I’ve had more iron sucrose infusions than I can count. When my anemia got severe again recently, my hematologist recommended I try an iron dextran infusion. While iron dextran has more potential for side effects and reactions, my hematologist wanted to try it for two reasons: I wasn’t pregnant (so it was safe) and one iron dextran infusion is able to replace multiple iron sucrose infusions.

There are a few differences between iron sucrose (Venofer) and iron dextrose (INFeD), and this and this go into more detail about them. The main differences are the length of infusion and the side effects. Iron sucrose infusions tend to be an hour or less (I usually had 200mg), whereas iron dextran infusions take a few hours (I had 975 mg). Iron sucrose infusions have less side effects, and iron dextran infusions are more likely to cause allergic reactions and side effects.

So, here is my experience with an IV iron dextran infusion!

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