Venofer and Swelling: What Users Say

• sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2022

For Iron Deficiency Anemia "Hematologist Rx'd 400 mg (2x what we discussed) for a 2.5 hr. infusion time. Among other things, I have MCAS, so am allergic (often deathly so) to random everything and am currently on 3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), so took my Venofer with a side of 500 ml of saline, dexamethasone, and an ondansetron push. NOPE. No reaction locally, like around my chest port, or anaphylaxis either. But within 30 minutes, I am the poster child for 'too much/too fast.' I stayed at my doc's infusion center for 5 hours trying to stop the burning, start the breathing, bend things, bring up the BP, lower the HR, increase the body temp, decrease the edema and erythema and jaundice. My partner had to carry me around and change my clothes for me. It has only been 18 hours since I got hooked up to that stuff, and I am still in tons of pain, look and feel like a bloated corpse, and am REALLY angry at my Dr. who refused to listen when I told him this med and I are incompatible."

• ANO...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 13, 2023

For Iron Deficiency Anemia "I had my iron infusion on Feb. 22, 2023. During the infusion, I was reading a book, and I became really sleepy, and my eyes were blurring, so I decided to sleep. At the end of my iron infusion, my back and stomach started to cramp badly. I was given a steroid and 25 mg of Benadryl. I was told to wait it out and see how I felt. Well, then I went to get up and leave, and my ankles were hurting. I looked down, and they were swollen, and the tops of my feet were discolored when I took off my socks. I lifted my pant legs up, and my calves looked like colored cellulite, they were all dimply, but not itching, although I was told it was hives. I was then given 25 mg more of Benadryl and sent to the ER. Since then, I have not felt like myself. I have had tingly feelings in my feet and legs a lot (mainly my left side). However, I also have a tingly feeling in my face on my left side too, and my left eye feels blurry a lot. I have feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and hand cramping. Please tell me this gets better!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 20, 2023

For Iron Deficiency Anemia "I was injected with Venofer in January this year, a day after I delivered my baby. I was told nothing of this drug, so I didn’t want it. They insisted that I get it, and since then, even now still, I have been experiencing terrible headaches, dizziness, muscle aches and joint pain, hives, edema, blurry vision, shortness of breath, excruciating pain around the injection site, and then some. I never experienced any of these symptoms before in my life, and now my body is screwed up. I don’t know for how long. Hope it goes away soon."

• Plj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2022

For Iron Deficiency Anemia "I had a 90 min infusion of Venofer. I was sent home right after. Within 30 min, my legs were on fire, hives, swelling, and I couldn’t walk. Had to go by ambulance to the ER. Got steroid, antihistamine, and fluid. Terrifying. On a side note, my hgb increased by 1."