IV Iron InfusionTherapy
from £750
Intravenous iron is used to treat a low blood count due to a low amount of iron in your body. This may have occurred due to low amounts of iron in your diet, a problem with your body’s ability to absorb and use iron or be because of blood loss.
Intravenous iron is a highly effective method to replenish your body’s stores of iron and hopefully allow you to increase your blood count over the coming days and weeks.
Intravenous iron allows a much larger dose of iron to be given than iron in tablet
All medication carries a risk of side effects and Prior to receiving your treatment, it is important you are aware of the side effects / risks of intravenous iron. The nurse caring for you will ask if you understand the information below and are content to proceed prior to your treatment.
Treatment Time
75 minutes
* A recent copy of the patient’s blood test (taken within 6 weeks) is required to establish an iron deficiency prior to treatment. Iron level and blood can be checked in the clinic to confirm levels (from £99).
Frequently Asked Questions
Oral iron is used initially to treat iron deficiency anaemia. Sometimes this does not produce enough of an improvement, or it may be that your doctor needs to replenish your iron quickly. Intravenous iron is used when oral iron has been tried or if it is not suitable and it helps to reduce the use of blood transfusions.
Intravenous iron is an extremely safe and effective therapy. Some of the side effects that have been reported are:
- Staining – If your cannula was to displace from your vein during treatment the drug could be deposited in your skin rather than into your bloodstream. This could result in a brown stain to the skin. If you notice pain at the injection site during your treatment, please inform the nurse caring for you immediately. This will minimise any such risk.
- Change in total body skin colour – This is an extremely rare occurrence. It has been reported that some patients noted their skin to become darker (like a suntan) for a period of weeks after treatment with intravenous iron. This was not permanent and resolved after several weeks.
- Allergy – historically intravenous iron preparations carried a risk of allergy (ranging from a mild reaction like itchy skin through to anaphylaxis that could be life threatening). With today’s modern iron preparation this is uncommon (1 in a 100 to 1 in a 1000 risk). Please inform the nurse caring for you immediately if you experience any of the following during your treatment (swelling of lips, tongue, face or throat, shortness of breath, itching, a feeling of all over body heat, heart racing heat or faint like symptoms)
- Delayed reaction – Although uncommon, some patients may experience muscle or joint pains and fever in the days after treatment. This usually lasts two to four days and can be managed with simple painkillers like paracetamol Iron infusions are commonly used after the first trimester in pregnancy. It is important that you also read the patient information leaflet for the product.