Iron ferrous fumarate

[Lilxa89]

Hey all.... those that were on ferrous fumarate liquid did you manage to tolerate it and jow lomg to see an improvement?
I had it before fir 5 days it made me feel awful but I feel awful at the minute and know I need to be taking something again.my ferritin is 17. Drs just say oh that's normal. Also have low vit d at 21. My b12 is 256 which drs also say nirmal yet the groups say otherwise
Thanks:)

I’ve not tried the liquid but I have had the tablets and I wasn’t a huge fan, caused awful stomach issues. My ferritin was 15 and I think in the end I did about 2 weeks on the ferrousfumarate and then switched to a gentler iron supplement to maintain.

I did attempt Floradix liquid which was highly recommended but honestly i couldn’t get past the taste, like gone off liquid vegetables. My DH didn’t mind the taste though so that could be an option.

What is your Hb? Red blood cells take 3mths to replicate, so taking iron supplements isn't a quick fix!

What do you mean by feeling awful OP? Is this a new symptom or the same as before taking the meds?

I'll try to find other recent threads about iron/anaemia. People bang on about floradix being gentler on the stomach, but that is because it contains barely any iron! It only contains 5mg of iron, whereas ferrous fumerate provides 68mg of iron per tablet! Floradix is for maintenance of a normal Hb/Ferritin with a very good diet, it will never correct an actual deficiency.

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

@JDM625 thankyou for replying am I able to pm you please x

@Keepsmiling2948 thanks for commenting
Did you manage to bring your levels up and was you experiencing any bad symptoms with low ferritin x

Your vitamin D is low. It needs to be a minimum of 50, but 75 for bone protection.
Your B12 is normal for our area, you ferritin is low.

Have a look at some high strength iron bisglycinate, it has better bioavailability than ferrous fumerate, and no gastrointestinal side effects. It increased my ferritin quickly, whereas ferrous fumerate didn’t get it above 34, despite being on it for years!

Try taking your iron tablet every other day.

Play around with the best time and way to take it to find what works for you. Take it with a bit of orange juice and avoid tea/ coffee for an hour or so each side if taking it.

It's best absorbed on an empty stomach but if nausea is the issue have it with a small meal or snack. I prefer to have it at bedtime as less bothered by nausea then.

Persevere with the prescibed tablets as the 'gentle' iron products you can buy are a waste of your money!

Yes of course. 😊

I've taken Sytron which is a prescribable liquid with another form of iron, not fumarate. But I expect its similar. I just experimented with how much I could stand and how often and took it over a longer time period. It definitely worked and having a liquid makes it easier to reduce the dose if necessary. But I think " no pain, no gain" is unavoidable with iron supplements.

Agree with pp, latest advice is to only take every other day. This increases absorption and reduces impact on your digestion.

Iron bisglycinate is gentler (but not problem-free for everyone). Or sublingual iron avoids the gut as much as possible:

uk.iherb.com/pr/superior-source-just-women-iron-25-mg-90-microlingual-instant-dissolve-tablets/85919

I’m taking ferrous fumarate tablets. My HB was 6.6 and ferritin 3. I had 1 bag of blood then the tablets for 6 weeks and my HB is 9.7 and ferritin 10. I haven’t had any problems taking them and I’m amazed how quickly my levels have improved. I do have to take them with food though.

I have mine before bed, every other day and eat prunes to deal with the side effects.

@Lilxa89 have you been tested for Coeliac Disease. Low iron, Vit D and B12 are classic signs. May not be this but if you have any weight loss, gastro problems etc then might be worth considering.

@Seymourscat I did have weight loss at one point i do have a hiatus hernia/gerd/lpr. I was rold i donr have coeliac. I do feelnlike I gor alot more weak and poorly after going on ppis aswell:( I weaned off them and juat take gaviscon now,but I juat feel so weak,exhausted and awful 😖 my dr is trying to tell me low vit d would only cause tiredness and aching/weak bones and wouldn't cause any other issues and neither would the ferritin and b12 at them levels as its all normal. That's whybi turn to these groups now rather than my drs :( x