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The Kitchen Table

Iron Supplements

14 years ago

I went to my doctor the other day because I am just so tired and I am bruising in weird places and for no reason. He said I need to take an iron supplement. He told me to take it an hour after I eat and with a little juice. It's just killing my stomach. It's making me horribly sick to my stomach. I don't dare take it during the week when I have to work because I feel so yucky but taking it twice a week I'm sure isn't doing a darn thing for me.

Any suggestions?

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Comments (12)

linda_in_iowa
14 years ago
I took an iron supplement for a couple of weeks after I severed an artery. I took it with a meal per the instructions on the bottle. You might try taking it with your evening meal and see how that works. The only side effects I get from an iron supplement is constipation.
doxiemom
14 years ago
I take Tandem Plus for my anemia. It says to take it 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating--or drinking tea or coffee. It did make me sick when I was taking it in the mornings but if I ate a couple of crackers or toast I felt better. I switched to taking it at night and only get sick every now and then. Hope you feel better soon. Sheila
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matti5
14 years ago
I've been battling anemia and low ferritin levels for several years, so I sympathize with your symptoms. Not sure what you are taking, but it does take your body a little time to adjust. I started out taking OTC slow-fe and it really did a number on my stomach. My doctor recommended Ferrochel which is a chelated iron and easily absorbed by the body, with little to no side effects. My brand is from Designs for Health which my doctor sells.

A couple of things to remember. Caffeine, chocolate and tannins in tea will interfere with iron absorption, so if you can, try to limit consumption. Popping a vitamin C or taking the iron with OJ will help your body absorb it quicker and more fully. Iron supplements are constipating, so be careful.

Good luck!
petra_gw
14 years ago
I have anemia and the only iron supplement I can stomach is called Ferro Sequels. It's slow-release and a bit pricey, but well worth it.
carol_in_california
14 years ago
You could talk to your pharmacist and see what he recommends.
Ferrous sulfate tablets are more likely to cause nausea than another form of iron.
Good luck.
Prunes are a good source of iron and will help with the constipation associated with taking iron supplements.
linda_in_iowa
14 years ago
I eat Cream of Wheat with raisins in it for several days before I donate blood. It brings my hematocrit level up.
sjerin
14 years ago
Did your doctor tell you why you are bruising for no reason?
susan_on
14 years ago
I wish I could take iron supplements for my anemia. Three of the four of us in our family have anemia (two different types) but none of us have iron-deficiency anemia.
gemini40
14 years ago
Did your Dr. do any other testing to try to determine what is causing the bruising? I hope so.
sjerin
14 years ago
Bump
firemanswife
Original Author
14 years ago
I am a hemophiliac so I bleed and bruise easily and I think he's chalking the bruising up to that. I have always bruised easy because of my blood disorder but this is nuts. I have bruises everywhere! My DH keeps asking me if I ran into something and don't remember but my heck I would have to ping pong off every surface in our home to get these bruises. I noticed today that I have a small dark bruise on my left temple! What the heck!
I am going to talk to my pharmacist after work and see if we can't find something I can take that is easy on my tummy.
sjerin
14 years ago
I asked because I know that is one of the symptoms of leukemia, though I'm sure your doctor ruled that out with a blood test. I really hated to write that and possibly frighten you, but it's important to check everything out.

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