— Product
FERROBEST SYRUP
IRON + FOLIC ACID + B12
FERROBEST SYRUP is an oral syrup of iron with folic acid and vitamin B12, for the prevention and treatment of nutritional anaemia. It is used in children, in pregnancy, in adolescent girls and in the elderly, where the liquid form allows dosing by age and weight.
01
Benefits
- Covers the three commonest nutritional causes of anaemia — iron, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency — in one preparation.
- The liquid form allows dosing by age and body weight, which fixed-strength tablets cannot.
- Suits children, the elderly and anyone unable to swallow tablets.
- Including vitamin B12 avoids the risk of folate alone masking B12 deficiency.
- Palatable syrups improve adherence over the months that correcting anaemia requires.
02
Side effects
Not everyone gets these. Most are mild and settle as the course finishes.
Common
- Black or dark stools, which is expected and harmless
- Constipation
- Nausea or stomach upset
- Metallic taste
Less common
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal cramping
- Vomiting
- Temporary staining of the teeth
Stop and get medical help if any of these occur
- Black or tarry stools with abdominal pain
- Vomiting of blood
- Severe abdominal pain or persistent vomiting
- Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing
- Accidental overdose, particularly in a child
03
Precautions
- Keep strictly out of reach of children — iron overdose is a leading cause of fatal childhood poisoning, and a syrup is easy for a child to swallow in quantity.
- Dose by age and weight on the prescriber's instruction, using the measure supplied.
- Contraindicated in haemochromatosis, iron overload, and anaemias not due to iron deficiency.
- Establish the cause of anaemia rather than treating empirically over long periods.
- Give through a straw or rinse the mouth afterwards to limit tooth staining.
- Separate from milk, calcium, tea and antacids by at least two hours.
- Shake well before each dose and keep tightly closed.