Formulary
Ferric maltol: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Ferric maltol clinical drug profile including indications, dosing, side effects, cautions and interactions.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Ferric maltol: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Ferric maltol clinical drug profile including indications, dosing, side effects, cautions and interactions.
Indications and dose
**Iron-deficiency anaemia [treatment and prophylaxis]**
- **Adult** (By Mouth Using Capsules): Initially 60 mg once daily, reduced if not tolerated to 60 mg once daily on alternate days, alternatively initially 30 mg twice daily, reduced if not tolerated to 30 mg once daily.
Cautions
For all iron (oral) High doses in elderly Cautions, further information Elderly Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria to aid medication reviews (see Prescribing in the elderly for information): potentially inappropriate at oral doses greater than 200 mg elemental iron daily (no evidence of enhanced iron absorption above these doses).
Contraindications
Exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease; haemochromatosis; inflammatory bowel disease with haemoglobin less than 9.5 g/dL; iron overload syndromes; repeated blood transfusions
Side effects
For all iron (oral) Common or very common Constipation; diarrhoea; gastrointestinal discomfort; nausea Uncommon Vomiting Frequency not known Appetite decreased; gastrointestinal disorders Side-effects, further information Iron can be constipating and occasionally lead to faecal impaction. Oral iron, particularly modified-release preparations, can exacerbate diarrhoea in patients with inflammatory bowel disease; care is also needed in patients with intestinal strictures and diverticular disease. Overdose For details on the management of poisoning, see Iron salts, under Emergency treatment of poisoning . Side-effects For ferric maltol Uncommon Headache; joint stiffness; pain in extremity; skin reactions; small intestinal bacterial overgrowth; thirst
Interactions
**Other interactions (4):**
- Impact of Feraccru on absorption of other medicinal products Oral iron is known to reduce the absorption of penicillamine, bisphosphonates, ciprofloxacin, entacapone, levodopa, levofloxacin,...
- Absorption of both iron and antibiotic may be reduced if oral iron is given with tetracycline.
- Concomitant use of chloramphenicol will delay plasma iron clearance, incorporation of iron into red blood cells and interfere with erythropoiesis (see section 4.4).
- Concomitant use of iron with methyldopa may antagonise the hypotensive effect of methyldopa (see section 4.4).
Medicinal forms
Clinical governance
**Author:** MedNext Clinical Team. **Clinical reviewer:** Dr Shameer Deen, MBBS, MS, MRCS. **Sources:** BNF, Indian Pharmacopoeia, CIMS India. **Correction:** Report errors at support@mednext.academy.
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