The plasma exchange must be stopped and the person treated with intravenous medications. Excessive suppression of the immune system can temporarily occur with plasmapheresis, since the procedure isn't selective about which antibodies it removes. In time, the body can replenish its supply of needed antibodies, but some physicians give these intravenously after each plasmapheresis treatment. Outpatients may have to take special precautions against infection. Medication dosages need careful observation and adjustment in people being treated with plasmapheresis because some drugs can be removed from the blood or changed by the procedure.
Improvement can sometimes occur within days, especially in myasthenia gravis.
In other conditions, especially where there is extensive tissue damage, improvement is slower but can still occur within weeks. MDA supported pioneering research to develop plasmapheresis. However, payment for this procedure is not among the many services included in MDA's program. A number of health insurance plans do cover the procedure. Plasmapheresis is performed at many major medical centers across the country.