Brand Names:

• Mangimin

Dosage Forms:

• Tablet

Uses of This Medicine:

Manganese supplements are used to prevent or treat manganese deficiency.

The body needs manganese for normal growth and health. For patients who are unable to get enough manganese in their regular diet or who have a need for more manganese, manganese supplements may be necessary. Manganese helps your body break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. It does so as part of several enzymes.

Manganese deficiency has not been reported in humans. Lack of manganese in animals has been found to cause improper formation of bone and cartilage, may decrease the body's ability to use sugar properly, and may cause growth problems.

Injectable manganese supplements are given by or under the supervision of a health care professional.

For good health, it is important that you eat a balanced and varied diet. Follow carefully any diet program your health care professional may recommend. For your specific dietary vitamin and/or mineral needs, ask your health care professional for a list of appropriate foods. If you think that you are not getting enough vitamins and/or minerals in your diet, you may choose to take a dietary supplement.

Manganese is found in whole grains, cereal products, lettuce, dry beans, and peas.

The daily amount of manganese needed is defined in several different ways.

• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to provide for adequate nutrition in most healthy persons. RDAs for a given nutrient may vary depending on a person's age, sex, and physical condition (e.g., pregnancy).
• Daily Values (DVs) are used on food and dietary supplement labels to indicate the percent of the recommended daily amount of each nutrient that a serving provides. DV replaces the previous designation of United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDAs).

• Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) are used to determine the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and protein needed to provide adequate nutrition and lessen the risk of chronic disease.

Because a lack of manganese is rare, there is no RDA or RNI for it. The following daily intakes are thought to be plenty for most individuals:

• Infants and children—
  • Birth to 3 years of age: 0.3 to 1.5 milligrams (mg).
  • 4 to 6 years of age: 1.5 to 2 mg.
  • 7 to 10 years of age: 2 to 3 mg.
• Adolescents and adults—2 to 5 mg.

Before Using This Medicine:

If you are taking a dietary supplement without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For these supplements, the following should be considered:

Allergies—

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to medicines in this group or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Children—

Problems in children have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts.

Older adults—

Problems in older adults have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts.

Pregnancy—

It is especially important that you are receiving enough vitamins and minerals when you become pregnant and that you continue to receive the right amount of vitamins and minerals throughout your pregnancy. The healthy growth and development of the fetus depend on a steady supply of nutrients from the mother. However, taking large amounts of a dietary supplement in pregnancy may be harmful to the mother and/or fetus and should be avoided.

Breast-feeding—

It is important that you receive the right amounts of vitamins and minerals so that your baby will also get the vitamins and minerals needed to grow properly. However, taking large amounts of a dietary supplement while breast-feeding may be harmful to the mother and/or baby and should be avoided.

Other medicines—

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Other interactions—

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other medical problems—

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of dietary supplements in this class. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Biliary disease or
• Liver disease—Taking manganese supplements may cause high blood levels of manganese, and dosage of manganese may have to be changed.

Proper Use of This Medicine:

Dosing—

The dose medicines in this class will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of these medicines. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• For oral dosage form (as part of a multivitamin/mineral supplement):
  • To prevent deficiency, the amount taken by mouth is based on normal daily recommended intakes:
    • Adults and teenagers—2 to 5 milligrams (mg) per day.
    • Children 7 to 10 years of age—2 to 3 mg per day.
    • Children 4 to 6 years of age—1.5 to 2 mg per day.
    • Children birth to 3 years of age—0.3 to 1.5 mg per day.
  • To treat deficiency:
    • Adults, teenagers, and children—Treatment dose is determined by prescriber for each individual based on severity of deficiency.

Missed dose—

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

If you miss taking manganese supplements for one or more days there is no cause for concern, since it takes some time for your body to become seriously low in manganese. However, if your health care professional has recommended that you take manganese, try to remember to take it as directed every day.

Storage—

Keep out of the reach of children.

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Side Effects of This Medicine:

No side effects or toxic effects have been reported for manganese. However, check with your health care professional if you notice any unusual effects while you are taking it.