Explain possible side effects and interaction/safety considerations for sideral forte without overstating causality or efficacy.
Source
Clinical statements on this page are taken from the SAHPRA-approved patient information leaflet (approved 23/02/2023) and professional information (approved 23/02/2023) for this product: patient information leaflet, professional information. Retrieved 2026-09-03. Where this page and the approved leaflet differ, the leaflet is correct.
What is Sideral Forte?
Which leaflet this comes from
There is no approved leaflet for Sideral-Forte in SAHPRA’s public repository. The information below is from the approved leaflet for Venofer®, another South African product containing Iron(III)-Hydroxide. Products with the same active ingredient can still differ in strength, formulation and approved uses, so check the leaflet in your own pack.
Sideral-Forte contains the active ingredient Iron(III)-Hydroxide.
- Active ingredient — Iron(III)-Hydroxide
- Registration number — 32/8.3/0166
- Registration holder — PHARMACARE LIMITED
It is approved for:
- Venofer® is used for the treatment of patients with iron deficiency, when oral iron preparations are ineffective or cannot be used
- S3 Before administration, your doctor will perform a blood test to calculate the dose of Venofer® you require
Possible side effects of Sideral Forte
Not everyone gets side effects. The effects below are those listed in the South African approved leaflet, grouped using the leaflet’s own frequency wording.
About these frequency terms
This leaflet groups effects as “Frequent” and “Less frequent” rather than the very common/common/uncommon scale used in some other markets.
Frequent side effects
- Changes in your taste such as a metallic taste. This does not usually last very long
Less frequent side effects
- Fast pulse rate
- Headache or feeling dizzy
- Low blood pressure and collapse
- Pounding heart beat (palpitations)
- Stomach pain or diarrhoea
- Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
- Wheezing, difficulty in breathing
- Itching, hives, rash or skin redness
- Muscle cramps or muscle pain
- Flushing
- Fever or shivering
- Chest pain and chest tightness
- Reactions around the site of injection such as inflammation, a feeling of burning and swelling
- Fainting
- Loss of consciousness
- Tingling or “pins and needles”
- A feeling of burning
- Swelling (dropsy)
- Pain in your joints
- Swelling of hands and feet
- Tiredness, weakness or general feeling of illness. Other side effects include feeling less alert, light-headed or confused; swelling of your joints, face and tongue; increased sweating; back pain. If any of the side effects becomes serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor. Not all side effects reported for Venofer® are included in this leaflet. Should your general health worsen while taking Venofer®, please consult your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional for advice
Interactions and medicines to check
Interactions happen when Sideral Forte and something else affect each other — changing how well either works, or making side effects more likely. This includes prescription medicines, pharmacy medicines bought without a prescription, other supplements, herbal remedies and traditional medicines.
Supplements and herbal products are often assumed to be interaction-free because they are available without a prescription. That assumption is not safe. Tell your pharmacist or doctor about everything you take, including things you would not think of as medicine.
Evidence required before publish — source the following for Sideral Forte from the SAHPRA-approved patient information leaflet or professional information, and cite what you actually used.
- Interactions named in the current approved information or authoritative monograph for Sideral Forte
- Which interactions the source describes as requiring avoidance versus monitoring
- Any food, drink or timing interaction the source identifies
- Whether the source flags interactions with commonly used South African medicines
Bring the actual products to the conversation
A pharmacist can check for interactions much faster if they can see the packaging or a photo of it, rather than working from remembered names.
Who should use extra caution?
The approved leaflet identifies the following cautions and factors.
Do not use it at all if
- If you are taking other medicines on a regular basis including complementary or traditional medicines, the use of Venofer® with these medicines may cause undesirable interactions
- Please consult your doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional for advice
Use with care, and tell your doctor, if
- The use of Venofer® has not been adequately studied in children and therefore
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Venofer® must not be given during the first three months of pregnancy
- Your doctor will decide if Venofer® can be used during the fourth to ninth months of pregnancy
- Venofer® is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding your baby while taking Venofer®, please consult your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional for advice
- Driving and using machinery: You may feel dizzy, confused or light-headed after being given Venofer®
- If this happens, do not drive or use any tool or machines
Dose, timing and other factors that can affect side effects
The approved leaflet identifies the following cautions and factors.
Do not use it at all if
- If you are taking other medicines on a regular basis including complementary or traditional medicines, the use of Venofer® with these medicines may cause undesirable interactions
- Please consult your doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional for advice
Use with care, and tell your doctor, if
- The use of Venofer® has not been adequately studied in children and therefore
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Venofer® must not be given during the first three months of pregnancy
- Your doctor will decide if Venofer® can be used during the fourth to ninth months of pregnancy
- Venofer® is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding your baby while taking Venofer®, please consult your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional for advice
- Driving and using machinery: You may feel dizzy, confused or light-headed after being given Venofer®
- If this happens, do not drive or use any tool or machines
Serious symptoms and warning signs
This leaflet does not set out a separate list of serious side effects. The general warning signs below apply to any medicine.
General warning signs that apply to any medicine
Call for emergency help now if any of these happen
- Difficulty breathing, wheezing, or tightness in the throat or chest
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat
- A widespread rash with blistering or peeling skin, or sores in the mouth, eyes or genitals
- Fainting, collapse, or a sudden severe drop in alertness
- Chest pain, or sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body
- A fit (seizure), or confusion that comes on suddenly
In South Africa call 10177 for an ambulance, or 112 from a mobile phone. Go to your nearest emergency department if it is faster. Do not wait to see whether the symptom settles.
What to do if side effects occur
If you think you are having a side effect, the response depends on how severe it is. Use the warning signs above first — if any of those apply, treat it as urgent.
If the symptom is severe or frightening
Get medical help immediately. Call 10177 for an ambulance, or 112 from a mobile phone, or go to the nearest emergency department. Take the product and its packaging with you if you can.
If the symptom is mild but bothering you
- Write down what the symptom is, when it started, and how it relates to when you take the product
- Check the leaflet that came with the product to see whether the symptom is listed
- Speak to your pharmacist — for many questions this is the fastest route to a useful answer
- Contact the prescriber if the symptom is affecting your daily life or is not settling
Do not stop a prescribed treatment on your own
Stopping some treatments suddenly causes its own problems, and the condition being treated may get worse. If you want to stop, ask a pharmacist or doctor how to do it safely — they can usually offer an alternative.
You can also report a suspected side effect in South Africa. Reporting does not replace getting medical advice, and you do not need to be certain the product was the cause.
How to report a suspected side effect in South Africa
South Africa has an official system for reporting suspected side effects, run by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). Reports from the public and from healthcare professionals are how safety signals get detected after a product is already in use.
Who can report
Anyone can report — you do not have to be a healthcare professional, and you do not need to prove that the product caused the problem. A suspicion is enough. Patients, caregivers and family members can all submit a report.
What to have ready
- The name of the product, its strength and form, and the batch number if you have it
- Why it was being used, and when it was started and stopped
- What the suspected reaction was, when it began, and how long it lasted
- Any other medicines, supplements or remedies being used at the same time
- Basic details about the person affected — age and sex are usually enough
How to report
SAHPRA accepts adverse reaction reports through its e-Services reporting system and through the Med Safety mobile app. Healthcare professionals can also report through the same routes. Current forms and access points are published on the SAHPRA site.
- SAHPRA Health Products Vigilance — the main vigilance and reporting hub
- SAHPRA e-Services — current adverse reaction reporting access
Reporting is not a substitute for medical care
If someone is unwell now, get medical help first and report afterwards. Urgent symptoms always take precedence over paperwork.
For a fuller walkthrough see how to report an adverse drug reaction.
Related pages
← Back to more supplement side effects.
Report a side effect
If you think you have had a side effect, you can report a suspected side effect in South Africa. Report a suspected side effect through the appropriate SAHPRA pathway where relevant.
Information only
This page gives general medicine-safety information for people in South Africa. It is not a diagnosis and not personalised medical advice. It cannot tell you whether a symptom you are having is caused by a particular product. Speak to a pharmacist or doctor about your own situation, and do not stop or change a prescribed treatment on the basis of a web page.
Editorial status: draft — not for publication
Brief SE-00206 · build rank 206 · Phase 2 · Tier 2. Every evidence slot on this page must be completed from the SAHPRA-approved source and the page signed off by a qualified clinical or pharmacy reviewer before it is published. Target length 1,300–2,000 words.