Iron supplements and black poo

[user789264]

I'm on prescribed iron tablets to get my ferritin levels up. I have noticed I am getting blacker areas in my stools. Is this normal? When I look up iron supplementation it suggests the whole stool should be black. Are black areas normal as opposed to the whole stool?

No-one can tell you here.
Even if someone has had similar, it doesnt mean yours is ok / not ok
See a Doctor

Yes it can be normal as the iron reacts differently with different food waste products. I would still advise checking with your GP that its nothing else.

Yeah iron gives you black poo. At least it did me and all the others I know who've mentioned being on it.

when i’m starting a course of iron tablets or finishing a course of iron tablets the poo can be splodges of brown and splodges of black all mixed up together like playdoh.

then it’s one or the other as im fully iron’ed up or fully finished the meds.

it can take up to three days to fully change colour as the food works its way through.

Thanks all. Will hold off taking them for a few days and then see. Good to know on the three day count. I only take iron every other day so it’s not happening every day which makes me think it is the iron tablets 👍