Could iron tablets be making me poorly??

Serum ferritin of 4 here, can’t tolerate tablets so have infusions. Those are common side affects of taking that type of iron. Talk to your gp as there are other options.

Three arrows nutra

It definitely doesn't agree with my stomach either. The best I found was tablets called Maltofer.
Pharmacy advised not to bother with spatone of you have a serious deficiency because it doesn't contain enough iron to be helpful.

Infusions may well be a better choice for you if you can't stomach the tablets.

I second switching to iron bisglycinate (gentle iron). It's a more easily absorbed form and comes in a lower dose than the ones often prescribed so fewer / no side effects. 60mg every other day is mentioned here as working best: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09ply54
If this doesn't work then considering coeliac might be a good idea.

Im meant to be taking iron tablets ferrous sulphate 3 x a day but i get such dreadful stomach issues, on toilet all day long, gas, bloating, feeling quite sick that i havent been taking them. The latest guidance is to take on alternate days as a greater amount if iron is absorbed, as another pp has said.
The spatone is easy to take and ididnt find it had side effects.

I got terrible gastric problems from taking iron. It took me a while to fix my stomach as anything acidic burned.
Can you ask the dr to refer your for the intravenous iron?

I was diagnosed as celiac too.

Went to gp thinking I may be anaemic. Recognised some symptoms from being anaemic years ago, but had some other symptoms too.

Bloods confirmed anemia ( not quite as bad as last time) but also raised gluten antibodies. First endoscopy said higher risk. Repeat bloods 6 months later and repeat endoscopy confirmed the diagnosis.

Part way though the iron tablets had improved things, so they were stopped. Was then still having to eat gluten before the repeat tests, so iron levels dropped again. Although I had stopped eating gluten after diagnosis, i was feeling some of the original symptoms, and blood tests confirmed low iron levels.

If the stomach hasn't recovered yet, you aren't going to absorb as much of what you need.

As you have said, eating the gluten could cause dome of the symptoms being mentioned. Didn't realise how bloated I was, until I stopped the gluten intake.

It may be that your levels are too low for alternate days but worth mentioning.

Ask your doc whether they know about taking it every other day to aid absorption. I maintain my levels doing this with one tab every other day. You may find it less irritating if you do it every other day instead. Research on absorption: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31413088/

They are awful!
Try the liquid - or the shots. There are apple ones that are lovely - Spatone

My iron level was 4 and was on serious iron tablets. A few soft dried apricots (Lidl do good ones) helped my stomach immensely

Try either taking it with food or at bedtime to minimise the side effects.

Taking it every other day is better than not taking it at all.

Manage constipation with fibre or laxatives.

Try to persist, many stomach side effects will settle in 2-4 weeks.

Many 'gentle' iron products don't contain enough iron to treat anaemia, they have so little iron (hence why no side effects!)

Yes, quite a typical response to this type of iron. As other posters have suggested try a different type like Ferrous bisglycinate which is often better tolerated.

Iron is best absorbed in an empty (or as empty as you can manage if it causes upset) stomach, with vitamin c to help absorption. When taking the supplements, avoid having tea and coffee and calcium rich foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt etc around the same time as these can block or reduce absorption.

As others have said, make a conscious effort to also increase iron in your diet (paired with vitamin c) and if you have heavy periods, look into these with your GP as this will not be helping your iron stores.

It can take a while for stores to improve too.

Yes they could be. I also have low ferritin and I am supposed to take the tablets 3x a day on an empty stomach. However I can only tolerate 2x a day with food at the moment as otherwise I get horrendous bloating, heartburn, reflux, constipation etc.

Liquid iron is supposed to be gentler on the stomach but I haven't tried that yet.

good to hear as I’ve been taking these for a few months and due another blood test soon

Tablets made me really ill, I got changed to liquid iron and made all the difference

Yes. I had the same side effects and my iron levels did not improve. Turns out I couldn’t absorb the iron tablets which was the cause of my discomfort agony. I ended up having to consciously overhaul my diet to have iron rich food sources.

I find that magnesium supplements, even those Trip drinks, make me really loose, so I take my ferrous fumerate in the morning, have a trip drink with my dinner and I'm pretty much ok.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/about-coeliac-disease/symptoms/

Have you been checked for Coeliac disease? It’s a very common cause of low iron and abdominal pain (as well as many other symptoms like mouth ulcers, headaches, miscarriages and infertility).
1:100 people have Coeliac disease but only a third of them are diagnosed. On average it takes 13 years to be diagnosed with Coeliac disease.

https://amzn.eu/d/00yljzVM These are fab. Got my ferritin from 23 to 140 in a few months. Much gentler on the stomach and have vitamin C to aid absorption

Wild nutrition do a great iron supplement which I found to be fine for my digestion. Im mostly veggie so I credit it with getting my iron ‘very high’ according to the midwife who gave me my blood test results at the start of pregnancy!
Perhaps worth a shot OP as these super strength ones are no good if you can’t tolerate them

You need to take it with something to help your poo. Pysllium husk or those powders you dissolve in water which I've forgotten the name of but they are usually orange flavoured.

I can’t tolerate the tablets. I have regular blood tests and infusions.