Side effects of iron ???

[marie]

For the last 3 treatments they have been giving me iron. And ever since I got home from Dialysis today I've had really bad diarrhea. Does anybody know if thats a side effect or what ? And if so is there anything I can take to stop it.  Oh and I don't know if this matters or not but I don't have a gallbladder.

[pamster42000]

Yes diarrhea can be a side effect from taking Iron, but with any health concern it is wise to discuss this issue with your Dr. There is medication you can take to stop the diarrhea but you want to make sure it isn't related to another health issue first.

[marie]

             Thanks

[peleroja]

Yes diarrhea can be a side effect from taking Iron,

Really?  I had always heard just the opposite, that iron causes constipation.  It's also very hard on the stomach.

[BRANDY]

Ive just had my 4th iron infusion and some what loose bowels  but not really bad.  Im also on iron pills 3xs daily.   I hope that last infusion next week gets my iron up to par.  dont know if this helps answer your question tho

[kellyt]

I had the opposite effect.  Neither is fun.     Talk to your doctor.   He/She might be able to give you something to help out.  Hang in there.

[keefbeer]

Iron last night,teeth marks on the bathroom door today! The bloody stuff acts like cement in my guts.

[marie]

ouch!     

[pamster42000]

side effects of Iron:

constipation, darkened or green stools, diarrhea, nausea and stomache upset.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these severe allergic reactions occur:

rash, hives, itching, difficultly breathing, tightness of the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips or tongue, black tary stools, blood or streaks of blood in the stool, severe or persisant vomiting or stomach pain

[Zach]

Remember, there are different side effects for oral iron than there are for I.V. iron.

[marie]

They put mine in a bag. Does that make a difference ?

[Zach]

Mixing the I.V. iron in a saline bag and dripping slowly helps prevent some of the side effects.

[Stoday]

No one's mentioned it so far. When I've had iron tablets in the past it's turned my feces black as the ace of spades.

[pklipe57]

I had at least 20 IV iron infusions before I started dialysis.  The IV infusions never caused me any problem.  Then they had me add an iron pill.  That's when the problems started.  Now I am on dialysis and I only get iron through the machine and I am back to no side effects.

[marie]

Lucky!       

[Restorer]

I don't have problems with oral iron other than waste coloration, but I have had some problems with IV iron. The first time I had Venofer, last year, before I was on dialysis, I didn't have any problems except at the end of a couple sessions when I got nauseated, probably because of the fast flow rate (it was two vials of Venofer added to a 100 ml bag of saline).

The second time I had Venofer treatment, this year, while on dialysis, each time I had a significant reaction. I got very nauseated by the end of the infusion, and after I got off, my hands started to tingle, my lips and tongue got numb, and my insides started to hurt. Benadryl didn't help. After the first two sessions, I started taking Pepcid AC, and it took care of the nausea, but I still had the allergy-like reactions.