Side effects of therapy with oral iron are most often diarrhea or constipation and epigastric abdominal discomfort. Taken after a meal, side effects decrease, but there is an increased risk of interaction with other substances. Side effects are dose-dependent, and the dose may be adjusted. The patient may notice that their stools become black. This is completely harmless, but patients must be warned about this to avoid unnecessary concern. When<unk> s are given in a liquid form, teeth may reversibly discolor (this can be avoided through the use of a straw). Intramuscular injection can be painful, and brown discoloration may be noticed. Treatments with iron(II) sulfate have higher incidence of adverse events than iron(III)-hydroxide polymaltose complex (IPC) or iron bis-glycinate chelate. Iron overdose has been one of the leading causes of death caused by toxicological agents in children younger than 6 years. Iron poisoning may result in mortality or short-term and long-term morbidity. Infection risk Because one of the functions of elevated ferritin (an acute phase reaction protein) in acute infections is thought to be to sequester iron from bacteria, it is generally thought that<unk> ation (which circumvents this mechanism) should be avoided in patients who have active bacterial infections. Replacement of iron stores is seldom such an emergency situation that it cannot wait for any such acute infection to be treated. Some studies have found that<unk> ation can lead to an increase in infectious disease morbidity in areas where bacterial infections are common. For example, children receiving iron-enriched foods have demonstrated an increased rate in diarrhea overall and enteropathogen shedding. Iron deficiency protects against infection by creating an unfavorable environment for bacterial growth. Nevertheless, while iron deficiency might lessen infections by certain pathogenic diseases, it also leads to a reduction in resistance to other strains of viral or bacterial infections, such as Salmonella typhimurium or Entamoeba histolytica. Overall, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether<unk> ation will be beneficial or harmful to an individual in an environment that is prone to many infectious diseases; however this is a different question than the question of supplementation in individuals who are already ill with a bacterial infection. Children living in areas prone for malarial infections are also at risk of developing anemia. It was thought that<unk> ation given to such children could increase the risk of malarial infection in them. A Cochrane systematic review published in 2016 found high quality evidence that<unk> ation does not increase the risk of clinical malaria in children.
Iron supplement
Iron preparation
Protein supplement
Phosphate supplement
Calcium supplement
Deferoxamine
Electrocution
Zinc sulfate 