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What is multivitamin with iron?
Multivitamin are a combination of many different vitamins that are normally found in foods and other natural sources.
Iron is normally found in foods like red meat. In the body, iron becomes a part of your hemoglobin (HEEM o glo bin) and myoglobin (MY o glo bin). Hemoglobin carries oxygen through your blood to tissues and organs. Myoglobin helps your muscle cells store oxygen.
Multivitamin and iron are used to provide vitamins and iron that are not taken in through the diet. They are also used to treat iron or vitamin deficiencies caused by illness, pregnancy, poor nutrition, digestive disorders, and many other conditions.
Multivitamin and iron may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Precautions
Iron and certain vitamins can cause serious or life-threatening side effects if taken in large doses. Do not take more of this medication than directed on the label or prescribed by your doctor.
If you have any medical conditions, ask your doctor before taking a multivitamin with iron. If you have certain conditions, you may need a certain vitamin formulation or special tests while taking this product.
Do not take multivitamin with iron without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Some vitamins and minerals can harm an unborn baby if taken in large doses. You may need to use a prenatal vitamin specially formulated for pregnant women.
Multivitamin can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Avoid taking any other multivitamin product within 2 hours before or after you take multivitamin with iron. Taking similar vitamin products together at the same time can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side effects.
Avoid the regular use of salt substitutes in your diet if your multivitamin contains potassium. If you are on a low-salt diet, ask your doctor before taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.
Avoid taking an antibiotic medicine within 2 hours before or after you take multivitamin with iron. This is especially important if you are taking an antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), demeclocycline (Declomycin), doxycycline (Adoxa, Doryx, Oracea, Vibramycin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), lomefloxacin (Maxaquin), minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin, Solodyn, Vectrin), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ofloxacin (Floxin), or tetracycline (Brodspec, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap).
Certain foods can also make it harder for your body to absorb iron. Avoid taking this multivitamin within 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating fish, meat, liver, and whole grain or "fortified” breads or cereals.
Do not take this medication with milk, other dairy products, calcium supplements, or antacids that contain calcium. Calcium may make it harder for your body to absorb certain ingredients of the multivitamin.
Instructions
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of vitamins A, D, E, or K can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. Iron and other minerals contained in a multivitamin can also cause serious overdose symptoms.
Overdose symptoms may include severe stomach pain, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, coughing up blood, constipation, loss of appetite, hair loss, peeling skin, warmth or tingly feeling, changes in menstrual periods, weight loss, severe headache, muscle or joint pain, severe back pain, blood in your urine or stools, black and tarry stools, pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding, weakness, shallow breathing, weak and rapid pulse, pale skin, blue lips, and seizure (convulsions).
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Side Effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor if you have serious side effects such as:
- bright red blood in your stools; or
- pain in your chest or throat when swallowing a ferrous fumarate tablet.
When taken as directed, multivitamin are not expected to cause serious side effects. Less serious side effects may include:
- constipation, diarrhea;
- nausea, vomiting, heartburn;
- stomach pain, upset stomach;
- black or dark-colored stools or urine;
- temporary staining of the teeth;
- headache; or
- unusual or unpleasant taste in your mouth.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Interactions
Vitamin and mineral supplements can interact with certain medications, or affect how medications work in your body. Before taking multivitamin with iron, tell your doctor if you also use:
- acetohydroxamic acid (Lithostat);
- cimetidine (Tagamet);
- deferoxamine (Desferal);
- etidronate (Didronel);
- diuretics (water pills);
- heart or blood pressure medications;
- tretinoin (Vesanoid);
- isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteen, Clavaris, Sotret);
- dimercaprol (an injection used to treat poisoning by arsenic, lead, or mercury);
- penicillamine (Cuprimine);
- pancrelipase (Cotazym, Creon, Ilozyme, Pancrease, Ultrase);
- trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (Cotrim, Bactrim, Septra, TMP/SMX); or
- an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), and others.
This list is not complete and there may be other medications that can interact with or be affected by multivitamin with iron. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04