Gestiferrol
Gestiferrol Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.
Ferrous fumarate is an iron preparation that is used in the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency. The amount of elemental iron is 330 mg/g of ferrous fumarate.
The major activity of supplemental iron is in the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Iron has putative immune-enhancing, anticarcinogenic and cognition-enhancing activities.
Folic acid is essential for the production of certain coenzymes in many metabolic systems such as purine and pyrimidine synthesis. It is also essential in the synthesis and maintenance of nucleoprotein in erythropoesis. It also promotes WBC and platelet production in folate-deficiency anaemia.
Folic acid is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin found in foods such as liver, kidney, yeast, and leafy, green vegetables. Also known as folate or Vitamin B9, folic acid is an essential cofactor for enzymes involved in DNA and RNA synthesis. More specifically, folic acid is required by the body for the synthesis of purines, pyrimidines, and methionine before incorporation into DNA or protein. Folic acid is the precursor of tetrahydrofolic acid, which is involved as a cofactor for transformylation reactions in the biosynthesis of purines and thymidylates of nucleic acids. Impairment of thymidylate synthesis in patients with folic acid deficiency is thought to account for the defective deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis that leads to megaloblast formation and megaloblastic and macrocytic anemias. Folic acid is particularly important during phases of rapid cell division, such as infancy, pregnancy, and erythropoiesis, and plays a protective factor in the development of cancer. As humans are unable to synthesize folic acid endogenously, diet and supplementation is necessary to prevent deficiencies. In order to function properly within the body, folic acid must first be reduced by the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) into the cofactors dihydrofolate (DHF) and tetrahydrofolate (THF). This important pathway, which is required for de novo synthesis of nucleic acids and amino acids, is disrupted by anti-metabolite therapies such as Methotrexate as they function as DHFR inhibitors to prevent DNA synthesis in rapidly dividing cells, and therefore prevent the formation of DHF and THF.
In general, folate serum levels below 5 ng/mL indicate folate deficiency, and levels below 2 ng/mL usually result in megaloblastic anemia.
| Trade Name | Gestiferrol |
| Generic | Ferrous Fumarate + Folic Acid |
| Type | |
| Therapeutic Class | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Available Country | Belgium |
| Last Updated: | September 19, 2023 at 7:00 am |
Uses
Ferrous Fumarate is used to prevent or treat iron deficiency anaemia. The prevention of iron deficiency during pregnancy usually requires a combination of iron and folic acid. Iron is usually found in foods and is necessary for the normal development of red blood cells. A lack of iron affects the development of the red blood cells and causes a reduction in the number of red blood cells found in the body (iron deficiency anaemia).
Prophylaxis of megaloblastic anaemia in pregnancy, Supplement for women of child-bearing potential, Folate-deficient megaloblastic anaemia, Prophylaxis of neural tube defect in pregnancy
Gestiferrol is also used to associated treatment for these conditions: Folic acid antagonist overdose, Iron Deficiency (ID), Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), Oral ContraceptivesAnaemia folate deficiency, Folate deficiency, Iron Deficiency (ID), Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), Latent Iron Deficiency, Neural Tube Defects (NTDs), Vitamin Deficiency, Methotrexate toxicity, Nutritional supplementation
How Gestiferrol works
Iron is necessary for the production of hemoglobin. Iron-deficiency can lead to decreased production of hemoglobin and a microcytic, hypochromic anemia.
Folic acid, as it is biochemically inactive, is converted to tetrahydrofolic acid and methyltetrahydrofolate by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). These folic acid congeners are transported across cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis where they are needed to maintain normal erythropoiesis, synthesize purine and thymidylate nucleic acids, interconvert amino acids, methylate tRNA, and generate and use formate. Using vitamin B12 as a cofactor, folic acid can normalize high homocysteine levels by remethylation of homocysteine to methionine via methionine synthetase.
Dosage
Gestiferrol dosage
Iron-deficiency anemia:
- Adult: Usual dose range: Up to 600 mg daily. May increase up to 1.2 g daily if necessary.
- Child:Preterm neonate: 0.6-2.4 ml / kg daily; up to 6 yr: 2.5-5 ml bid.
Should be taken on an empty stomach. Best taken on an empty stomach. May be taken with meals to reduce GI discomfort.
Supplement for women of child-bearing potential: 0.4 mg daily.
Folate-deficient megaloblastic anaemia: 5 mg daily for 4 mth, up to 15 mg daily in malabsorption states. Continued dosing at 5 mg every 1-7 days may be needed in chronic haemolytic states, depending on the diet and rate of haemolysis.
Prophylaxis of neural tube defect in pregnancy: 4 or 5 mg daily starting before pregnancy and continued through the 1st trimester.
Prophylaxis of megaloblastic anaemia in pregnancy: 0.2-0.5 mg daily.
May be taken with or without food.
Side Effects
Like all medicines, Ferrous Fumarate Tablets can sometimes cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. They might be:
- Heartburn
- Feeling sick or being sick
- Diarrhoea or constipation.
Also, you might find your stools are darker in color after you have taken this medicine. This is quite commonly seen with all iron preparations and is normal.
GI disturbances, hypersensitivity reactions; bronchospasm.
Toxicity
Acute iron overdosage can be divided into four stages. In the first stage, which occurs up to six hours after ingestion, the principal symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms include hypotension, tachycardia and CNS depression ranging from lethargy to coma. The second phase may occur at 6-24 hours after ingestion and is characterized by a temporary remission. In the third phase, gastrointestinal symptoms recur accompanied by shock, metabolic acidosis, coma, hepatic necrosis and jaundice, hypoglycemia, renal failure and pulmonary edema. The fourth phase may occur several weeks after ingestion and is characterized by gastrointestinal obstruction and liver damage. In a young child, 75 milligrams per kilogram is considered extremely dangerous. A dose of 30 milligrams per kilogram can lead to symptoms of toxicity. Estimates of a lethal dosage range from 180 milligrams per kilogram and upwards. A peak serum iron concentration of five micrograms or more per ml is associated with moderate to severe poisoning in many.
IPR-MUS LD50 85 mg/kg,IVN-GPG LD50 120 mg/kg, IVN-MUS LD50 239 mg/kg, IVN-RAT LD50 500 mg/kg, IVN-RBT LD50 410 mg/kg
Precaution
Patients with intestinal strictures and diverticular disease. May worsen diarrhoea in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. May cause constipation and faecal impaction in elderly. Avoid prolonged admin (>6 mth) except in patients with continued bleeding, menorrhagia or repeated pregnancies. Not for routine use in treatment of haemolytic anaemia unless an iron-deficient state exists. Parenteral iron should not be used concurrently with oral iron treatment. Avoid use in patients receiving repeated blood tranfusions. Pregnancy.
Treatment resistance may occur in patients with depressed haematopoiesis, alcoholism, deficiencies of other vitamins. Neonates.
Interaction
Oral absorption of iron may be increased when taken with ascorbic acid. May reduce the absorption of quinolones and tetracyclines when taken concurrently via the oral route. Concurrent admin with antacids may reduce the absorption of ferrous fumarate from the GI tract. May reduce the absorption of penicillamine in the gut when taken concurrently.
Antiepileptics, oral contraceptives, anti-TB drugs, alcohol, aminopterin, methotrexate, pyrimethamine, trimethoprim and sulphonamides may result to decrease in serum folate contrations. Decreases serum phenytoin concentrations.
Volume of Distribution
Tetrahydrofolic acid derivatives are distributed to all body tissues but are stored primarily in the liver.
Elimination Route
The efficiency of absorption depends on the salt form, the amount administered, the dosing regimen and the size of iron stores. Subjects with normal iron stores absorb 10% to 35% of an iron dose. Those who are iron deficient may absorb up to 95% of an iron dose.
Folic acid is absorbed rapidly from the small intestine, primarily from the proximal portion. Naturally occurring conjugated folates are reduced enzymatically to folic acid in the gastrointestinal tract prior to absorption. Folic acid appears in the plasma approximately 15 to 30 minutes after an oral dose; peak levels are generally reached within 1 hour.
Elimination Route
After a single oral dose of 100 mcg of folic acid in a limited number of normal adults, only a trace amount of the drug appeared in the urine. An oral dose of 5 mg in 1 study and a dose of 40 mcg/kg of body weight in another study resulted in approximately 50% of the dose appearing in the urine. After a single oral dose of 15 mg, up to 90% of the dose was recovered in the urine. A majority of the metabolic products appeared in the urine after 6 hours; excretion was generally complete within 24 hours. Small amounts of orally administered folic acid have also been recovered in the feces. Folic acid is also excreted in the milk of lactating mothers.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding use
Pregnancy Category- Not Classified. FDA has not yet classified the drug into a specified pregnancy category
Pregnancy Category A. Adequate and well-controlled human studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy (and there is no evidence of risk in later trimesters).
Contraindication
Patients with a known hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients. Hemochroma
Undiagnosed megaloblastic anaemia; pernicious, aplastic or normocytic anaemias.
Acute Overdose
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, haematemesis and rectal bleeding. Hypotension, coma and hepatocellular necrosis may occur later.
Treatment: Empty stomach contents by gastric lavage within 1 hr of ingestion. In severe toxicity, IV desferrioxamine may be given. Whole bowel irrigation may also be considered in severe poisoning.
Storage Condition
Store at 15-30° C.
Innovators Monograph
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