Allergic reaction to Venofer

I had my 3rd Venofer (iron) infusion today, and after it was finished I suddenly had an allergic reaction: welts on my legs and feet, and a few on my neck and face. my feet were burning and fire red.

I was treated and observed. no more iron infusions for me. i was so looking forward to having more energy Not sure what the next step is. My ferritin is 10 so I need something.

Anyone else have a reaction to Venofer?

Are you sure it was the venofer? I would think if you were reacting to that the response should have been much sooner. There is an iron supplement called proferrin that is derived from oxblood that is much more easily absorbed that elemental iron. Outside of that, I am not sure what you are going to do. I guess you could transfuse blood. Hope you get a solution quickly - this is not a great situation to be in.

I'm pretty sure because the first two times I had the infusion I had some tingling in my feet afterwards, but no welts, itching, or redness anywhere. Allergic reaction didn't even come to mind because it went away. It is strange that I was fine the entire infusion, and the symptoms started after standing up to go.

I just had my first venofer infusion and they made me stay 30 minutes after for monitoring for a reaction. Did it happen after the 30 or did you not have the waiting time?

Also, I thought you could take a benedryl shot before the iv if you are allergic?

It happened about 2 minutes after the infusion. They usually don't make me wait. Thankfully I was talking to someone so I didn't leave right away.

I think it's safer if I don't have it again. It took 75mg of Benadryl and a mega dose of Solu-Medrol to get rid of the hives, etc. I'm just now feeling better today.

Thanks for your post - it helps me make sense of what happened today. Today was my eighth Venofer in two years. My first four were lower dosage (maybe 100mg) and my most recent 4 have been higher (500 mg). (I also get Remicade every 6 weeks and without incident.)

So, I am trying to figure out if I had a reaction or a panic attack today with my infusion. I flushed and went clammy and then I started to have some problems breathing. My blood pressure also spiked but that could have been because I was freaked out a bit. They stopped the infusion once I flushed and felt dizzy but the fuller reaction was delayed maybe 10 or so minutes. They gave Benadryl and hydrocortisone and in not too long the reaction subsided.

My questions now are : what happened (I thought Venofer was rather reaction free) and what happens when one reacts (can they continue getting these infusions with premeds)? Does anyone know? My iron is not recovering very well and my doctor can find no explanation beyond malabsorption. Like you, kind of worried about what lies ahead.

I doubt they would want to continue giving you another dose, as they wouldn't want to take the chance of you having a true anaphylactic reaction.

I had my iron checked after my reaction, and my ferritin went from 14 to 367 (after only 3 doses!) so I was more than good to go. I probably was on an iron overload at that point.

One option is a blood transfusion, but that seems to be a last resort. I hope they can sort this out for you soon.

Glad to hear your numbers are better!

Thanks for your reply. That's my thought as well and of course I have mixed feelings because Venofer has been a really good option for me. I would be nervous in the future but I will see what my doctor says especially as I have not done any other iron solutions.

Iron deficiency bites.

I was so excited for Venofer, too. More excited than starting Remicade because I could barely stay awake all day. I had NO energy, it's the worst feeling! I really hope your doctor can find a solution soon. *HUG*

I've had three iron infusions over the years, and each time was given benedryl at the same time. Also, the infusions took the better part of a day. I had no allergic effect. Don't know whether it was just my constitution or if it was because of the precautions they took. My numbers each time came up great and i was good for many months to years. I hope this helps you if you have to make that choice again.

I had a reaction to Venofer too. Chest pain and shallow breathing.

There are other iron infusions you can try or have you had a reaction to all of them? The one I had the least bother with was Feraheme they push it through quickly and you don't need to wait as long for the infusion. You only need a half hour observation after.

I've only tried Venofer. I think my doctor likes Venofer because like Dextran you can give large quantities if needed.

Thanks for the tip on other possibilities and for describing your response - that's pretty much how I felt.