Intravenous iron is an extremely safe and effective therapy. Some of the side effects that have been reported are:

1. Staining – If your cannula was to displace from your vein during treatment the drug could be deposited in your skin rather than into your bloodstream. This could result in a brown stain to the skin. If you notice pain at the injection site during your treatment, please inform the nurse caring for you immediately. This will minimise any such risk.
2. Change in total body skin colour – This is an extremely rare occurrence. It has been reported that some patients noted their skin to become darker (like a suntan) for a period of weeks after treatment with intravenous iron. This was not permanent and resolved after several weeks.
3. Allergy – historically intravenous iron preparations carried a risk of allergy (ranging from a mild reaction like itchy skin through to anaphylaxis that could be life threatening). With today’s modern iron preparation this is uncommon (1 in a 100 to 1 in a 1000 risk). Please inform the nurse caring for you immediately if you experience any of the following during your treatment (swelling of lips, tongue, face or throat, shortness of breath, itching, a feeling of all over body heat, heart racing heat or faint like symptoms)
4. Delayed reaction – Although uncommon, some patients may experience muscle or joint pains and fever in the days after treatment. This usually lasts two to four days and can be managed with simple painkillers like paracetamol Iron infusions are commonly used after the first trimester in pregnancy. It is important that you also read the patient information leaflet for the product.