Struggling with iron - any recommendations?

[Fellmonster5]

24 weeks and been told by midwife I need to increase ferritin levels and been told to take one 200mg tablet a day but really don’t think they are agreeing with me - nausea and upset stomach. Has anyone had success with an alternative to the tablets? Persevered for 4 days but making me feel really grim 🤢

[LBB2020]

Give spatone a go, it’s a liquid and seems to be more gentle on the tummy x

[firstimemamma]

I don't have any experience with supplements but when I was pregnant I swore by banana milkshakes which I made myself and added a generous amount of raw spinach. Sounds gross but I can promise you I never once tasted the spinach (an Iron rich food) all I ever tasted was a nice banana milkshake.

[rosydreams]

i couldn't take them i told the midwife the tablets were making me ill and they gave me a prescription for liquid iron,much better.

[pinkcarpet]

Another vote for Spatone water. It was recommended to me by my midwife and I went from anaemic to back to normal iron levels in about 3 weeks

[bluefoxmug]

take it in the evening

[Fellmonster5]

Thank you for your replies. Can you tell me if Spatone is prescription only or can you purchase from the chemist?

[reallifegetsintheway2]

Flora dix or feroglobin from Amazon or Holland and Barrett. Spartone tastes like a rusty nail ! But you can get from Amazon etc

[pinkcarpet]

Spatone you can buy from any health food shop or chemist as well as online. It tastes rank on its own but you can mix in orange juice or apple juice which hides the metallic taste well

[bluefoxmug]

depending how deficient you are, spatone and other easily available liquid iron formulations are nowhere near potent enough.

[Umberta]

I strongly recommend these pregnancy iron tablets my husband got me: www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/active-iron-pregnancy-capsules-60044523
I struggled for just a few days with the Ferritin pills and...omg...the constipation was so so bad, don't want to tmi but I was passing rocky poos that were literally the size of my fist. Blood everywhere. I'd rather be anaemic thanks. But I've moved onto these pills plus spatone and no constipation at all, whew! I take the spatone in a glass of juice and you can't taste it's there. My low-iron symptoms have all gone and I feel much better.

[Umberta]

Ps and I when I told the midwife about the constipation, she patronisingly suggested upping my fibre intake. Every meal I have has brown rice, wholemeal pasta, brown bread, chia seeds etc! Beans, veggies, dried fruit, you name it! I calculated I was having about 3x the average British daily fibre intake. Trust me it's not your diet, the undigested iron messes with your microbiome giving you the symptoms. Lower your dose and switch to these other supplements and itll get better!

[SKP86]

Spatone! It also comes in apple flavour with added vit. c which tastes like really sweet apple juice.

[Fatted]

You need to make sure you take them after food. DO NOT take them on an empty stomach! I also cannot stand them if I've eaten fruit. They give me really bad heartburn otherwise.

[LemonBreeland]

I would recommend taking vitamin c with any iron tablets too. It helps the absorption. I was on iron for ages and my levels wouldn't rise until I upped my vitamin c intake.

[Margo34]

@Fatted

You need to make sure you take them after food. DO NOT take them on an empty stomach! I also cannot stand them if I've eaten fruit. They give me really bad heartburn otherwise.

I was prescribed 305mg tablets by my GP and was told to take them 30mins BEFORE EATING on an empty stomach and with fruit juice as vit c increases absorption. Interesting how we're all told something different!

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

Spatone in fresh orange juice
Steak

[Fatted]

@Margo34 unfortunately I wasn't told this by a doctor. It was after my own unfortunate experience of taking them on an empty stomach and then having the runs half an hour later

[Margo34]

@Fatted bodies are weird aren't they, everyone responds differently to essentially the same thing!