Iron needles are one of the means that some patients resort to who need to urgently compensate for iron deficiency in the blood. Important instructions before and after use.

Reasons for using iron needles

Some people with iron deficiency in the blood resort to using iron needles because they cannot take iron pills for the following reasons:

• Those who are prone to bleeding as a result of gastrointestinal diseases and need to quickly replace the lost iron.
• People with inflammatory bowel disease who cannot take iron pills because they irritate the intestines.
• Kidney failure patients who lose a large proportion of blood during dialysis sessions, especially those who take erythropoietin.
• Patients with severe anemia due to iron deficiency.
• Cancer patients with anemia who take erythropoietin.

Benefits of using iron needles

• Providing the body with the required amount of iron quickly compared to other means, such as iron pills or a diet rich in foods that contain iron, especially in the case of severe anemia.
• Increased energy and improved breathing a few weeks after treatment.
• Enhance the benefits of other means such as iron pills and diet based on the doctor’s prescription.

Types of iron needles

There are a large number of types of iron needles, and in the following lines we will explain some of these types:

1. Ferumoxytol

It is one of the types of iron needles that adults receive from patients with iron deficiency anemia and patients with kidney failure, and the dose is injected slowly intravenously for fifteen minutes, and the patient is placed under medical care for thirty minutes to avoid any allergic reaction after receiving the dose.

2. Sodium ferric gluconate

The role of this type is similar to the previous type in treating patients with iron deficiency anemia and patients with kidney failure. It also helps in treating children with iron deficiency anemia until the age of six years, and this type is also received slowly for an hour.

3. Ferric Carboxymaltose

It is a type of iron needles whose functions are similar to the type of feromoxetol in treating patients with iron deficiency anemia and patients with kidney failure, and it is received through an intravenous injection divided into two doses separated by seven days, and the patient is placed under medical care for thirty minutes to avoid any recurrence Allergic reaction after receiving the dose.

4. Iron Dextran

This type is used in the treatment of iron deficiency in the body, and it is one of the types that is injected into the vein slowly because injecting it quickly leads to very dangerous symptoms, and it is possible for the patient to receive the first dose in the hospital and then the doctor tells him how to receive the other doses himself in case he wants to that.

5. Iron sucrose

It is one of the types that are used to treat anemia, which is received by consulting a specialist doctor on intravenous doses, and the specialist doctor must be informed about the medicines and vitamins that the patient is taking to ensure that this type is not dangerous to receive with other medicines.

Guidelines before receiving iron needles

• Ensure that there is no allergy to different types of iron needles.
• Ensure that you are not allergic to certain foods or drugs.
• Consult a specialist doctor before receiving this type in case of heart, kidney and liver diseases, stomach bleeding, rheumatoid arthritis, and high blood pressure.
• Consult a specialist in case of high blood pressure.
• Consult your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
• In the case of breastfeeding, it is necessary to consult a doctor when noticing the occurrence of constipation or diarrhea in the infant.
• In the case of periodic blood transfusion.
• Consult a specialist in case of allergy to a certain type of drug, low blood pressure, or hemochromatosis, which leads to the absorption of a large proportion of iron from the digestive system, and it is deposited in the liver.
• There is no need to fast before receiving it.
• In the case of taking iron pills, the doctor will advise not to take them before and a week after the injection with iron needles, because taking them may prevent the body from absorbing iron through intravenous injection.

Iron needles damage

There are some side effects that can appear with receiving different types, such as:

• diarrhea.
• headache;
• Pain in the muscles and back.
• A feeling of itching or the appearance of a rash.
• Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Feeling of numbness in the body.
• swelling;
• High blood pressure.
• Feeling of a metallic taste in the mouth.

If these symptoms develop and the patient feels chest pain, dizziness, mouth swelling and difficulty breathing days after receiving iron needles, a specialist doctor must be consulted quickly.

When does the blood rise after iron needles?

The patient feels a general improvement, and the level of iron in the blood will rise after a few weeks of using iron needles. The specialist doctor conducts some tests to ensure the patient’s response to this treatment, and therefore he will decide to continue or stop according to the results of the tests.

Iron needles for pregnant women

In the case of pregnancy, the mother must be provided with iron supplements to compensate for the iron that she passes to her fetus. The doctor often prescribes iron pills for the pregnant woman, but in the case of severe anemia due to iron deficiency, the doctor may prescribe intravenous iron injections, and this is usually done in the second and third trimesters, As for the first trimester, this is not preferred, because there is insufficient evidence about the safety of intravenous iron injections in the first months of pregnancy.

After getting acquainted with iron needles and the reasons for their use, we advise you, dear reader, to consult a specialist doctor before starting to use these needles, and to ensure that there are no dangers or complications when resorting to this treatment.