iron can be given medicinally to patients with iron deficiency anemia in this mnemonic video we'll cover all the important facts about iron taken as a drug so you'll be ready for the nclex it's breakfast time and we're here in the kitchen preparing breakfast take a look at that rusty iron pan that this man is using to cook this iron pan will serve as your memory anchor for iron you know since cast iron pans have well iron iron is an essential component in both iron pans as well as in hemoglobin the part of the red blood cell responsible for carrying oxygen interestingly iron can be given as a medication let's start off by talking about why patients might be prescribed iron this woman is pouring red cranberry juice to go along with their breakfast the way the cups are filling up with red blood like liquid should help you remember that iron treats anemia you know since filling cups with red blood liquid is kind of like filling your body with red blood anemia is essentially a lack of red blood and as we just mentioned iron is a component of hemoglobin in our blood it should follow that giving iron can increase hemoglobin which in turn increases the amount of red blood iron is specifically helpful in treating people with iron deficiency anemia which you don't need a mnemonic to memorize let's move on to talk about some of the side effects that may accompany iron supplementation the man is making some sort of black bean concoction for breakfast he is trying to squeeze the beans out of this bag and into the iron pan but the beans just don't seem to be passing through that opening this picture is our symbol for constipation a side effect of iron supplementation you can counteract this side effect by encouraging patients taking iron to eat a high fiber diet exercise regularly and stay hydrated with a vigorous shake a glob of beans finally flew out of the back but it didn't land in the pan like the man intended no instead it landed on his pants creating a large black sticky stain this black sticky stain on the man's pants should help you remember that iron causes black tarry stools you know since that tarry black stain on the pants looks like well you know it's important to remember that this finding is an expected side effect of iron under normal circumstances black tarry stools are a red flag for blood in the stool and cause for concern patients taking iron however are expected to have black tarry stools so it's a good idea to warn your patients beforehand that this is something they might experience and as the nurse don't get too worked up if a patient taking iron has stools that appear black and tarry this is just a harmless side effect of taking iron the man decided to taste test the black bean dish as he was cooking and black beans got stuck all up in his teeth kind of gross but at least it will help you remember that iron when taken in liquid form can cause tooth discoloration when drinking liquid iron instruct the patient to dilute the iron in water or juice drink it through a straw and rinse their mouth afterwards to prevent the teeth from turning black it's a good thing the man tried the meal before serving it to anyone else based on how nauseous he looks i'm guessing that black bean mess didn't taste very good and it may be because of the rusty iron pan just like the man became nauseous from the rusty iron pan patients may experience gastrointestinal upset while taking iron which manifests with nausea and vomiting although iron is best absorbed on an empty stomach a small amount of food may eliminate some of the gi discomfort seen with taking iron however there are some important guidelines for which foods should be avoided and which food should be encouraged so let's go over that next as the man was aggressively shaking the bag of black beans he knocked over the milk cartons spilling the milk everywhere these guys will not be having calcium milk for breakfast which can help you remember that iron and calcium should not be taken together because milk has a lot of calcium right and there's even a little cow on that carton for calcium you feel me calcium decreases the gi absorption of iron so iron should not be taken with milk or other dairy products yup just let that milk keep spilling away so what will these guys be drinking with their breakfast that's right the cranberry juice we talked about earlier take a closer look at the juice jug and notice that this cranberry juice is high in vitamin c vitamin c increases the absorption of iron so encourage patients to take iron with foods high in vitamin c like citrus fruits and juices alright that's all for this demonic let's recap what we've learned iron is a naturally occurring mineral that may be given as a drug to patients as a component of hemoglobin iron can be used to treat anemia especially in the context of iron deficiency anemia side effects of iron include constipation notably patients taking iron may experience black tarry stools which are a harmless and expected side effect of the drug when taken in a liquid form iron can cause tooth discoloration so encourage patients to drink the mixture through a straw and rinse their mouth afterwards iron may cause the side effect of nausea and vomiting which can be alleviated by taking iron with a little bit of food remind patients taking iron to avoid milk or other dairy products since calcium decreases absorption of iron in the gut instead encourage them to take iron with foods high in vitamin c like citrus fruits and juices and now we're actually done with iron i don't know about you but all this talk about breakfast is making me kind of hungry i'm going to go grab a bite see you next time thanks for watching for more videos like this one subscribe to our channel and check out our newest lessons for more resources on this topic including fact lists and interactive review images click the image next to the more here arrow i'll see you next time