Iron is an essential element in the human body. Its deficiency or excess can become a serious problem. If there is anemia (lack of iron), then it is easy to make up for it with various foods and drugs. Usually, with such a disease, the doctor prescribes iron gluconate dihydrate.
What are these drugs?
All drugs for the treatment and prevention of anemia have a minimum set of active substances. The basis is always iron glucogate. The drugs are available in the form of tablets or syrup, they have a different dosage of gluconate. Some are designed to avoid iron deficiency, some for treatment.
Popular drug
One of the most common and popular iron supplements is Iron Gluconate 300. These are three hundred milligram tablets, coated for ease of use. Take this medicine by mouth (by mouth). The drug is prescribed to everyone who has been diagnosed with a lack of iron, but not only. Ferrous gluconate is necessary for the prevention of anemia during pregnancy, after childbirth and during breastfeeding. Also this substancemust be taken if you have undergone surgery, you have burns, skin ulcers. After blood loss (donation or bleeding), iron gluconate must be taken to replenish iron in the blood. The formula is: C12H22FeO142(H2 O).
How to determine the lack of iron in the blood?
This deficiency is determined in the laboratory. In order to find out if you have a predisposition to anemia, donate blood for a general analysis. This analysis is carried out from blood taken from a finger. It is carried out quickly, on the same day or the next you can get the result.
Iron plays an important role in the body. Iron deficiency can be self-diagnosed. If you often feel dizzy, there are blackouts in the eyes and fainting, then this may be a sign of a deficiency of a substance such as iron. But you should not decide for yourself that this is exactly anemia. Such symptoms may indicate fatigue and lack of sleep, and other diseases. See a doctor.
If you cut yourself and the bleeding does not stop for a long time, then this is a sign that it is time to visit a specialist. The light color of the blood, if it is liquid and the wound does not heal well, is a sign of iron deficiency.
Who should not take iron supplements?
Ferrous gluconate should not be taken by people who have an excess of iron. In the first trimester of pregnancy, special indications are needed for taking such a drug. Elderly people do not want to take gluconate. Atdiseases of the stomach (ulcer, colitis), if there is an exacerbation of duodenal ulcer and enteritis, then it is forbidden to take such drugs. Hemosiderosis, hemochromatosis, blood transfusions, individual intolerance and hypersensitivity to the components of the drug are also contraindications to the use of ferrous gluconate.
Side effects of ferrous gluconate
In case of overdose or improper use, unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heartburn, abdominal pain (stomach and intestines) may occur. In some cases, the appearance of anorexia is associated with the intake of iron-containing drugs. An allergy to the drug may occur. It is manifested by rashes, redness on the skin, itching. The most common side effect is black stools. Such stools can even come from foods that are high in iron.
To avoid unpleasant side effects, carefully read the instructions for use, use the advice of a doctor. If you have any contraindications to the use of ferrous gluconate, then it is better to refuse to take such a drug.
Ferrous Gluconate Instructions
Pills are taken orally, they must be washed down. Consume approximately one hour before meals.
Adults and expectant mothers (from the second trimester of pregnancy) are prescribed four, maximum six tablets per day. This is the dosage for the treatment of anemia. For preventive purposesyou should take two tablets a day. The daily dose of the drug is designed for two or three applications.
Children are prescribed iron tablets from the age of six. Up to the age of twelve, in the presence of anemia and its treatment, one tablet per day is prescribed. The maximum daily dose is three tablets. For prevention, take half a tablet once.
Treatment or prevention of iron deficiency is prescribed for no more than six months. Do not use the drug in children under six years of age. It is recommended to give iron gluconate in small doses to infants. If the baby is premature, then the reception can be started from two months. If full, then from four.
Where else is ferrous gluconate used?
It is mainly used to treat anemia. But not only for medicinal purposes, ferrous gluconate is used. Calcium gluconate preparations are prescribed to replenish calcium in the body. But these drugs are poorly absorbed, so they are prescribed in tandem with iron-containing drugs. Iron helps calcium to be absorbed more efficiently and quickly, delivering it to its "destination".
Ferric nitrate gluconate is used as an additive in organic and chemical fertilizers. It is a plant safe ingredient. According to the reviews of gardeners and ordinary fans of indoor plants, this component in the fertilizer contributes to the favorable growth of the plant itself, its flowers and fruits. The fruits of cultivated plants grow and ripen faster, the yield increases significantly.
Ferrous gluconate is also used infood industry, as a dye. The simplest example is olives. Olives are harvested mature, they have a dark, almost black color. Olives undergo a special treatment before being packed into jars to become olives. They are stained with iron gluconate, we know this dye by the abbreviation E579. If you saw such an entry on the product packaging, it will mean that the product is painted. This is done in order to give the delicacy a rich bright color. Few people look in the direction of a pale sausage, a bright, pink one looks much more appetizing. The same goes for many other products.
Is E579 harmful to humans?
At one time, a whole popular uprising arose against all kinds of food additives and dyes. They wrote in newspapers, showed on television that all products containing all sorts of E, Yu, Z are dangerous to he alth. They adversely affect digestion, cardiac activity, lead to obesity and other adversities. People stopped buying such products in droves, stores began to look unattractive, and manufacturers began to think about other businesses.
After all these commotions, the state launched an investigation into the validity of these rumors. All products containing incomprehensible additives and designations fell under suspicion, ferrous gluconate did not pass by the test. Harm to he alth really came to light in many additives, their list can be found on the Internet. Many of these supplements are marked with the letter E. But the Ministry of He althdid not find anything harmful in E-579, 576 (sodium gluconate) and many other E. These additives and dyes were placed on the list of products that are not harmful to he alth and the human body as a whole.
The "ruddy" sausage, bright olives and other colored products reappeared on the shelves. Producers have calmed down, consumers too. But do not forget that everything is useful in moderation. It is not recommended to include such products in every meal, they can cause an exacerbation of ulcers, indigestion, and lead to diarrhea. The daily norm of such a dye should not be higher than prescribed, it is twenty grams. Exceeding this limit can lead to the so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. This is redness of the skin of the face, frequent heartbeat, excessive sweating.
What do they say about ferrous gluconate?
As big as the world is, so is the diversity of people's opinions about certain things. Many who had to undergo treatment for anemia with ferrous gluconate write that it really helped them. Doctors advise him as the safest and most effective iron-containing drug. Someone disagrees with such people, they write that these drugs are completely useless. They say that there is no sense from them, the iron content in the blood after such treatment remains the same. There are ardent opponents of the content of dyes and impurities in products; they prefer only home cooking. Many do not know anything about E579, they say that they do not pay attention to the composition, but simply buy their favorite products. There are people who know about such a dye, they write thattreat him loyally.
