Question

6. You have a 16 year old pregnant patient who is anemic and needs to be started on iron supplementation. She asks you why she needs to take the iron. What do you need to tell her about iron and how the body uses iron to make RBCs?What other teaching is necessary regarding oral iron supplementation? (Consider drug-drug, drug-food interactions, tolerance, side effects, adverse effects, diet restrictions, etc.)

Answer 1

Iron supplementation is important for pregnant women. It is combination supplements of iron, B-complex and folic acid.A pregnant women to take 30 mg iron per day. Green leafy vegetables, dried fruits and nuts are good source for iron supplements.

IMPORTANT OF IRON SUPPLEMENT :

For general

• Iron help our RBC to transport oxygen to rest of our body parts.
• Iron also plays a role for specific process which produces energy for our body.

For pregnant women

• Iron to make extra hemoglobin for you and your baby.
• Iron also help and move oxygen from your lungs to rest of your body and baby.
• Getting enough amount of iron prevent tiredness.
• For baby strength and mental performance in their growing yes.

This is all the important of iron supplements.

BODY USES IRON TO MAKE RBCs:

Iron is an essential element for blood production.About 70%of body iron found in RBC of blood called haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is essential for transferring oxygen in blood from the lungs and tissue.

Haemoglobin =heme +globin

Heme is a iron atoms.Each RBC contains several 100 millions haemoglobin molecules.

Haemoglobin is a main part of RBCS.

TEACHING ABOUT IRON SUPPLEMENTS :

1.Drug -drug interactions

Taking iron with antibiotics might decrease the effectiveness of some antibiotics. Take iron 2 hrs before or after taking antibiotics.

Example - ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin etc.

2.Drug -food interaction

Milk and calcium containing food should not take at the same time. Wait 2 hrs after or before taking these food.

3.Tolerance

In iron deficiency anaemia adults taking 100 to 200 mg iron per day.

For pregnant women at first take 30 mg /day than it is increase 30 to 120 mg /day.

4.Side effect /adverse effects

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Dark stool
• Stomach pain

5.Diet restrictions

Calcium containing food such as milk, yogurt, cheese, broccoli, almonds those are inhibits iron absorption.

So. This are not take with iron. Iron is taking 2 hrs before or after taking ca or ca -containing food.