I am self medicating with iron tablets 🙄 Any doctors about?

[FennyBridges]

I've posted a thread before (30 days only) about my ferritin level and haemoglobin (7, and I've forgotten the latter.)

I'm having a hard time with iron tablets. Gluconate makes me feel so sick and sulphate gives me major digestive issues (wind, constipation and bouts of diarrhoea, which is random!) I am completely unable to take three a day. I'm averaging one. Last week when we went away I had to stop for four days as i wanted to not be nervous that there wasn't a toilet near and I wanted to not be plugged and and/or bloated.

Obviously my levels won't rise as quickly as they should, but they won't go down, surely? I've thought about going to the Dr again but I don't see the point. I'll just be whingeing about the effects of the iron tablets. But my legs are achy and my wrist hurts. My fatigue is not as pronounced but then I'm having two weeks off work (holiday - back on Monday.)

Is one tablet enough? I've had two steaks in the past fortnight too. Hoping for advice xx

Please don't rely on medical advice from MN.

Have to agree with PP, you do need proper medical advice but in the mean time/stuff to think about, have you tried other methods than tablets? A proper look at your diet? 2 steaks in a fortnight isn't going to do a great deal I'm afraid. You need to up the iron rich foods daily, eat them alongside a good source of vitamin c and maybe look at something like Spatone?
Obviously I'm no medic and don't know your current levels but this approach helped me in pg when I decided to stop iron tablets due to the awful side effects you describe.

Oh dear. I feel like I'm wasting their time. They've already prescribed two types of iron after all.

My haemoglobin was 114 or something. Not so low but I believe 7 is low for ferritin. I hoped you'd agree one at least was better than none

Iron Bisgycinate is really tolerable. Ferritin of 7 is on the floor, you really do need to get it up.

I would try other brands of iron. Some cause me nonstop intestinal pain. Others I can tolerate much more easily. Also make sure you are taking it with vitamin c. Juice is best, but in a pinch I use vitamin c tablets.

One thing to bear in mind is you don’t absorb anything like the levels of iron in the tablets under normal circumstances, although of Course to be in with a chance of absorbing anything at all you need to take them! I have the same problem as you, there is an alternative iron supplement (name escapes me!) but there has been a national shortage for a long time and I only managed to get a pack once. Anyway, no real advice, back to the doctor for you!

I take ferrous sulfate 200 and I'm back on it self medicating but energy levels are awful, low blood pressure and feritin as low as 3.

It really helps me but does give me painful stomach ache sometimes. I find taking it once a day with food is best.

My level was just under 8 and falling during my last pregnancy. I couldn’t keep any prescription iron down throughout the pregnancy (hg). Beetroot juice, 3 x spatone a day, kale crisps (home made) increased my levels to around 11 within a couple of weeks at the end of the pregnancy when hg was improving. I was told by the consultant it wouldn’t work and he was pretty surprised at the rapid improvement.

OP do you know that you need vitamin C in order to effectively absorb iron?

Don't just eat oranges, brocolli, peppers and potato are an excellent source of vitamin C!

With iron that low an iron infusion(s) is really the only way to get your level up quickly. They are amazing. You will feel new.
Back to the doctor for your.
7 is very low - almost empty.
Anemia is the pits.

Will you tolerate Floradix?

You really do need to go back to your gp.

I had an iron infusion 2 weeks ago but i had a massive allergic reaction to it :(

You need to go back to the GP for proper medical guidance! For starters, did the GP get to the cause of why your iron levels are low? Low iron can be a symptom of other serious problems if it's not because of your diet.

Are you getting enough iron in your diet? One steak a week isn't going to be anywhere enough! How much caffeine are you consuming because it can stop you from absorbing iron properly, especially if you're drinking tea and coffee at the same time as taking your tablets or eating meals.

I had seriously low iron levels and it was because of my periods. I know iron tablets aren't great. I find taking them after food, on a full stomach, best to avoid upsetting my stomach. I also take a probiotic. I'm sure I read somewhere that iron upsets your stomach cos it kills bacteria in your gut or something similar. It's probably nonsense and psychosomatic but I've found it helps as well.

I’m not in the uk, but do you have the liquid iron version available. They usually give it to kids here but it’s a lot easier to tolerate then the tablets.

If your not tolerating any can you ask for an iron infusion?

Why is your iron low?
Has the cause been investigated?

My ferritin level is 1, Drs are surprised I'm still walking and functioning.
The Drs can prescribe liquid iron, I can't remember what it's called but it's good. No side effects and I've had it in all 3 pregnancies. Spa tone is another ok one but doesn't have nearly enough iron in it for pregnant ladies so what I did was have a sachet of spatone a day combined with prescribed liquid iron. It still wasn't enough and I had monthly blood transfusions

try taking them an hour before bed. so you sleep out the side effects.

I didn’t tolerate any of the prescibesd iron supplements (including liquid iron) except floradix liquid BUT my GP was the one who advised this. Please do see the GP.

My diet has improved in the last 3-4 months. I recovered from anorexia nearly 20 years ago and I had a bout of restriction for six months. There was a lot going on in my life and I couldn't bear it. But I've only skipped a handful of meals since June and my weight is OK.

I have 3-4 cups of tea a day.

I have a copper coil so slightly heavier periods, but nothing to complain about, I don't think.

Would they just resort to an infusion?

I was in hospital with a bug...

And they was doing daily bloods...
Mine was low but not massively bad.
They said to have an infusion so i did....

iron infusion comes with quite serious potential side effects which is why that should only be given in a hospital.
costs £££
drs are not keen to give iv iron unless really necessary.

redsummershoes

I was given this, without warning...

Awful reaction

And my ferritin level was 50???????

Are you Coeliac?

Have you tried ferrous fumerate? I had these as sulphate did nothing

I've got to admit, I didn't realise 7 was so low until another MN thread. My muscles ache a lot and I went for ages thinking that I had arthiritis in my wrist, or something, it ached and hurt so much. I have tinnitus in my left ear and occasional chest pains, but I don't want to dramatise them. I do get tired a lot, two weeks holiday off work have helped with that, however.

I just can't bear iron tablets any more. But I could try them with food to help nausea. That's not going to help my digestive complaints though, and at times my wind means I'm paranoid I smell