Infusion Services

Gastroenterology located in St. Clair Shores and Macomb, MI

Infusion Services services offered in St. Clair Shores and Macomb, MI

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease are chronic conditions that affect the quality of life. When traditional medical treatments fail to control your IBD symptoms, the experienced gastroenterology team at G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C., can help with their infusion services. This includes the administration of biologics that help control the underlying causes of IBD. To learn more about infusion services at G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C., call the office in St. Clair Shores or Macomb, Michigan.

Infusion Services Q&A

What are infusion services?

Infusion services include the intravenous (IV) administration of biologic medication for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C. IBD is a chronic condition that causes inflammation, swelling, and ulceration in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

The gastroenterology practice provides several treatments and services to improve gastrointestinal health, including biologic treatments for people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C., offers many medication options, including:

Remicade®

Remicade is a type of protein that attaches to and blocks the action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). When produced in large amounts, TNF-alpha triggers your immune system to attack healthy tissue, like the GI tract, causing inflammation.

Stelara®

Stelara targets interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, which are substances that cause inflammation in the GI tract.

Entyvio™

Entyvio works by preventing white blood cells from entering the GI tract, reducing inflammation.

Inflectra™

Inflectra blocks TNF-alpha to reduce inflammation.

Iron

G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C. also provides iron infusions for patients with anemia, which means they have a low red blood cell count.

Am I a candidate for infusion services?

Your gastroenterologist at G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C., determines if you’re a candidate for infusion services after a consultation.

Though infusions are effective treatments for IBD, the team may only recommend the treatments if you have moderate to severe IBD symptoms that fail to improve with other less invasive treatments.

The infusion treatments for IBD may affect your body’s ability to fight off infections. The team may not consider you a candidate for these infusion services if you have an infection or an allergy to any of the ingredients in the medication.

What can I expect during infusion services?

G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C., performs infusion services in a specially dedicated infusion room. While you relax in the infusion chair, your provider inserts an IV line in your arm and starts your treatment.

The length of your infusion depends on the type of medication you need and dose and may take anywhere from 2-6 hours. Your nurse closely monitors you during your infusion at G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C.

The frequency of your infusions also varies. When first starting infusion services for IBD, you may have the first few doses within a six-week time frame and then follow-up doses every eight weeks.

Iron infusions are given as needed.

To find out more about infusion services at G.I. Medicine Associates, P.C., call the office to schedule an appointment.