IV Iron Therapy
If dietary or oral supplementation is not effective for patients, we often recommend intravenous iron therapy. Many of our patients assume this is a new type of therapy, as many have never heard of it before or even been offered it by previous medical practitioners they have visited. But its history actually goes way back to the early 20th century.
There are a number of different types of iron that can be administered via IV infusion, including:
- Iron dextran (INFeD)
- Iron sucrose (Venofer)
- Sodium ferric gluconate (Ferrlecit)
- Ferumoxytol (Feraheme)
We have studied all of these supplement types, so we’re very familiar with them. Extra care always needs to be taken when administering any substance straight into the bloodstream, of course, and we take this very seriously.
Iron dextran intravenously has unfortunately been associated with anaphylactic reactions,7 which is why selecting the right IV iron preparation is so important.
Some of the safest and gentlest IV iron preparations include iron sucrose and sodium ferric gluconate. Studies have shown that sodium ferric gluconate and iron sucrose are more bioavailable and lower incidence of reactions.8 By far, iron sucrose has the advantage with the most favorable studies with adverse effects rarely seen.9
For this reason, we use iron sucrose (venofer) at IH, and we’ve found it to be very well tolerated by patients.
Ferumoxytol has a higher infusion dose with fewer infusions, which means fewer injections. Some patients prefer this approach. It is also rapidly infused over a shorter period.
However, caution should be taken in regards to adverse reactions with Ferumoxytol, so we use it in very specific cases.
The benefits of using IV iron therapy include:
- Quicker and more effective uptake of the mineral
- Faster reversal of deficiency
- Speedier relief of deficiency symptoms
- Highly reduced or no digestive upset, even with larger doses
- More predictable outcomes
- There are no pills to take (or forget to take!)
If you’d like to know more, ask your IH doctor for recommendations on an iron therapy appropriate for your specific needs.