May 26, 2012
Topics A-Z Anemia Mono and anemia
Mono and anemia |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I am a 46 yr old female. I have recently been diagnosed with a reoccurance of mono and being anemic. My hemoglobin level was 8.3. My doctor wants me to start taking 325 mg of iron, 3 times a day. She also wants me to have a colonoscopy to see if there is any internal bleeding. I am really hesitant to take that much iron. Everything I have read, says that an overdose of iron is very dangerous.Should I really take that much iron? Dear Trisha: I know how concerned you are about your possible iron deficiency anemia. This type of anemia is the most common one and I agree with your doctor that according to your hemoglobin levels and certainly your iron level studies, the most probable cause might be due to iron deficiency. The treatment for iron deficiency anemia that your doctor suggested is not that intense as you might believe, surely this appears to be a lot of iron but you have to understand that not all the 325mg per pill would be absorbed and also iron pills would take months to show some effect. I also understand that this therapy has some side effects as all the medications especially constipation. I would suggest you to talk to your physician to evaluate other alternatives for iron therapy such as Intra Venous Iron Therapy which has proved to give faster results. I wish you the best. |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 04 June 2010 ) |
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