iron pills and black BM

[choclab]

have taken iron for 2 days and have black poo

is this normal

I say that because you seem to be suffering so much and it makes me feel sad to see it . Take what you think of course.

thank you Alice - very kind of you .

i am feeling really down to be honest , thought these pills would be answer to it ...but only few days on i feel so rough ....

i have some floradix was going to take once done the month of pills and get checked again ....maybe should drop the pills and start straight away ..
i cant feel like this for a month on these pills ....

so confusing .....

Mine is 12 but have palpitations and breathlessness - very unpleasant. Nails keep turning blue too! Haemoglobin 12.9.

Was prescribed 525mg of ferrous sulphate. Doesn't suit me at all even though they are supposedly slow release.

Poor you to be feeling rotten when you are going away. (At least I can stay put and totter about!)

you sound same as me stillchuckingit ..

my ferratin 11 and hebagloboin 12.5

and have the pulps and breathlessness to ...

i dont know weather to stick with the pills or not ...listening to you all seems common side effects of it all ...low iron and pills !!!

no quick fix i suppose ...
got to take dogs to kennels be back in an hour ...

comfort to talk to others in same boat

thanks for listening all ..x

choclab I really do feel for you. I have spent years being tired. I sometimes cry with just wishing I could just for once get through a day without being tired. I think feeling down really doesn't help, I often feel better when I'm happier. I know what it's like when you think you have the cure and it doesn't work out

I've posted on another thread about this but what amazes me is that the range of 'normal' spans 12-150 - surely it stands to reason that those at the lower end might not feel as good as those with better stores.

A few years back mine was 6 and I felt really rough got it up to about 50 but then it's dropped back - asked my gp if she could test my iron ass I've been feeling ultra tired and still have heavy periods - it's 32 which is 'normal' but Ive decided to take ferroglobulin to see if any improvement.

Also I lose alot of hair and read on a trichology site that optimum minimum for good hair is 70.

So make of all that waht you will. Why do gps say things are normal and not listen to symtoms- the same problem exists with diagnosis of thyroid probs.

Hope you feel better soon Choc lab

thanks all ,
and yes as im 11 and if the range of "normal "is 12-150 gosh iv a long way to go ...the best mine has ever been over the past 4 years is 14 ....

i to get heavy periods ..and i do an awful lot of exercise well not today to tired ...and his is common in people who do i have read ....

so frustrating ....i dont know what to do ......

Choc if you are feeling so ill I would highly recommend taking the iron tablets but with food. As I said earlier I was very aneamic and although you are advised on the tablet's packet to take on an empty stomach my Dr said, as I was getting stomach upsets, to take with food.

They worked for me within weeks and I felt so much better.

just looked up the feroglobin on web site looks good , similar to floradix , poss more vit and min in it will have to compare ..

thanks quicklookbusy - you could be right try with food , but on leaflet did say wont absorb the full amount ...but i guess better than none ...

Exactly choc. They are a large dose, so even if half didn't get absorbed that amount is still so much more than you would get from a vitamin tablet or iron an supplement which wasn't prescribed.

And that is the reason for drinking a glass of orange juice each day. The vit C in it ensures that a lot more iron will be absorbed.

when I was given iron tablets when pg I got completely bunged up, it's horrible stuff.

I got by with a just-adequate haemoglobin level by taking multi-vits with iron in, with a glass of oj, instead. (Can't remember though what the acceptable level was)

The range of normal for haemoglobin in women is 12-15, not 150! Below 11 counts as anaemic.

(In pregnancy it's 11-12)

"How do I know if I am Anaemic?
Common symptoms are loss of energy and shortness of breath. Someone may also become irritable and frustrated at the difficulty experienced in doing daily tasks. The symptoms of chronic kidney disease - lethargy, mood fluctuations, disturbed sleep patterns and impaired sexual function - may be aggravated. Your doctor can check your haemoglobin level. The normal range is 13-17 grams per decilitre (g/dl) for men and 12-15g/dl for women. These levels are reduced in anaemia, sometimes as low as 4g/dl."

from \link{http://www.kidney.org.uk/Medical-Info/anaemia/\National Kidney Federation}

oh sorry, the 150 figure was the ferritin, wasn't it? 12-150 is a huge range

my hemaglobin is 12.5 ferrritin 11
so i guess thats ok

feel bit better as think iron pill from thismorning wearing off ...so do i try tonights after tea?
theres no way i can get 3 in a day .....

I'd say it's better than nothing. See if with food makes it easier. If it means you can take them more readily then that's important too. FWIW I always take mine with food and was told to do so.

thanks ...so bloody confusing isnt it .....whats the worst to happen if i take with food .....not absorbing the full amount ? sick ?

the pills are 200mg but only 65mg apparently is absorbable so at worst half that 30mg ish ...x2 times a day ..roughly 60mg of iron ...not to bad as appose to daily suppliment of 14mg a day ...

got to do something right ?

No you won't feel sick if you take it with food. You will feel much better than if you take it on an empty stomach.

Think you are also sensible to just take 2 per day for a while, just to let your body get used to it.

thanks , just eaten ...feel shitte ...in 2 minds weather to take it or not ...
or maybe call doc to see if change to another one ...

am i being a wimp?

Oh if you are feeling rubbish now don't take another one.

I really think you should phone the Dr and see what they say.

yea i think i will wait - maybe they can give me another to try or explain why this should happen ..by sounds of it quite common though ...

thanks for help

You've just reminded me I read something earlier when I was googling this, that mentioned a different type of iron, maybe glucate or something, that the docs can give alternatively in the case of serious reaction.

got it! I was looking wondering why it doesn't mention citrate earlier hence why I didn't think it was useful but maybe it is. Really hope you can get it sorted.

Many thanks Aliceworld , kind of you to do that , just took a look , i will call doc in morning to double check what she thinks and how i should take them or try different ones .

havent taken any tonight , hope your irons ok now

thanks again