anyone else refuse iron tablets for borderline anaemia?

[lilymolly]

Hi 37 weeks pregnant with hb level of 10.4.
I feel ok ish- normal 37 week pregnant feeling I think esp when living with a 3 year old too!

Have refused the iron tablets as I have heard all sorts of horrendous things about them.

Is this correct or am I risking mine and my babies health?

Thanks

[thisisyesterday]

i always refuse them, but I do take spatone instead.

10.4 is ok though isn't it? cos you tend to have lower levels when pg anyway because you have more blood?

google micheal odent and anaemia and there should be soemthing on it

[fruitshootsandheaves]

I drank mackesons and lime to avoid the tablets.

[lilymolly]

10.4 is just below the threshold of 10.5 when they decide to treat- however, practice nurse reckons that because MCV is good and that pregnant women have more blood volume this is a normal reading and that I should be fine.

Just having a panic really

I am very tired but hey i am 37 weeks pregnant so surely this is too be expected right?

[lilymolly]

will Rose wine and lemondade do? fruitshootsandheaves

[DumbledoresGirl]

After being constipated on iron tablets in my first pregnancy, I held off anaemia with Floradix in subsequent pregnancies. Much gentler.

[fruitshootsandheaves]

err not sure it would work quite the same!

best tip I ever had when I did have to take the tablets was never take them with a cup of tea as they aren't absorbed properly, take them with orange juice.

[thisisyesterday]

yep dairy inhibits absorption.

actually, I have never had a blood test done which hasn't shown me to be anaemic.
not until I cut out all dairy when BF ds2. then my iron levels were fine!
I start back on dairy, start feeling really ill and getting all signs of anaemia back!

[thisisyesterday]

just found the thing I was looking for, for you

michel odent

[titmouse]

I found ferrous sulphate awful, lots of side effects, but since switching to ferrous fumarate I have been fine, no sickness or stomach aches and no constipation - although iron tends to not make me constipated I get the opposite. Any iron tabs will make your poo black but to be honest I can't see the problem with that, it's the other side effects that are an inconvenience!

As other posters have said, taking them with OJ is recommended. I've also tried Spatone and it hasn't helped me, but my haemoglobin levels are lower than the ideal - you're quite close to the ideal 10.5 or thereabouts so Spatone would probably top you up nicely.

My MW said that having low haemoglobin doesnt hurt the baby but makes the chance of post-partum haemorrage a bit more likely, and birth harder to recover from which is why they stick you on the tabs if you drop below their ideal level.

[tassisssss]

Spatone has worked great for me in pregnancy!

[CactusJack]

I did with DS1 and DS3.

With DS1 i had spatone from about 30 weeks until 38 weeks when the levels really dropped so went on ferrous sulphate and vowed NEVER again!

with DS2 i was borderline but never offered anything

With DS3 i point blank refused (i think i must be pretty close to borderline normally anyway) and had a glass of guiness and blackcurrant every other day

[kalo12]

eat dried apricots

[MegBusset]

My bloods at c.25 weeks showed a similar level -- the midwife-led unit won't take me if it goes under 10 so to avoid the horrors of the labour ward I've been taking Pregnacare. It has over 100% of the RDA of iron and doesn't have the same side effects as iron tablets.

[Qally]

Pregnacare gave me terrible stomach ache. Spatone in orange juice was brilliant - I still take it now, for bf purposes. Never any stomach problems and couldn't taste it at all. Boots sometimes do 3 for 2 offers as well.

[Hawkmoth]

FeSO4 was great for me, you can't write it off without trying. I could NOT get Spatone to stay down, it's an incredible taste that just makes me reflex vomit!

By the way CactusJack... Bang Bang!

[Woooozle100]

much much much preferred floradix liquid from holland and barratts (2nd pg) to the 3 x daily ferrous sulphate tablets (prescribed 1st pg)

just as effective but sans bloaty black shits

imhe

[lilymolly]

ok thanks everyone
will go to boots today to get some spatone or floradix x

[Madigan]

I take iron tablets .... what are the side effects meant to be? I have felt mostly fine .....

[1stMrsF]

I like your use of the word refused - I'm being a bit more renegade! I have accepted the iron tablets but find I cannot take more than one (200mg) per day - more and the side effects are stomach cramps and nausea. Doctor wants me to take 3 times per day to which I said 'yeah whatever' and went out and bought spatone and floradix tablets and ordered an enormous amount of red meat and spinach from the supermarket. Spatone is 3 for 2 on boots.com at the moment if you can't be bothered with shops. Floradix has other vitamins in it too, so if you go for that, check with the pharmacist if you are also taking pregnacare or similar - this is why I went for the floradix tablets as they contain fewer other things than the tonic.

I do feel that they over react to low Hb in pregnancy - I am expecting twins and the research seems to show that my reading of 10.2 is to be expected given the additional blood volume, the demands of two babies etc.

[FairLadyRantALot]

SPATONE is the way to go

[KingCanuteIAm]

Just a little tip, if you are concerned that they will be cross at you for refusing treatment, don't. Take the prescription, get the tablets and then use Spatone and a good diet to get the effect that is required.

Your iron goes up, MW is happy, you are happy - everyones a winner

[mistlethrush]

Try eating carob - I get carob powder and add a tsp to breakfast, perhaps some in yoghurt or a milk drink - its naturually high in iron and its easily absorbed unlike the iron in iron tablets. Good for you, no side effects.

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

I'm on Pregaday - iron and folic acid - once a day and although lots of people have reported side effects, I'd just like to say that I couldn't do without them.

Only side effect is black poo (very attractive) but if I forget my tablet then by the end of the day I am exhausted and grumpy and the meanest mother in the world. I take one a lunchtime with orange juice, and they really do make a difference.

So they do work out well for some people, worth a go maybe to see if they agree with you?

My problem was my blood levels were fine but my iron stores were very low, which meant my body was exhausting itself trying to replenish blood levels, and blood levels would have dropped over the coming weeks (am 35+5).

[mummysleepy]

kingkanuteIam, please don't encourage folks to accept a prescription if you have no intention of actually taking it, the NHS can't afford to be wasting money like that.

If you don't want a presciption then just explain why, no-one will be angry.
By the way if you can't face taking iron tablets three times daily then just take one or two a day, its better than nothing

[ScarletA]

Another advocate for Floradix here - was very anaemic at end of first preg (so much so I was told I would have to have a blood transfusion if anything went wrong in labour ) and so took iron tablets. Grim side effects.

So...for my next pregnancy I took Floradix all the way through. Not a touch of anaemia - and I'm vegetarian.

So Floradix has my vote