Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Iron and abdominal cramps

30 replies

Catatedog · 29/08/2025 02:57

is there any way to manage cramping from iron tablets. Have been on ferrous sulphate once a day for past 4 days. Am taking on an empty stomach but about two hours after taking get incredible abdominal cramping around my belly button which last at least 10 hours then the runs. I can cope with the nausea if it reduces fatigue but the pain is waking me up and not sure how to manage.

OP posts:
Original poster
Catatedog · 29/08/2025 11:14

somethingnewandexciting · 29/08/2025 09:32

I had these same symptoms for years and the Dr said I was depressed and put me on Prozac. He was the one who told me to get Spatone actually so I am a bit worried the dose may be too low. I actually also have pernicious anemia which had been ignored for so long it became hard for me to get out of bed and even go to work. I finally managed to get a blood test when it caused my thyroid to go haywire and I went into thyrotoxicosis and ended up in hospital. I was so angry at my Dr as my mum had pernicious anemia and I made a point of mentioning this EVERY TIME I went in for many years, but he said it wasn't hereditary. It took my body shutting down for the right bloods to be taken in hospital and I switched Dr's. New Dr took one look at my results (Iron was at 4 at one point) and said she couldn't believe he had left me like that. Apparently new mums often have low B12 because the laughing gas depletes the body's stores of it, but as far as I know no one ever tests tired new mums to check they aren't having to deal with this post-partum. I strongly suspect many mental health issues could be avoided if we did check this in new mums who had gas and air and raised the B12 base level range. You don't say if you are a new mum but I wish I had known that information.

Sorry, bit of a tangent but I couldn't not share my story as it sounds so similar with the symptoms. Hair was coming out in the brush, fingernails were breaking off at the slightest knock and all ridged, Dr said he had "never heard of nails being any kind of indicator for deficiencies" - in hindsight I can laugh but at the time I was struggling to even get to the surgery I was so ill.

Show quote history

Sorry you had that experience are you feeling betrter with the spatone. Not a new mum but had gas and air for a medical proceedure

OP posts:
Original poster
Catatedog · 04/09/2025 04:34

Really struggling symptoms improved with out iron but gp suggested retrying to see if its a problem

OP posts:
somethingnewandexciting · 04/09/2025 12:44

Sorry to hear this. In a way I hope it is B12 as there's a solution that takes just a few weeks to make a marked difference (some people feel it after the first one or two injections but it took a few for me to really feel like I was human again).
Fingers crossed for you they can figure it out.

Hoolahoophop · 04/09/2025 12:59

I had the same intense cramping from taking Ferrous Sulphate every other day. So stopped taking it. My ferritin was 15 prior to taking so Dr didn't think it was worth me trying anything else as that's within normal levels, and even on the tablets my highest reading was 21. Still have symptoms so waiting to go private.

Utini · 04/09/2025 13:11

I had the same issues with ferrous sulphate (and gluconate, fumerate and bisglycinate).

The only iron I tolerate is haem iron, which is the form that is in meat. If you're not veggie then this might be worth a go, the brand I used was Three Arrows, although I think there are others.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page