Iron Supplements (Systemic)
Before Using This Dietary SupplementIf you are taking this dietary supplement without a prescription, carefully
read and follow any precautions on the label. For iron supplements, the following
should be considered:
Allergies - Tell your health care professional if you have ever
had any unusual or allergic reaction to iron medicine. Also tell your health
care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods,
preservatives, or dyes.
Pregnancy - It is especially important that you are receiving
enough vitamins and minerals when you become pregnant and that you continue
to receive the right amount of vitamins and minerals throughout your pregnancy.
Healthy fetal growth and development depend on a steady supply of nutrients
from mother to fetus. During the first 3 months of pregnancy, a proper diet
usually provides enough iron. However, during the last 6 months, in order
to meet the increased needs of the developing baby, an iron supplement may
be recommended by your health care professional. However, taking large amounts of a dietary supplement in pregnancy may
be harmful to the mother and/or fetus and should be avoided.
Breast-feeding - It is especially important that you receive the
right amounts of vitamins and minerals so that your baby will also get the
vitamins and minerals needed to grow properly. Iron normally is present in
breast milk in small amounts. When prescribed by a health care professional,
iron preparations are not known to cause problems during breast-feeding. However,
nursing mothers are advised to check with their health care professional before
taking iron supplements or any other medication. Taking large amounts of a
dietary supplement while breast-feeding may be harmful to the mother and/or
infant and should be avoided.
Children - Problems in children have not been reported with
intake of normal daily recommended amounts. Iron supplements, when prescribed
by your health care professional, are not expected to cause different side
effects in children than they do in adults. However, it is important to follow
the directions carefully, since iron overdose in children is especially dangerous. Studies on sodium ferric gluconate have been done only in adult patients,
and there is no specific information comparing the use of sodium ferric gluconate
in children with use in other age groups.
Older adults - Problems in older adults have not been reported with
intake of normal daily recommended amounts. Elderly people sometimes do not
absorb iron as easily as younger adults and may need a larger dose. If you
think you need to take an iron supplement, check with your health care professional
first. Only your health care professional can decide if you need an iron supplement
and how much you should take.
Medicines or other dietary supplements - Although certain medicines or dietary supplements should not be used together
at all, in other cases they may be used together even if an interaction might
occur. In these cases, your health care professional may want to change the
dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking iron supplements,
it is especially important that your health care professional know if you
are taking any of the following:
-
Acetohydroxamic acid (e.g., Lithostat) - Use with iron supplements
may cause either medicine to be less effective
-
Antacids - Use with iron supplements may make the iron supplements
less effective; iron supplements should be taken 1 or 2 hours before or after
antacids
-
Dimercaprol - Iron supplements and dimercaprol may combine in
the body to form a harmful chemical
-
Etidronate or
-
Fluoroquinolones (e.g., ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, lomefloxacin, norfloxacin,
ofloxacin) or
-
Tetracyclines (taken by mouth) (medicine for infection) - Use
with iron supplements may make these medicines less effective; iron supplements
should be taken 2 hours before or after these medicines
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of iron supplements. Make sure you tell your health
care professional if you have any other medical problems, especially:
-
Alcohol abuse (or history of) or
-
Blood transfusions (with high red blood cell iron content) or
-
Kidney infection or
-
Liver disease or
-
Porphyria cutaneous tarda - Higher blood levels of the iron supplement
may occur, which may increase the chance of side effects
-
Arthritis (rheumatoid) or
-
Asthma or allergies or
-
Heart disease - The injected form of iron may make these conditions
worse
-
Colitis or other intestinal problems or
-
Iron overload conditions (e.g., hemochromatosis, hemosiderosis) or
-
Stomach ulcer - Iron supplements may make these conditions worse
-
Other anemias - Iron supplements may increase iron to toxic levels
in anemias not associated with iron deficiency
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