Spatone- can I take 2 sachets?

[Verbena17]

Hi
I’ve got low iron (8 UMOLS) and GP prescribed me iron tablets which I didn’t collect and instead wanted to up my iron intake with diet and spatone.

However, instructions state only take one sachet a day unless you’re pregnant (I’m not) but DH says one sachet will be to maintain your iron....not if you want to up your level and you’re anaemic.

Anyone just take two or will it be too much?
I’ve messaged Spatone yesterday on multiple social media accounts but no reply as yet.

Join one of the iron deficient anemia groups on Facebook, you can learn so much from them. Do you take a vitamin C tablet with your iron supplement? You need to, not just a glass of orange juice, this aids iron absorption.

I take a haem iron supplement, having had awful side effects from fairly low doses of ferrous sulphate and bisclycinate, and even spatone if I took more than one a day. I get no side effects from it at all.

Ah sorry, just saw that you're a vegetarian, haem iron is from animal sources so you probably won't want that.

Take a probiotic. That sorts out my guts on iron tablets. Having been badly anemic and also needing iron tablets after a csection, I can advise that being badly anemic to the point of falling asleep is worse.

My midwife recommended spatone after I had ds and lost a lot of blood and could hardly get off the sofa. I took 2 sachets a day with orange juice and I honestly think it made a huge difference. Now I take 1 or 2 a day when I remember and 2 a day when I’ve got my period. I feel better when I take it regularly. Maybe it’s just psychosomatic but it’s worth a try IMO. Iron tablets also gave me awful constipation which spatone doesn’t.

My Hb was 8 after a post-birth blood transfusion. I was discharged with iron tablets that effectively paralysed my bowels after 2 days. I switched to 2 sachets of Spatone. My HB level was satisfactory at my blood test 6 weeks later.

NBC. Poster upthread saying iron levels should be over 70. Normal Hb levels in an adult are 120 to 180 g/L (12 to 18 g/dL) of blood but are influenced by age, sex and ethnic origin (females being at the lower end of the range).

I also can't take iron tablets. I have managed to raise my very very low levels by taking Floradix or Feroglobin daily. In addition I use Engevita flakes with Iron and vitamin D in my food. I also take sambucol vit c with the liquid iron. a vegetarian some days vegan. I have also upped my brown lentil intake!

You will increase your iron levels more and faster if you take the prescribed medication…and you can take lactulose or similar to ensure you don’t get constipated. That’s what I have to do.

Personally I don’t think Spatone or Floradix will be enough to get your iron levels up.

@Verbena17

purplesequins is it given as a blood transfusion then? Or just injection iron?

iit's an infusion of liquid iron. not a blood transfusion.

NBC. Poster upthread saying iron levels should be over 70. Normal Hb levels in an adult are 120 to 180 g/L (12 to 18 g/dL) of blood but are influenced by age, sex and ethnic origin (females being at the lower end of the range).

It depends on where you’re talking about ferritin or haemoglobin levels. The prior poster was talking about ferritin as is the OP.

NHS guidelines have an extremely low minimum of 15 ug/L for ferritin but good female health requires 30. Some medical conditions (restless legs) need at least 50 and there’s a view that if you’re suffering from hair loss then they want to see ferritin over 70.

It’s possible for ferritin to be low but haemoglobin levels to be completely fine. I have dipped in and out of very low ferritin my whole adult life with low end normal haemoglobin. You don’t need to be anaemic to feel like crap if your iron stores are poor.

I took two sachets of spatone per day on my midwife's advice after giving birth. My iron was really low and I was totally wrung out. I do feel like they helped me a great deal, without needing iron tablets. Slight caution needed as after three months or so, I noticed my teeth were a bit stained. Nothing a scale and polish at the dentist couldn't sort.

So my results are - brackets are the acceptable parameters:

Hb 113 (115-165)
Serum Iron 8 (11-25)
B12 510 (197-771)
Serum folate 10.3 (3-20)

After 2 weeks of taking the tablets you should begin to perk up.
What worked for me with nausea and pain
(after taking with just juice) was to always take it with food. And take it halfway through your meal so it is "sandwiched" in your stomach. You may be able to prevent constipation with increased fruit and fibre in your diet, and drinking extra water. Taking a vitamin C tablet will help your body absorb the iron.

Thanks so much for those tips hydrate.

Spatone got back to me - pretty much said all of above but did say I could take up to 3 sachetsor take 2 alongside iron fumerate.

You're welcome. Hope you feel better soon.

@Verbena17

earrings&lipsticks I don’t mean to sound ‘silly’ but a cute constipation after a csection wasn’t pleasant! Saying that, it was over 20 years ago but sooo many people won’t take prescription iron because if the side effects. Anyway, hopefully the new tablets when they arrive, will be just the job. I’m currently falling asleep eating my lunch!

I know OP, I've been there.

I also suffer from extremely low ferritin levels. To manage it I must take suitable iron tablets. Acute constipation 20 years ago shouldn't be determining your choices now. There are ways to mitigate the side effects.

@FatFilledTrottyPuss

My midwife recommended spatone after I had ds and lost a lot of blood and could hardly get off the sofa. I took 2 sachets a day with orange juice and I honestly think it made a huge difference. Now I take 1 or 2 a day when I remember and 2 a day when I’ve got my period. I feel better when I take it regularly. Maybe it’s just psychosomatic but it’s worth a try IMO. Iron tablets also gave me awful constipation which spatone doesn’t.

If your midwife recommended Spatone when you were seriously anaemic, she wasn't doing her job properly. They just aren't sufficient in that situation.

I had an iron infusion two weeks ago. My feratin had drooped to 4 and like you I find iron supplements difficult to tolerate, and was advised it would take around 9 months of supplementation to restore my iron stores.

Some of my anemia symptoms disappeared that day, and others are gradually easing. I look much healthier already. It takes 4 to 6 weeks for your body to fully uptake the iron. I had no side effects other than a couple of days of 'iron flu' which you are warned about.

Mine was covered by health insurance but you can pay privately, or see if you can get it on the NHS.

cheeseismydownfall gosh that sounds awful with it only being 4!
So following your iron infusion, so you have to also take daily iron tablets/supplements or is the iron they gave you enough for now?
So glad you’re feeling a lot better already.

@Verbena17 hi op I haven’t read other people’s posts, read yours. I was concerned about constipation too, and took the iron tablets with a bit of lactulose on advice of midwife. It was ok. Had about 10ml a day to keep things moving without having to strain.

You will feel so much better after the iron tablets, I hope you choose to take them. Best wishes.

I took spat one afterwards to maintain. I wish I’d kept taking them through breastfeeding, hindsight it must have dropped again how tired I was

Thanks bakeoff.
The thing is, I spent a couple of weeks in hospital in October and had regular bloods taken during my stay. They never said my iron was low and whilst I know it can build up over time, it’s really strange that it came on suddenly ....so I’m hoping I can raise it back up with just high iron diet (I usually eat quite high iron foods as was vegan for 2 yrs and now veggie) and gentle iron supplements.

After my csection, I raised it myself after stopping the awful tablets and I’ve never been iron anaemic since (although I was eating meat so...). Maybe it just crept up on me over the past 2years and has got worse since I introduced absorption-preventing dairy back into my diet.
Who knows!

@Verbena17, no, in fact it's important not to take iron supplements initially after the infusion. The infusion should last between 1-3 years apparently - after that it might be possible to maintain with supplementation, or it might be necessary to have another infusion. I think a lot depends on the underlying reason for the anemia.

I'm actually going to need a top up infusion after 4 months because my levels were so low, but most people only need the single treatment.

That’s good it lasts that long cheeseismydownfall.
Is it a simply IV infusion - or something more? Is it painful?