Toxic Dosage
The amount of iron ingested may give a clue to potential toxicity. The therapeutic dose for iron deficiency anemia is 3–6 mg/kg/day. Toxic effects begin to occur at doses above 10–20 mg/kg of elemental iron. Ingestions of more than 50 mg/kg of elemental iron are associated with severe toxicity.
- A 325-mg tablet of ferrous sulfate has 65 mg (20%) of elemental iron
- A 325-mg tablet of ferrous gluconate has 39 mg (12%) of elemental iron
- A 325-mg tablet of ferrous fumarate has 107.25 mg (33%) of elemental iron
In terms of blood values, iron levels above 350-500 µg/dL are considered toxic, and levels over 1000 µg/dL indicate severe iron poisoning.
Read more about this topic: Iron Poisoning
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