Doc has given me iron tabs as I am anaemic she said today (32wks) - is there a tonic I could take which is more effective?

[mumofdjandbabies]

I think my pal took one but can I remember the name????? nope!

[Miaou]

spatone?

[expatinscotland]

i could NEVER take any of those tablets.

they all gave me terrible diarrhea and vomitting.

some people say spatone or floradix tonics help, but they ripped my stomach, too.

i mean, so badly, i put up with the anaemia, and it was really bad - like 6-8.

[star6]

my hb levels dropped to 4.8 while on iron tablets (from 9) then went up to 7 after taking spatone. Spatone worked for me... but wasn't pleasant.. as expatinscotland says, it's not gentle on your system, but it did get the level back up from so low.

[forevercleaning]

prepare for feeling nauseous and black poo!

[expatinscotland]

i had to work, so i just couldn't do that with the diarrhea i had.

[AllieBongo]

or no poo for the next 8 weeks...

[Kif]

fluoradix (sp?)

[star6]

luckily I'm a teacher on summer holiday now so I could take the time to feel horrible with it. That's something to keep in mind though - if you are working or looking after other little ones, try it out on a weekend first to make sure your stomach can handle it.

[FrannyandZooey]

I've been taking spatone and found it v good

[expatinscotland]

that's my problem now. have to look after the wee ones.

am hoping it won't happen this time round, but if it does i'm going to just have to deal, because everything just hurt my gut so much it was awful.

[Snaf]

Floradix or Spatone are the herbal liquid remedies for anaemia. Gentler on the stomach than ferrous sulphate, but not cheap (unless you can persuade GP to prescribe them).

Also eat plenty of green leafy veg, broccoli, dried apricots, dark choc, red meat, etc. Limit your consumption of tea (tannin affects iron absorption) and make sure you are drinking plenty of orange juice as this helps iron to be absorbed by the body.

What is your iron level atm?

[mosschops30]

spatone is great, just take it with some oj in the morning.
It raised my iron levels enough during pregnancy to be allowed back to the birth centre (they wanted over 10).
I still take it now as my hb levels are always low

[mumofdjandbabies]

sorry all was putting the kids to bed x

I think my levels are approx 100 is that right? havent a clue what that means???
anyone know?

hmm spatone Ill look that up...

[mumofdjandbabies]

not very good with strong medicine would these be any good do you think?

www.nutrisun.co.uk/bsearch.asp?action=search&brandq=floradix&whichoption=

or is liquid stuff really the best?

[mumofdjandbabies]

www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/936214_Spatone_Natural_Iron_Supplement_28x20ml_sa chets.html

this it?x

[Swedes]

Are you sure you need iron tablets. There is a body of research that suggest the lowered Hb levels are the pregnant body doing precisely what it should do.

I think it's Mears who really knows her stuff about this.

Mears are you out there?

You need to look at the MCV value iirc on your fbc result form.

[Highlander]

absolutely swedes.

Your haemoglobin should be at an ideal of 10.5 at 40 weeks. A samll scale study showed that high Hb (approx 12) was associated with poor foetal outcomes.

You are not anameic in pregnancy unless the size of your red blood cells decreases - as swedes points out, this is recorded as the MCV on your bloods. If there is a concomitant rduction in Hb AND MCV, you're anaemic.

[mumofdjandbabies]

oh right
I dunno If I am or not then
let me see if she stuck anything in my notes she just said I was about 100 does that mean anything to anyone?
It doesnt to me lol xx

[FrannyandZooey]

I think use how you are feeling as a gauge, as well as your levels on paper
my levels were ok, but had dropped a bit - I felt absolutely grim and wasn't coping with day to day stuff at all
spatone helped immensely

[mumofdjandbabies]

hi re the MCV value iirc on my fbc result form
the doc didnt stick the results sheet in ,y antenatal notes and I wont see her for another month, wonder how I could find this out? ring the surgery? would they tell me do you think? can always ring and see
certainly feel VERY tired......

also what is does MCV stand for and fbc

[mumofdjandbabies]

my gut feeling is to start the spatone

is it one per day or two, hmm I could always try one

does it take a while to get in your system?x

[GoatisLOLing]

floravital is the yeast free version of floradix which is prob. better at this stage of your pregnancy esp. if you are prone ot thrush.

good luck and hope you are better soon.

[Swedes]

What is you hb level at now?

[Swedes]

Yes, phone the surgery in the morning and ask them what your MCV value is now and what it was at your booking visit.

[mumofdjandbabies]

hi again
the dos never told me my mcv level (whats that mean again ) just that I was about 100 and any lower isnt good???

anyway Ill ring tomorrow not sure if theyll tell me but I can try!!