How to take iron tablets ?

[pollyanne000]

My midwife gave me iron medicine and there's nothing on it to advice how many I take or when or anything ?

Can anyone offer some help ? I would like to take them as feeling very tired ! Have text midwife but no reply and can't get hold of doctors

Thanks xx

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/ferrous-sulfate/how-and-when-to-take-ferrous-sulfate/

I have them - instructions say to take them on an empty stomach - so an hour or 2 before a meal or a couple or hours after eating. Mine are 1 tablet a day. Midwife told me to take with some orange juice as this can help absorb the iron (but avoid taking with tea or milk). Be warned, they may bung you up. I've dropped mine to every other day as they were making me very uncomfortable

@Bigbaby2024 thank you my box was empty to 🫠 no leaflets. I will start taking them now!! Do you feel better now ? Less tired ? X

@pollyanne000 no, not really! I was low in B12 too so just finished a course of 6 injections. I'm still breathless/very tired but I think part of that is a very large baby pressing on my lungs! The tablets just weren't agreeing with me so I was prescribed a liquid at my last appointment - but it was so disgusting that I was being sick right after taking it...so I'm back on the tablets! Trying to eat lots of iron rich foods but I think baby is just sucking it all out of me!!

I'm taking iron tablets for low ferritin. I started to feel a little bit better after 10 days of taking them - just that bit more energy, especially at the end of the day.

I got my test results back on MyChart and then didn't get the instructions on what to take and how to take them from the midwife for another week. But I had already had low iron before so had tablets in the house and just got on with taking them as I had last time round.

I'm supposed to take them every morning but I know they give me stomach ache and an upset stomach - so I take one every other night before bed (at least two hours after food). I'm also eating other iron rich foods like red meat, dried dates etc on the non-tablet days. Whether I will get my ferritin above my hospital 's magic number of 30 before I go in to labour is a completely different question! But at least I am starting to feel better :)

That's interesting! Every iron tablet I've ever taken says to take with food

With a glass of orange juice, but in reality please do yourself and your guts a favour and buy some Spatone instead. It was recommended to me by a private obstetrician many years ago and is so much better and easier than taking the regular supplements. Better absorbed by the body and no awful constipation/nausea

Mine also said to take on an empty stomach. I was prescribed ferrous fumarate and I've just checked the NHS site which also says take on an empty stomach.

Don't drink tea within an hour of taking the iron.
It really decreases the absorption rate. No black tea, green tea or decaffeinated tea. The polyphenols prevent absorption.

Mine say to take with food and the only time I took them on an empty stomach I was heaving within 20 minutes.
Google your particular one and you'll find the leaflet.

This

Two spa tone in orange juice first thing 15 mins before food

I second the spatone and they even make flavoured ones now. No horrible side effects, no constipation.

I’m on ferrous sulphate, luckily not had any side effects and they’ve really helped with my tiredness and breathlessness.

I take it 2 hours before and after eating and/or consuming any egg, dairy or caffeine products which is what it advises in the leaflet.

I take it in the afternoon though not the morning, so I’ve had food for the day before I take it not a completely empty stomach.