Infusion Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis Q&A

Even mundane tasks, such as personal hygiene, eating, and driving, can seem impossible when you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In order to resume your life with a sense of normalcy, you hope your doctor will prescribe effective medications to alleviate your symptoms.

A chronic autoimmune disease of the joints, skin, and blood vessels, rheumatoid arthritis affects millions of people around the world.

The swelling and chronic pain it causes result from the inflammation of the joint lining. Joint cartilage is eroded as the disease progresses, causing more and more aches and pains. There may also be fatigue, stiffness, and loss of appetite along with painful, swollen joints.

The oral medications that patients with moderate to severe RA take may not work or are difficult to take. You may be prescribed intravenous medications by your doctor when this occurs.

This allows the medication to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream. You will see faster, more effective results due to the expeditious delivery of medication.

The benefits of infusion therapy for rheumatoid arthritis can last anywhere from six months to a year. It depends on the severity of the illness, the type of medication being administered, and how long each infusion session lasts.

One popular type of infusion therapy for rheumatoid arthritis available at Jean Walter Infusion is Cimzia. Using Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) as an injectable treatment, rheumatoid arthritis can be treated right where it starts, inside the body. Cimzia is a biologic, which means it is made from or by living cells.

To be more precise, it is an anti-TNF (anti-tumor necrosis factor). Immune cells fight infections and diseases using TNF, a natural substance in the body. The symptoms you are experiencing may be caused by too much TNF in your body, which causes immune cells to attack healthy tissue.

RA symptoms are often caused by inflammation, which Cimzia reduces by blocking extra signals to immune cells. It is a good idea to have your temperature, blood pressure, and pulse checked before you begin. Throughout your treatment, your vital signs will be monitored.

An infusion shouldn’t hurt, but you may feel a pinch when they put the needle into your arm. A medicine may be given to you before your treatment in order to relax you if you are nervous. You can read a book or watch a movie while the medicine is being administered.

The first line of defense against RA is oral medications. RA progression may be significantly altered by an infusion when oral drugs are not enough. The medications used in infusion treatments are called biologics. It is possible to use them alone or along with oral medications. RA can be treated with several types of biologics.

A clinic or infusion center provides infusion treatments. The cost of infusion therapy for RA will be dependent on the specific details of your treatment plan. Costs can range considerably from $250 to $1200 per month. Most insurance plans cover at least one of the drugs used for RA infusions, even though they are expensive.

Infusion therapy can help many patients with rheumatoid arthritis, it is a particularly common treatment for patients who wish to avoid or have trouble ingesting medication orally. It is possible that your physician will recommend that you exhaust all other treatment options before embarking on infusion therapy.

To maximize your medication management benefits, you may need regularly spaced infusion therapy sessions. Putting together the right treatment plan for you can be done with the help of your physician.
Infusion therapy for rheumatoid arthritis is available at Jean Walter Infusion. For more information, contact us or request an appointment online. We serve patients from Rosedale MD, Baltimore MD, Columbia MD, Glen Burnie MD, Catonsville MD, North Baltimore MD, Edgewater MD, Parkville MD, Middle River MD, Dundalk MD, Halethrope MD, Ellicott City MD, Laurel MD, Hebbville MD, and Woodlawn MD.