Iron tablet hell!!!

[SparklingNarwhal]

I'm in a real sour and teary mood. I'm 31weeks and I've only been taking the tablets for 2 days and I wanna stop.

For a kick off I didn't even get a consultation about my iron levels, I got a pre-generated text saying my prescription was ready at the hospital which sent me into a panic next I didn't know what it was for. After calling the antenatal clinic they told it was iron but we're only open when I was at work (20 miles away so I couldn't pop in on lunch either) so I waited a week to get them when they're we're opening for day on the Saturday. The chemist asked how I was suppose to take them since there notes just said '28' and she wasn't sure if it was 28 days worth of tablets or only 28 tablets need but remarked my iron level was only 'slightly' below the recommended amount.
The box did read take 3 a day but I looked at the dose it seemed excessive!!! So airing on the side of caution I took 2 a day for Sunday, and today .... And boy today have been a distaster zone!!!!! TMI but I've spent this evening glued to the loo, feeling sick to boot, so I have my seabands on.
This can't be right.
All the side effects, I have them. So I'm done. I'm not taking them. Given I had NO CONSULTATION even after I complained I didn't know what the prescription was for. It feels like they're doing more damaged than good if my body is strianght up finding every which way to reject the extra iron.
I have a midwife appointment on Thursday where I'm bringing this up.
For now I'll stick with iron rich food, orange juice and the prenatal vitamins.

I'm guessing that the dose they have prescribed is 3 X 200mg of ferrous sulphate?
If so, they aren't overdosing you, that is the recommended dose no matter what doctor google says.
Also the chemist commented on your blood count (which I'm very surprised about, how did they know?) but did they comment on ferritin levels?
You may have what I have, okish HB but very low ferritin levels. To remedy this, 600mg of iron tablets is what is needed (and it's still taken 6 weeks to work 😭).

I'm confused as to what has made you ill?
Are you saying the low iron has made you ill?
Or are you saying that they have over dosed you and that has made you ill?

I think what your experience is a normal adverse effects of the tablets which is unfortunately really common. There is a different type of iron you could try, it isn't ferrous sulphate it's something slightly different and some women get on better with that. Your GP may well suggest this.

As for the random text, that's anxiety inducing, I wouldn't like that either. Sorry you had to endure that.

Which tablets were you given? I found the fumerate impossible but the sulphate just about tolerable.

They are the devil. Make sure they keep monitoring you. They’ll give you an infusion if your levels are too low close to birth.

Ah sulphate I spotted now.

Totally appreciate how shitty (literally) you feel. Another option to discuss with midwife is dropping dose to one tablet every other day.

I was prescribed these in a similar way, they just sent a letter to my house with a prescription in it saying 'you have low iron, here's a prescription' and that was it. It did say that my levels were 9.9 though. I don't know what that means.

Bloody awful things. Haven't been taking them because I'm notoriously shit at taking tablets and they say I have to take them 30 mins before food and I forget. Probably should though.

I’m not 100% on the clinical guidelines but the impression I got is below 10 is low and if significantly below 10 then iron infusion before birth. 10-11 is low but don’t panic. And they really want to be above 12. I’ve managed to get up from 10 to 11 taking iron tabs for a month. Feeling a lot better with more energy but the side effects are awful. Have now come off them (36 weeks) and they’ll do another check before birth to make sure I haven’t dropped again.

It’s important your iron is at a decent level before birth because so many people lose a significant amount of blood during childbirth.

Update!
Managed to get hold of the clinic and voiced my issues. They said its normally the coating on the tablets that cause the reaction i had.
I've eaten mainly toast the past 48 hours and slept 10 to 12 hours both nights! That more sleep I've had this whole pregnancy XD. Bloody hungry thou but no appetite.

My level were 97, they want it to be 105. Now these are different metrics to what everyone else has been saying but another thread said some places round down a desimal making my level 9.7

Odd thing is I don't 'feel' aniemic. I have in the past, light headed, headaches, legs feel like iron boots filled with jelly. I did see a research paper that spoke of how Inaccurate the test can be due to unknown blood volume increase, there no base level for reference and could simply show a healthy placenta.

Regardless, I'm getting a new prescription tomorrow, liquid form I was told over the phone. Im hoping yesterday was the last of the 'evacuation' so i can drop the BRAT diet for something more nutritious and iron dense.

Nope! Still ill! XD at least the rotting egg burps have stopped. I the 'sulphate' for those!

Ferrous sulphate are nasty, I stopped taking mine too. It caused diarrhoea and nausea for me, I felt like I had a stomach bug. It’s just not worth the side effects. I switched to ferrous gluconate, much better.

Also for future reference you can buy it from any pharmacy and it’s cheap, you don’t need a prescription.

9.7(97) isn't borderline. The person at the chemist was wrong. Don't listen to them again, bad advice!

They used to always put the point in the numbers but now they just take the point out. It's exactly the same reading. 97 or 9.7 it means the same thing.

I expect your ferritin levels are in your boots!

I was really sick with fumerate and I asked my GP why I was given them and not sulphate. She said most people get in better with fumerate than sulphate.
Not me

Anyway I'd consider changing to them instead because that might help ease your symtoms.
I don't believe them about the coating, it's the same coating that goes on any tablet.

Fumerate is a capsule and that made me sick the most!

I've had a iron level of 10 before and felt absolutely horrific I so I'm shocked you don't feel bad.
Definitely best get it sorted though and glad you finally tracked down a clinician to give you the real information.

Outpinked I tried buying some this week and they refused. Because I'm pregnant.
I explained that it was because I was pregnant that I needed them and I've bought them plenty of times before.
They still refused.

I don't believe them about the coating, it's the same coating that goes on any tablet.

I have uncoated ones currently, but I also have a pot of sugar coated ones

Ah well, she said a liquid version this time so I assume bit should be better?
Trying to get in contact with the midwife or go today as it's now the third day of the runs and they're stopped being black and my energy levels have completely crashed.

Baby is still moving fine, so I'm not too concerned but the general advise is to seek medical attention if it's persists over 2 days.

Oh perhaps I should ask for liquid as well.

Would you mind letting me know if you find the liquid any easier? If you do, I will request the same.
I've still got 5 weeks to go and I could really do with giving my poor stomach a break.

I picked every iron tablet straight back up. The liquid (sytron) works so much better for me.

Oh sytron that's what they give my son. I'm very familiar with that and it's weird orangey red liquid.

I'm going to request it, thanks for the tip!

(Does it still cause constipation?)

Midwife here. Regarding iron levels, the 'normal' range changes in pregnancy (which is true of many things, so worth looking up specific pregnancy ranges if you're googling). So in general women's haemoglobin should be above 12g/dL (120g/L), but at the OP's gestation it needs to be above 10.5g/dL (105g/L). Your blood volume increases by about 50% in pregnancy so it gets a little... 'diluted', for want of an explanation that doesn't derail the thread! But as you've read, OP, everyone's volume doesn't increase the same amount so it's difficult to know exactly how much of a drop in Hb is acceptable for each individual. To further complicate things, the body is good at compensating for low iron levels. So if your Hb is usually 130 and then drops to 97, you will likely feel horrendous. But if you usually sit at 105 and then drop to 97, your body has spent so long getting by on a slightly reduced level that you might not notice.
I'm sorry you had such a poor experience in terms of communication with the clinic. It's worth sending them something in writing to express your concerns about this as other women are likely having a similar experience and it would be a relatively simple thing for them to address.
I hope you get on better with the liquid iron.

@ThatOneHurt it hasn't for me so far and I've been taking it for around a year.

That does make sense, if I've been used to low levels in general that I wouldn't notice the drop.