Is IV Iron covered by Manitoba Health/Medicare?

IV iron infusions are covered by Manitoba Health/Medicare. You will not have to pay for the procedure. You will be able to receive a full replacement dose of IV iron at every appointment. If you do not receive your full replacement dose at the first appointment, you can expect the offer of a rapid follow-up to complete your therapy.

Does it cost anything?

Just like with iron pills by mouth, there is a cost for the medication. Unlike oral iron pills, IV Iron is typically covered by drug plans. If you have drug coverage, IV iron is often cheaper than oral iron pills. Consult your pharmacist to be sure.  

If you don’t have a drug plan, you may qualify for pharmacare, and can consult your pharmacist to find out.

If you neither have a drug plan, nor qualify for pharmacare, IV iron gives you the opportunity to fully correct your iron deficiency anemia within 2-3 weeks, as opposed to the several months required with iron pills by mouth. Depending on what you are paying monthly for iron pills by mouth, or yearly in taxes, IV iron may cost roughly the same or even be cheaper than oral iron. The choice is now yours!

What are the wait times?

Treatments are by appointment.

We do have the ability to treat people same day, once we receive your primary care providers referral. Find a link to the form here. 

Delays of a couple weeks can occur if we need to apply for IV Iron to be covered by your drug plan (i.e. exceptional drug status). An application to get IV Iron covered by your drug plan must be approved before we give you the IV iron, or you will not be able to get the cost refunded or reimbursed by your drug plan.

The typical referral to our clinic sees treatment within 1-2 weeks (Updated Oct 31st, 2024). Please call (204) 255-3109 for the latest wait times.

How often will I need IV iron treatments?

The goal is once (or never). We provide the full iron replacement dose at every appointment. Some people require repeat treatments if there is something causing their iron to continue to decrease over time (e.g. ongoing bleeding). Ask your primary care provider if they think you will need treatment again for your particular condition- they know you best.

What side effects should I worry about?

Modern IV Iron products have been demonstrated to be incredibly safe. Like with all IV medications you will be monitored for 30 minutes afterwards to ensure you do not have an allergic reaction.

It is not unusual for some patients to experience aches and pains a couple of days after the IV iron. This is sometimes referred to by IV iron patients as the “IV iron flu,” and can be treated with over the counter pain killers and is gone in a few days. Any symptoms more serious than this are not expected to be related to IV iron and you should seek medical attention from your usual sources

Another possible side effect of IV iron is “staining” or “tatooing” of the skin which tends to fade over several months. Every possible precaution is taken to ensure this does not happen.

These are the common considerations with IV iron generally, if you have any specific questions about IV iron side effects please review these with your pharmacist or the medical team at your next IV iron appointment.