I need to take iron supplements but the constipation! Can Hema supplements help as an alternative?

[IamEarthymama]

I have been prescribed iron tablets, ferrous fumerate by my GP; however I suffer already with constipation. (Lifelong)
I have been in agony in the second week of taking iron and really need to stop.

I’m vegetarian and eat lots of green vegetables, drink water etc.
I have seen Hema supplements recommended and am happy to buy them when I can decide if they are effective and won’t cause constipation.

Any advice please?

Start eating red meat
then you won’t need to take the tablets
and suffer from constipation

Active Iron from Boots. Only one that worked when I needed it.

Try taking Spatone with orange juice. My midwife put me onto it twenty years ago and it’s always my go to when my iron is low. More expensive, but worth it imho.

I found gentle iron (iron bisglycinate) combined with floradix the best to get my iron levels up quickly without the side effects like upset stomach and constipation. Make sure to drink lots of water and eat plenty of fiber.

The best one I had for not upsetting my stomach was called Maltofer.
Midwives said spatones but chemist said that's not useful when iron is very low (mine was)

This is not true, I'm afraid. There are plenty of us who are quite severely deficient despite eating meat, me included.

I'm anaemic (thanks previous pregnancy!) and take ferrous sulphate. No amount of steak and eggs helps.

Always take the iron at night with a vit c supplement as it helps you absorb the iron.

I tried taking one tablet every other evening but got all shaky so now I take one 7 nights in a row and then miss a night. That helps with the constipation.

If it gets bad, I also use movicol/laxido to assist but don't take it regularly, maybe every two weeks?

Active Iron is non constipating. I’m a pescatarian and find it good.

I am a vegetarian and have excellent iron levels ...

Well that was until I have a post partum heamorrage OP. I've now been on them for 6 months and was told to take them with orange juice? Not sure if it was to help in that department but logically it should.

Another vote for iron bisglycinate. Absorbs well and is way less disruptive to the guts than iron fumerate / sulphate / gluconate. Might also be worth adding raw coconut to your diet. It is hugely fibrous and helps swoosh things through.

I also found the Spatone sachets to be good, but they are such an expensive way of taking iron.

For veggies, iron rich foods include apricots (also high fibre), all the pulses (also high in fibre), leafy veg and nuts.

If you are a tea drinker, it is worth noting that tannin inhibits the absorption of iron, so you should try and take any iron supplement at a time you are not drinking tea and include some vitamin C containing drink or food, as this will help absorption.

I take one of these everyday. They really helped.

Thank you so much for your replies!
i appreciate them all 😉😂
I will read through them all later.

Take them with high strength vit c supplement

What is your Hb and ferritin OP? An infusion might be a quicker/easier option for you.

I'll try to link a recent thread which was similar if I can find it. People bang on about spatone, floradix etc as being gentle- its because it barely contains any iron!

A daily supplement for maintenance is a very different amount to the mg needed to actually rectify a deficiency.
Spatone 5mg iron
Floradix 14mg
Over the counter multivitamin with iron 14mg
Ferrous fumerate 210mg is 69mg of elemental iron

Spirulina is a blue/green algae which is high in iron, but I'd only recommend it as an additional supplement to prescribed meds- not as a replacement.
Some people find taking iron supplements every 2nd day can help with constipation and then take daily
It takes 3mths for red blood cells to replicate, so this is a long term plan, not a few pills for a few days as some people think.

I'd never heard of hema before, but google tells me its 43mg of chelated iron, so only slightly less than the prescribed one you are on, so not as useless as spatone and might be worth a try.

As a side, have you ever tried a squatty potty for the constipation? Absolutely game changer.

JDM625 Powderblue1
and everyone else
Thank you for your suggestions and explanations.

I am afraid my brain loses its ability to listen when GP gives details 😳

I have ordered Hema, squatty potty and Vit C.
Wish me luck and again, many thanks.

(I was talking to a friend about this support last evening and said that I find MN invaluable in so many ways, I’m very grateful and wish it had existed when my children were little.
It was a great resource for my grandchildren.)

I agree, but it depends how much you can actually absorb and if it’s feasible to continuously take it. Ferrous Fumarate was impossible for me, it made me so uncomfortable and constipated, and my iron levels didn’t rise very much. Active Iron from Boots actually was the only thing to consistently raise my levels enough. Even though the Ferris Fumarate was prescription and the Active Iron was over-the-counter.