Deferiprone Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Mar 2, 2025.

Applies to deferiprone: oral solution, oral tablet.

Important warnings This medicine can cause some serious health issues

Oral route (tablet; solution)

Agranulocytosis and Neutropenia. Deferiprone can cause agranulocytosis that can lead to serious infections and death.

Neutropenia may precede the development of agranulocytosis.Measure the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) before starting deferiprone therapy and monitor regularly while on therapy.Interrupt deferiprone therapy if neutropenia develops.Interrupt deferiprone if infection develops, and monitor the ANC more frequently.Advise patients taking deferiprone to report immediately any symptoms indicative of infection

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to take it. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. If you are a woman who can get pregnant, your doctor may do tests to make sure you are not pregnant before starting this medicine. Use an effective birth control to keep from getting pregnant during treatment and for at least 6 months after the last dose of this medicine. Male patients who have female partners who can become pregnant must use an effective birth control during treatment and for at least 3 months after the last dose. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Deferiprone can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. If you can, avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Wash your hands often. Stay away from rough sports or other situations where you could be bruised, cut, or injured. Brush and floss your teeth gently. Be careful when using sharp objects, including razors and fingernail clippers.

Check with your doctor right away if you start to have a cough that will not go away, weight loss, night sweats, a fever, chills, or flu-like symptoms, such as a runny or stuffy nose, headache, blurred vision, or feeling generally ill. These may be signs that you have an infection.

This medicine may cause your urine to turn red or brownish in color. This is normal and is nothing to worry about.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Serious side effects of deferiprone

Along with its needed effects, deferiprone may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking deferiprone:

More common side effects

• black, tarry stools
• bone pain
• chills
• cough
• fever
• lower back or side pain
• painful or difficult urination
• pale skin
• sore throat
• ulcers, sores, or white spots in the mouth
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• unusual tiredness or weakness

Less common side effects

• fever with or without chills
• general feeling of tiredness or weakness
• hoarseness

Incidence not known

• anxiety
• bleeding gums
• bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet
• blood in the urine or stools
• blurred vision
• chest pain, discomfort, or tightness
• clay-colored stools
• confusion
• dark urine
• decreased urination
• dilated neck veins
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• drowsiness
• dry mouth
• fainting
• fast or irregular heartbeat
• headache
• hives, itching, skin rash
• increase in heart rate
• increased sweating
• irregular breathing
• irritation
• joint pain, stiffness, or swelling
• large, flat, blue or purplish patches in the skin
• loss of appetite
• muscle tremors
• nausea
• nervousness
• painful knees and ankles
• pinpoint red spots on the skin
• pounding in the ears
• raised red swellings on the skin, the buttocks, legs, or ankles
• rapid weight gain
• rapid, deep or shallow breathing
• redness of the skin
• restlessness
• seizures
• severe nausea or vomiting
• slow heartbeat
• sneezing
• spots on your skin resembling a blister or pimple
• stomach pain or cramps
• sudden trouble breathing
• sugar in the urine
• sunken eyes
• sweating
• swelling of the eyelids, around the eyes, face, lips, hands, or feet
• thirst
• tingling of the hands or feet
• trouble with balance
• trouble breathing or swallowing
• unpleasant breath odor
• unusual weight gain or loss
• vision changes
• vomiting of blood
• weight gain
• wrinkled skin
• yellow eyes or skin

Other side effects of deferiprone

Some side effects of deferiprone may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common side effects

• difficulty with moving
• muscle pain or stiffness
• reddish or brown discoloration of the urine
• stomach discomfort

Less common side effects

• back pain
• belching
• diarrhea
• heartburn
• increased or decreased appetite
• indigestion
• pain in the arms or legs
• stomach upset

Incidence not known

• bloody nose
• clenching, gnashing, or grinding teeth
• constipation
• coughing or spitting up blood
• depression
• difficulty opening the mouth
• difficulty with speaking
• drooling
• impaired psychomotor skills
• increased sensitivity of the skin to sunlight
• lockjaw
• loss of balance control
• muscle spasm, especially of the neck and back
• muscle trembling, jerking, or stiffness
• pains in the stomach, side, or abdomen, possibly radiating to the back
• severe sunburn
• shuffling walk
• sleepiness or unusual drowsiness
• stiffness of the limbs
• stomach bloating, burning, cramping, or pain
• twisting movements of the body
• uncontrolled movements, especially of the face, neck, and back

For healthcare professionals

Applies to deferiprone: oral liquid, oral tablet.

General adverse events

The most common adverse events were chromaturia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, alanine aminotransferase increased, arthralgia, and neutropenia.^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Very common (10% or more): Nausea (12.6%), abdominal pain/discomfort (10.4%), vomiting
• Common (1% to 10%): Diarrhea, dyspepsia, abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, abdominal pain upper
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Abdominal distension, abdominal pain lower, aphthous stomatitis, constipation, epigastric discomfort, eructation, gastritis, reflux esophagitis, stomach discomfort, gastroenteritis, gastroenteritis viral
• Postmarketing reports: Enterocolitis, rectal hemorrhage, gastric ulcer, pancreatitis, parotid gland enlargement, cecitis, dysphagia^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal effects are more frequent at the beginning of therapy, and in most patients resolve within a few weeks without the discontinuation of treatment.^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Very common (10% or more): Chromaturia (14.6%)
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Pollakiuria, amenorrhea, menstruation irregular
• Postmarketing reports: Glycosuria, hypospadias, congenital anomaly, non-acute porphyria, urinary tract infection, urine color abnormal, intra-uterine death, balanitis^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Very common (10% or more): Arthralgia
• Common (1% to 10%): Back pain, pain in extremity, arthropathy, joint swelling
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Epicondylitis, arthritis, bone pain, joint crepitation, joint effusion, joint range of motion decreased, joint stiffness, metatarsalgia, muscle spasms, muscular weakness, musculoskeletal chest pain, musculoskeletal pain, myalgia, polyarthritis, synovial cyst
• Postmarketing reports: Myositis, chondropathy, trismus^[Ref]

Hematologic

• Common (1% to 10%): Neutrophil count decreased, neutropenia, agranulocytosis, white blood cell count decreased
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Blood disorder, hypersplenism, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, platelet count decreased, platelet count increased
• Postmarketing reports: Thrombocytosis, pancytopenia, febrile neutropenia, thrombocythemia, granulocytopenia, hemoglobin decrease, neutropenic sepsis^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Common (1% to 10%): Alanine aminotransferase increased, aspartate aminotransferase increased, increased liver enzymes
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hepatic pain, hepatitis, hepatomegaly, jaundice, liver tenderness, cytomegalovirus hepatitis, blood bilirubin increased, hepatic enzyme increased
• Postmarketing reports: Hepatic function abnormal, infectious hepatitis^[Ref]

Other

• Common (1% to 10%): Fatigue, peripheral edema
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Deafness, ear pain, tinnitus, vertigo, asthenia, chest pain, discomfort, fatigue, influenza like illness, malaise, pyrexia, thirst, diabetic foot infection, sepsis, Yersinia infection, transfusion reaction, blood creatinine increased, blood phosphorus increased, blood zinc decreased, gamma-glutamyl transferase increased
• Frequency not reported: Progression of fibrosis
• Postmarketing reports: Chills, multi-organ failure, pharyngitis, pneumonia, sepsis, blood creatinine phosphokinase increased, difficulty in walking, hyperpyrexia, anti-HBs antibody positive, blood arsenic increased^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Common (1% to 10%): Increased appetite, weight increased, decreased appetite, anorexia
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Weight decreased, fluid retention
• Postmarketing reports: Metabolic acidosis, dehydration, metabolic disorder^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Influenza, nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, asthma, dry throat, oropharyngeal pain
• Postmarketing reports: Acute respiratory distress syndrome, epistaxis, hemoptysis, pulmonary embolism, respiratory acidosis, dyspnea, lung disorder, oropharyngolaryngeal pain, pharyngeal erythema, tonsillitis, parapharyngeal abscess^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Common (1% to 10%): Headache
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Dizziness, hypogeusia, migraine, somnolence
• Frequency not reported: Psychomotor slowdown, hand movements, axial hypotonia
• Postmarketing reports: Cerebellar syndrome, cerebral hemorrhage, convulsion, gait disturbance, intracranial pressure increased, psychomotor skills impaired, pyramidal tract syndrome, dystonia, febrile convulsion, coordination abnormal, hypotonia, nystagmus, depressed level of consciousness, balance disorder, enteroviral encephalitis^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hypersensitivity
• Postmarketing reports: Anaphylactic shock^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Arrhythmia, Torsades de Pointes, electrocardiogram T wave inversion
• Postmarketing reports: Atrial fibrillation, cardiac failure, hypotension, hypertension, cardiac disorder, congestive cardiac failure, sinus tachycardia^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Alopecia, hyperhidrosis, pruritus, rash, rash generalized, rash pruritic, skin hypopigmentation, urticaria, xeroderma
• Frequency not reported: Henoch-Schönlein purpura, urticaria, periorbital edema with skin rash
• Postmarketing reports: Cryptococcal cutaneous infection, rash pustular, subcutaneous abscess, hyperhidrosis, photosensitivity reaction, rash erythematous, rash maculopapular, face edema, furuncle, subcutaneous abscess^[Ref]

Renal

• Postmarketing reports: Hemoglobinuria, renal failure, glycosuria, chromaturia^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Postmarketing reports: Blood corticotrophin decreased, blood cortisol decreased^[Ref]

Ocular

• Frequency not reported: Lateral nystagmus
• Postmarketing reports: Diplopia, papilledema, retinal toxicity, eye movement disorder, periorbital edema, retinal toxicity, visual impairment^[Ref]

Oncologic

• Postmarketing reports: Hepatic neoplasm malignant^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Postmarketing reports: Bruxism, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder^[Ref]

See also:

Further information

Deferiprone side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

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