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Iron Dextran
Iron Dextran
Iron dextran is a type of medication used to treat anemia (low levels of red blood cells).iron dextran It works by increasing the amount of iron in the body. It is given through a needle placed in the vein (intravenous, or IV) or as an injection into a muscle (intramuscular, or IM). It is usually given by a trained health care professional.
Before administering this medication, a healthcare professional should check the patient’s history to see whether they have a previous allergic reaction to IV iron or other medications. They should also ask the patient about any other allergies, including to foods, dyes, or preservatives. This medication may interfere with certain lab tests, causing false results. It is important to tell the doctor about all of the medications, including prescription and nonprescription, vitamins, and herbs the patient is taking.
It is important to follow the doctor’s instructions carefully for how much and how often this medicine is given. It is also important to talk to the doctor about any new symptoms or problems that occur during treatment. The doctor will order certain lab tests to check how well this medication is working.
Adverse reactions to a therapeutic dose of iron dextran are rare, but serious, and have included anaphylactic-type reactions, including fatalities. Therefore, a test dose should be administered to all patients before the first therapeutic dose of iron dextran. If the patient tolerates the test dose, a full therapeutic dose can then be given. The healthcare professional should be prepared to immediately stop the infusion if an anaphylactic-type reaction occurs during administration of the therapeutic dose.
The majority of the drug is absorbed following IM injection. This is due to an initial phase lasting 3 days during which a local inflammatory response facilitates passage of the iron from the site of injection into the lymphatic system. Once in the lymphatic system, it is ingested by macrophages and subsequently transferred to the blood.
After iron dextran is absorbed, it is bound to transferrin and excreted in the urine and feces. Unbound iron accumulates in organs, leading to toxicity, which can be asymptomatic and is detected by measuring transferrin saturation (TSAT). An elevated TSAT suggests iron overload, but an insufficient transferrin concentration is indicative of chronically excessive bleeding or hemolysis.
Iron chelators, such as IV or IM deferoxamine and oral deferiprone, bind with iron in organs, decreasing the amount of free iron in the body. This reduces the risk of anaphylactic-type reactions and other toxicities associated with iron therapy, and also reduces the risk of iron toxicity, which is caused by repeated intravenous administration or high doses of oral iron.
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