Quote:
Originally Posted by johine
My Dr. is giving me shots for MDS.
They are Aranesp and Neupogen.
He had me taking iron pills.
Now that I have had 3 blood transfusions, I have iron overload.
He has now prescribed Exjade.
It came with a waring not to take if you have a lack of red cells.
The Dr. still wants me to take the Exjade.
Does any of this sound strange? What should I do?
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johine,
I too am surprised to hear that you have iron overload serious enough to require treatment after only 3 transfusions. Some people receiving transfusions go a long time before having a problem with iron buildup, while others need treatment for iron overload after only a dozen transfusions. Was this diagnosis based on ferritin tests or did you undergo a liver biopsy?
In any case, Exjade can lower blood counts, although when it does it is most often the white count and platelet count. So it works against the goal of your transfusions. But that's not a contraindicator. In other words, it doesn't rule out taking Exjade but it makes clear that the doctors are doing a balancing act to keep your counts up while controlling iron.