constipation

Hello everyone,

I tested my child's ferritin level but it hasnt improved n it still around 2300 n I am giving him 300mg Asunra.

My child has too much problem in passing stool everyday its very hard and must be painful for him and I guess its due to medication. Is anyone else facing the same problem and is there any home remedy as i dont want to give him any other medicine. and also advise  if i should give him folic acid.

Andy please give your advise.

Thank You

Hello all,

Someone please advise on the above and please let me know if i can keep asunra at night sometime after n ll it help. advise on the best time to take the medicines.

Thank you

Hi Binita
A change in diet does help to tackle constipation. Include banana in his diet and raw carrot. Avoid yoghurt, potatoes, cooked carrot. Make him drink plenty of fluids. My son also has constipation and green beans helps him. The idea should be to add a lot of fiber in his diet.

Do you mean to ask if he can take Asunra at night? If so yes he can take the medicine at night. If you meant to dissolve the medicine at night and give him later in the morning then its no, you have to take it within a few minutes its mixed. The medicine doesn't dissolve very well in juice, so what I do is take a little water add the med, wait for a few minutes and then add the juice. Whats your childs weight and for how long has he been on asunra? Any time could be the best time as long as you give the med daily at the same time. But if there are any stomach issues or appetite problems then giving the med at night helps.

take care
maha

Binita,

You should consider splitting the dose into two and having him take half in the morning and half in the evening. This will help to reduce stomach problems caused by the drug and actually will give better chelation as there will be a true 24/day chelation. Please also be advised that recent recommendations from Novartis tell us that Exjade (Asunra) can be taken with a variety of foods, so you can experiment with different soft (low iron) foods to see what works best for your son.

Thank you Maha and Andy...

Maha that was a typo I meant if the medicines can be given after dinner....and my son has appetite problem so I think giving 200mg in the afternoon at around 1 pm and another 100mg at night 9 pm instead of giving him early morning would be good.....Actually all these days i thought it has to be given the first thing in the morning half an hour before breakfast..................was I wrong...I might be repeatative in my question n I am sorry for that but me still little confused.....should it be given before or after food.........

Andy I didnt understand which other food can be tried cause as my my doc advise I give 300mg in 2 ounce (60ml) of water or sweet lime or orange juice.

Maha he is on asunra from 5mnths now n now he is 12.5 kgs n I give him 300mg from 2 mnths and the first three months I gave 100mg.

Hi Binita
You can give him the med at 1 and then again at night. Infact I have been giving my son Asunra exactly at the times you mentioned. I give his first dose at 1pm when he is back from school and follow with the second dose at 9:30 pm just before bed time. In the afternoon he takes it before lunch and in the night after dinner. I have been following this time for more than a year now.
Your son is getting the right dose and splitting the dose would give you better results sooner. Actually a recent study by novartis states that exjade/ asunra can be mixed with a variety of foods. You can read about it here http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php/topic,4004.0.html.

maha

Hi Binita,

Just experiment with different soft foods and liquids until you find foods that he tolerates. Just avoid mixing it with high iron foods like meats because the drug my react to the iron in the food. What we're learning is that it's best to be flexible with when to take and what to take it with. I really think splitting the dose and taking twice daily makes it easier to tolerate and will be more effective at iron chelation.

Thank you Maha and Andy....I have read through the article and will surely follow the tips given. Thanks once again for the help.