Iron Poisoning

General Information on Iron Poisoning

Iron supplements are commonly used to treat anemia. Iron can also be found in most multivitamin supplements. People, including small children can overdose on the pills, causing iron poisoning. Because many people take multivitamin supplements, iron poisoning is a common occurrence. Children's vitamin supplements do contain iron, but usually not enough to cause serious poisoning. Overdose of pure iron supplements, however, may cause serious iron poisoning.

Symptoms of Iron Poisoning

Symptoms of iron poisoning usually occur in four stages.

Stage 1: Symptoms begin to occur within 6 hours of the overdose. Symptoms include:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal Pain
Drowsiness
Unconsciousness
Seizures
Stomach bleeding (with serious poisoning)
Rapid heart rate (with serious poisoning)
Low blood pressure (with serious poisoning)

Stage 2: (8 to 24 hours after overdose) The person’s condition can appear to improve.

Stage 3: (6 to 48 hours after over dose) Symptoms include:
Very low blood pressure (shock)
Bleeding
Jaundice
Liver failure
Seizures
Confusion
Decreased blood sugar
Coma

Stage 4: (2 to 6 weeks after the overdose) The stomach or intestines can become blocked by constricting scars. Scarring in either organ can cause abdominal pain, cramping, and vomiting. Severe scarring of the liver can later develop.

Treatments For Iron Poisoning

Iron poisoning is diagnosed based on the history of the person’s history, symptoms, and the amount of iron found in the blood. If an excessive amount of pills have been swallowed, they can sometimes be seen in the stomach in an x-ray. In the case of serious iron poisoning, the person will need to be hospitalized. Injections of deferoxamine, which binds iron the blood, are given.

Personal Experience

Iron Poisoning - personal experiences