Retafer

Retafer is a medicine used to treat and prevent iron deficiency anaemia. Iron helps the body to make healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Some things such as blood loss, pregnancy or too little iron in your diet can make your iron supply drop too low, leading to anaemia. The Retafer is used medically to treat iron deficiency, and also for industrial applications.

Retafer work by replacing body iron. Retafer is an iron supplement used to treat or prevent low blood levels of iron. Iron is an important mineral that the body needs to produce red blood cells and keep you in good health.

Common side effects of Retafer are include:

• feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting), stomach pain or heartburn.
• loss of appetite.
• constipation.
• diarrhoea.
• dark or black poo.
• black stained teeth (from the drops)

Retafer is usually safe to take Retafer during pregnancy.

Retafer is usually safe to breastfeed while taking Retafer. However, some of the medicine may pass into your breast milk. This is in small amounts and is unlikely to harm your baby.

You can drink alcohol while taking Retafer.

This Retafer does not affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery.

Take Retafer on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Avoid taking antacids or antibiotics within 2 hours before or after taking Retafer. Retafer is only part of a complete program of treatment that may also include a special diet.

Although the traditional dosage of Retafer is 325 mg orally three times a day, lower doses may be as effective and cause fewer side effects.

Oral iron supplements like Retafer are an effective way to increase iron stores in the body, a person may need to take supplements every day for 2–5 months to bring their iron stores up to normal levels.

Most people begin to feel better after around 1 week, but it may take up to 4 weeks for the medicine to have full effect.

Retafer can have a half-life of 12 hours or more after oral administration with high levels occurring in the plasma within 4 hours. Retafer may be lost through the urine, bile and sweat although the body does recycle iron for reuse.

It's safe to take Retafer for as long as you need to, provided that your doctor has said it's safe and you are not having any side effects.

If you stop taking your iron tablets early or only take them infrequently, you may cause them not to work.

You should not take Retafer if you have ever had:iron overload syndrome;a red blood cell disorder such as thalassemia; or a condition for which you receive regular blood transfusions.
Ask a doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Certain foods can also make it harder for your body to absorb Retafer. Avoid taking this medication within 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating fish, meat, liver, and whole grain or "fortified" breads or cereals.

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

Seek emergency medical attention. Get emergency medical help if a child has accidentally swallowed a tablet. An overdose of iron can be fatal to a young child. Overdose symptoms may include severe vomiting, coughing up blood, bloody diarrhea, urinating less, thirst, dry skin, muscle cramps, dizziness, or fainting.

Retafer does seem to be a link between iron and fertility.

Higher Retafer may protect against heart disease, but it also can increase the risk of stroke. Most people don't need iron supplements unless recommended by a doctor.

The body needs iron to make hemoglobin so the red blood cells in the blood can carry oxygen to tissues and organs. Low iron is a factor in the anemia of chronic kidney disease.

Oral iron supplementation at typical replacement doses has little or no adverse effects on the liver or serum enzyme elevations.