Desferal
Desferal helps your body remove too much iron or aluminum.
Form
injektio/infuusiokuiva-aine, liuosta varten
Strength
500 mg
Active Ingredient
Deferoxamine mesilate
Manufacturer
Mitem Pharma
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will determine your daily dose, usually 20-60 mg per kg of body weight.
Method
It is given as an injection under the skin (using a pump), into a vein, or into a muscle. For long-term iron overload, it's often given slowly under the skin over 8-12 hours, usually overnight, using a portable pump.
Important
Your doctor will determine your maximum daily dose based on your needs and body weight. Do not take more than prescribed.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Injection site reactions (pain, swelling, redness, itching, crusts, small blisters, burning)
- •Joint or muscle pain
RARE
- •Nausea
- •Headache
- •Itchy skin rash
- •Fever
- •Slowed growth or bone changes (in children)
- •Vomiting
- •Stomach ache
- •Hearing problems, like ringing in ears or hearing loss
- •Vision problems, like blurry vision, seeing spots, or trouble seeing in the dark
- •Infections with symptoms like high fever, sore throat, or mouth sores
- •Dizziness or feeling faint due to low blood pressure
- •Shortness of breath from lung problems
- •Unusual bleeding or easy bruising (signs of low platelets)
- •Severe allergic reactions, like hives, swelling of the face/throat, or trouble breathing
- •Nerve problems
- •Much less urine than usual (sign of kidney problems)
- •Seizures (fits), especially in dialysis patients
- •Diarrhea
- •Numbness or tingling in fingers and toes
- •Muscle cramps
- •Abnormal liver or kidney blood test results
- •Low calcium or worsening of an overactive parathyroid gland (for patients treated for aluminum overload)
- •Your urine might turn reddish-brown because of extra iron.
Important Warnings
- If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor before using Desferal.
- Tell your doctor immediately if you get a high fever, sore throat, trouble breathing, stomach pain, severe diarrhea, or feel generally unwell (signs of infection).
- Contact your doctor if you notice a big drop in how much you urinate (sign of kidney problems).
- Tell your doctor if you have vision or hearing problems.
- If you feel dizzy, weak (signs of low blood pressure), or short of breath, especially if Desferal is given too quickly into a vein, tell your doctor.
Show 2 more warnings
- If you take high doses of Vitamin C with Desferal, you might have heart problems. If your doctor tells you to take Vitamin C, make sure you've used Desferal for at least one month first. Do not take more than 200 mg of Vitamin C per day.
- If your child's growth slows down while on Desferal, tell the doctor.