rheumatologic disease is doing well, do not take this medication for 1 week after each dose of COVID-19 vaccine:
Methotrexate (Otrexup, Rasuvo, Rheumatrex) |
Xeljanz (tofacitinib) |
Rinvoq (upadacitinib) |
Olumiant (baricitinib) |
If you take the following medications, contact ARA when you are nearing the time of your COVID-19 vaccination to plan scheduling the doses:
Orencia (abatacept) |
Rituxan (rituximab) |
Cyclophosphamide intravenous only (Cytoxan) |
If you take the following medications, you do not have to change your medication dosing schedule around the time of COVID-19 vaccination:
Actemra |
Guselkumab (Tremfya) |
Remicade |
Adalimumab (Humira) |
Humira |
Rizankizumab (Skyrizi) |
Anakinra (Kineret) |
hydrocortisone |
Romosozumab (Evenity) |
Apremilast (Otezla) |
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) |
Sarilumab (Kevzara) |
Arava (leflunomide) |
ibuprofen |
Secukinumab (Cosentyx) |
Azathioprine (Imuran) |
Ilaris |
Simponi |
Belimumab (Benlysta) |
Imuran |
Simponi Aria |
Benlysta |
Infliximab (Remicade, Inflectra, Renflexis) |
Skyrizi |
Canakinumab (Ilaris) |
Ixekizumab (Taltz) |
Stelara |
Cellcept |
Kevzara |
Sulfasalazine |
Certolizumab (Cimzia) |
Kineret |
Tacrolimus |
Cimzia |
Leflunomide |
Taltz |
Cosentyx |
Lupkynis |
Tocilizumab (Actemra) |
Cyclophosphamide oral only (Cytoxan) |
Mycophenolate (Cellcept) |
Tremfya |
cyclosporine |
Naproxen |
Ustekinumab (Stelara) |
Cytoxan (oral only) |
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) |
Voclosporin (Lupkynis) |
Denosumab (Prolia) |
Otezla |
Zoledronic acid (Reclast) |
Enbrel |
Prednisone |
|
Etanercept (Enbrel) |
Prolia |
|
Evenity |
Reclast |
Reference link: American College of Rheumatology COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance Summary for Patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases.