A important note on Exjade

Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to share something with anyone taking Exjade,i was told the other day by
my doctor (and dont know if anyone else has  been told this) that when dissovling it
in juice or water DO NOT use a stainless steel/metal spoon to stir it with as the exjade
can bine/latch on to the steel/metal and could decrease its strength.Andy have you heard
of this?or anyone else?

I do believe I have heard of this before from a patient, but there are no instructions stating this from Novartis, but there is a warning to not take aluminum containing antacids if you are taking exjade. Exjade does bind with iron and some other metals, so it may be wise to avoid metal spoons to mix it. Wooden or plastic spoons would be preferred.

The instructions for using exjade can be seen at http://www.exjade.com/hcp/about/administration/home.jsp?disclaimer=Y

Taking EXJADE

EXJADE must be taken once daily on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before food, preferably at the same time each day. The tablets are dispersed by stirring in a glass of water, orange juice, or apple juice (100–200 mL) until a fine suspension is obtained. After the suspension has been swallowed, any residue must be resuspended in a small volume of water or juice and swallowed. The tablets must not be chewed or swallowed whole.

I notice it also does not say anything about the time of day one takes it, so I presume morning, afternoon or evening would be fine.

thanks andy for your quick reply,its much appreciated

Hi Sydneygirl,

I have been told the same by my doctor when prescribed with exjade too. Now i have my own plastic glass and spoon just for xjade.


Nur

Hi Nur,
i have been taking exjade for a year nearly and no one told me this till 3 days ago!
even my doctor whos supposed to be a haemo professor didnt!

I learned from my doctor to use only plastic cups and spoons. and Andy although it doesn't matter what time of the day you take ExJade (so long as you take it on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before eating) but my doctor recommended taking it at the same time everyday. She recommended this as being more effective than if you take the drug at a different time each day.

i was told the same too

same here...

Sydneygirl,
Maybe your doctor forgets to tell you that. but i feel that it's a waste after all these times to finally been told that. Did your ferritin level showed any changes?

I agree nur its a waste that all this time i wasnt told! after almost a whole year,my iron level was going up,now its started to come down.I get the feeling that sometimes my doctors heart (and i know he is busy with loads of patients) cant be bothered with thal patients sometimes.anyways just my opinion.thanks all for your replys.

Thank you very much for this information and giving me your permision for translating it iinto Dutch to use it on our Dutch forum. www.bloedziekten.nl ( a website developed for and by patients with rare blooddisorders)

anae

Hi Anae and welcome,

Please do feel free to use anything you find here for the Dutch site.

I am also curious about your current decision to not chelate and hope you can explain more why. I spend so much time trying to convince patients to chelate and understanding every reason why some patients don't chelate can be of great use to me in finding strategies that may work to get some of the younger patients to comply. I do not intend to criticize you for your reasons but do hope to learn more about the psychology involved in making that choice. Thanks.

Hi all,
No one told me about using a plastic spoon either. I have started using one, and I hope my level comes down. Thanks for the good info. Take care, Jean