Safe administration of iron dextran to a patient who reacted to the test dose.

Parenteral iron therapy is infrequently required but generally well tolerated. We present a case in which intravenous iron dextran was successfully given to a patient who had an anaphylactoid reaction to the test dose. After pretreatment with methylprednisolone, diphenhydramine, ephedrine, and dextran 1, 2 g of iron dextran were safely given over several days; pretreatment was administered only on day 1. In the rare cases in which an anaphylactic agent must be given to a patient with a history of a life-threatening reaction to the agent, pretreatment along with slow escalation of dose may allow safe administration of the offending drug.