EPO or Iron Infusions

[Boxing]

hello, I have kidney disease due to genetic cancer syndrome VHL. My EPO blood test came out 1.1 naturally as I have only a partial kidney left. Anyway I was given iron infusion due to ferritin of 27. I just wanted anyone’s experience on what is safer considering I have cancer genetic condition is EPO or Iron infusion safer? Some research tells me EPO could trigger health problems and has more side effects than iron infusion. My medical team stick with iron iv instead of EPO anyway.

Greatful for any advice, thanks

[Bassetmommer]

EPO is a harmone that stimulates blood production. Iron infusion is just that. They usually go hand in hand when you are in ESRD. I do my own injections of EPO, Mircera, when my hemoglobin levels are low. I also go for Iron infusions to help boost my ferritin and other iron related levels. I have never had a side effect from either. I did when I was doing iron injections during my dialysis treatment. It gave me a headache and cramps.

[Boxing in reply to Bassetmommer]

thanks for the reply! But is it true EPO can trigger stroke, cancer etc as part of the side effects? Is iron infusion safer option?

[Bassetmommer in reply to Boxing]

I have seen that on the Internet....but all drugs have effects. I have never heard of anyone having an issue that I know of. EPO and iron infusions are not the same thing, so they really are not interchangeable.

[Boxing in reply to Bassetmommer]

ok I understand. So what is the difference between EPO and iron infusion from a risk perspective?

[Winner76]

Hi,

I done both while on dialysis, I didn’t have any side effects from either. I found the infusions better I did not like the self injecting. Just a bit of advice if you go the epo route makesure your levels are checked regularly. My levels went to 16 and it caused a mini stroke .

[Boxing in reply to Winner76]

thanks for the response. This is what I have heard as potential side effects hence I just stick with iron Iv

[Winner76 in reply to Boxing]

To be fair it wasn’t a side effect , it was the fact that my clinic didn’t check my levels enough and it creeped up to 16. I didnt know at the time it was the cause of the stroke , they didn’t find a reason ! But at year later in a different clinic I found out what my hemoglobin levels were at that time.

[ShyeLoverDoctor]

You need to have iron in your body to make red blood cells, as iron is the building block for them. If you don’t have iron, injecting Epogen will do you no good. Epogen carries the risk of stroke. But as long as your hemoglobin is below 11.0, it’s “safe” to inject. When you start injecting when your level is above 11.0, the risk goes up. I had my blood tested every single week to see if it was safe to inject or not. I didn’t mind, the lab was ten minutes from my house and I have good veins.

Home injections (though my first thought was “No way”) turned out to be much better than 40 min to get to doctors office, 10 minutes in waiting room, 20 minutes for them to run the CBC and then inject me or not, then an hour back because traffic was then worse.

I”m a transplant patient now who takes cyclosporin (which causes anemia in some) and they refuse to give me Epogen, it’s simply not done, so my hemoglobin is around 10.1 to 10.4 and I’m tired and weak and the whole “Transplant gives you so much energy!” was a lie. I‘m furious and bitter about it. I don’t see why I can’t have it.