Iron tablets...

[LucyJones]

Just wanted to know if anyone has had similar experiences or any advice. My ds is just over 3 weeks old. I've been prescribed a motnh's course of iron tablets for anaemia, 3 a day, and he seems to have really bad wind, not sure if it's colic. Scrunches up his face and screams before going to loo or passing wind down bottom end. Are the two related does anyone know? TIA

I don't know if it could affect your ds, but iron tablets certainly gave me bad constipation when I was prescribed them after giving birth. I ditched them for Floradix (available in health food shops) which contains iron as well as other vits and minerals. It's in liquid form and much more easily absorbed, apparently. It certainly worked for me (I was pretty anaemic after a post-partum haemorrhage).
HTH

How anaemic are you, Lucy? When I was pg last time I staved off being given iron tablets by taking multivits+iron, with a glass of orange juice - kept me just above the critical level. (Had taken actual iron once before and got terrible constipation!) Might be worth trying?

Hi thanks for advice. My blood level was 8, apparently was 11 during pregnancy. I think I'll ask the health visitor if I can try something dfferent. Poor ds is really suffereing - very loose brown stools, shouldn't they be yellow in breast-fed bairns? He seems colicky too.... Trying Infacol - no difference so far...

Lucy ... an alternative is Spatone sachets - they're great as won't cause you any probs with constipation and, if the tabs are causing DS's wind, then maybe the Spatone won't.

Thanks Millie and Lisa - seeing the hv tomorrow and will ask if I can ditch the tablets - nearly 3 weeks worth left (!) and try either Floradix or Spatone. Hopefully she'll say it's okay otherwise I might ask the gp for a blood test to see if my levels are back to normal...

message withdrawn

Just to update - my doc said I can take just one tablet for the next 2 weeks and then have a blood test, like Twiglett says, he said it would take 4 weeks. He'd never heard of Spatone or Floradix!, but said they would probably have same side effects as all iron!

Lucy, my iron count also went down to 8 from a standard level of about 11. I took Floradix, cut out caffeine (inhibits iron absorption) and drank plenty of orange juice (vit c promotes iron absorption) and got my iron levels back up with no problem. Your Dr is wrong about the side effects, I have solid(!) evidence!

message withdrawn

Ditch them. Or at least reduce to what you get in a one a day vitamin. I had a major haemmorage (sp?) when I gave birth to my dd and my father consulted with one of the top haemotologist in the world and he said that I really shouldn't take the high levels of iron (3 a day like you) that the doctors had prescribed me. He said that it would inhibit my natural absorbtion of iron and make me very constipated. He felt that it was more important that I ate healthily, took a one-a-day vitamin and most importantly took it easy.