Infusions for Crohn’s and Colitis Patients

The Centers for Gastroenterology have been offering infusions for almost 15 years, helping our Crohn’s and Colitis patients get back to their normal selves.  Although there are a few other options in northern Colorado that patients could choose to go to for their infusion treatments, most of our patients love having their treatments right here with us! Our infusion nurses have direct access to our doctors. If a patient reports any changes in symptoms or concerns, our nurses can communicate this with the doctor and often get direction before a patient leaves their appointment. The is a unique benefit to an in-office infusion clinic!

What medications do we offer in our infusion clinic?

We offer several medications at the Centers for Gastroenterology, most of which are biologics. In the most basic sense, these medications interrupt a process in the inflammatory chain that leads to the symptoms of Crohn’s and Colitis.

Remicade is a systemic biologic that is known as an anti-TNF. It is given over a 2-hour infusion.

Entyvio is a gut focused biologic known to block Integrin. It is given over 30 minutes.

Stelara blocks interleukins. Stelara is given as a one-time 1-hour infusion followed by home injections every 8 weeks.

We also offer Simponi. This is used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis. Some patients also have Crohn’s disease and this drug can control both conditions.

Injectafer is an iron infusion that is used to treat Iron Deficiency Anemia which can often be caused by uncontrolled Crohn’s or Colitis. It can also be caused by many other issues such as a GI bleed or a patient simply being low on iron and not benefiting from oral supplements. It is a 30-minute infusion given over two doses.

How often do patients get infusions done?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Crohn’s disease. For Colitis, the only cure is to have the colon removed, not any patient’s first choice. Thus, these infusions must be given every 4-8 weeks depending on the individual patient’s response to keep the disease in remission.

How does an infusion help patients?

For patients living with Crohn’s or Colitis, these medications can give them their life back. Patients having a flare will experience severe abdominal pain, frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom, lack of appetite due to food triggering the afore mentioned symptoms, along with a multitude of other symptoms. Once the medication puts the disease into remission, these symptoms go away and patients can once again enjoy time out of the house with family and friends, get back to work and hobbies, and be worry-free about where the closest bathroom is.

Why choose the Centers for Gastroenterology for infusions?

Coming to a free-standing clinic is always more affordable and often has shorter appointment times than a hospital. We are a small clinic with just three infusion nurses. We get to know our patients very well and they get to see the same nurses each time they come in; over time, this leads to a strong rapport. This is also comforting to some patients with a fear of IV sticks; they come to trust the nurse starting their IV. The nurses are also able to communicate with our doctors and thus can get concerns addressed before even starting the IV if needed. We draw any labs that are needed to save our patients a “stick” and a trip to the lab, then courier the tests to a lab for processing.

We treat patients 18 years and older and serve many patients from across northern Colorado and extending into southern Wyoming and eastern Nebraska. If you are from Sterling, Holyoke, Scottsbluff, Cheyenne, or somewhere in those regions, we are here to serve you, too! Although we currently only offer infusions at our Loveland location, we are excited to announce that we will be beginning infusions once a week at our Fort Collins location as well, starting on October 14.

If you would like to schedule your infusions with the Centers for Gastroenterology, at either our Loveland or Fort Collins location, please call our office at 970-669-5432 and ask to speak with the infusion room.