If you take iron supplements, what time of day do you take them?

[QuimReaper]

Just bought myself a big pack of iron sachets and struggling with when to take them: it says to take them first thing on an empty stomach, but then also says to take them no less than one hour after, or two hours before eating or drinking tea. I cannot possibly cope with the first 2hrs of the day without tea! (My tea-and-hard-boiled-eggs based morning diet is probably the reason I need the sachets in the first place...)

My strategy was to have my tea and then wait 1hr, then wait 2hrs for lunch, but it turns out I was still drinking tea at 11am, which means 2pm for lunch, by which time my stomach will've eaten itself.

How do you manage it?

I struggle too. I wait till the afternoon, when I've stopped drinking anything with caffeine in it. I aim for a couple of hours before my evening meal.

Tlenti I've been thinking the same.

I've just realised I had it the wrong way round though: it's supposed to be one hour before or two hours after a meal, so maybe I can take the supplement and hold off on the tea for one hour - seems more manageable than two!

Didn't help today when I waited 2hrs after my tea, making it 1pm, then tried to wait another 2 for my lunch. I managed one hour but I was on the verge of stabbing something so gave in!

To be really honest I don’t think it makes a huge amount of difference. I have really severe anaemia caused by autoimmune problems and I take 210mg ferrous fumerate x 3 a day which is quite a high dose and the consultant said to me the main thing is not to take indigestion remedies at the same time as it stops your body absorbing it. I do take mine with tea and breakfast in the morning and lunch and dinner. Eating at the same time reduces stomach irritation. If too followed every single rule about them you’d drive yourself mad... there’s all sorts of things about not drinking milk, not eating eggs at the same time, making sure you drink orange juice (as vitamin helps your body absorb the iron) ... all of which are a bit true but it’s pretty hard to live like that day in day out!

That's what I've been finding Fairy - the rules sound fairly straightforward but they make it so hard to find a convenient window, especially when on top of it all they say first thing in the morning's best. Glad to hear it isn't the end of the world if you bend the rules.