Iron tablets that won't make me nauseous

[burnttoastandtea]

hi,

I'd really like to start taking some iron tablets as last time i done private blood test my ferritin was low. However I tried the Boots Gentle Iron Tablets and I was so nauseous I was barely able to go about my day. I've tried taking them with food but still not helped. Also makes me go to the loo- so not ideal. Any recommendations would be very welcome. thanks

I struggle with iron tablets for the same reasons, but Spatone liquid sachets work for me.
Spatone Natural Iron Supplement + Vitamin C (84 Sachets), Daily Convenient Liquid Iron Sachets, Nothing Artificial, Better Absorption Than Tablets, Less Side Effects, Apple Flavour : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

I second the Spatone recommendation!

I get liquid iron from GP, which is gentle on the stomach.

I like floradix

Came on to say Spatone too.

Feraglobin capsules from Vitabiontics are good for me , as well as Spatone added to apple or beetroot juice to disguise the taste .

A lot of 'gentle' forms of iron are so low in actual iron content as to be of little benefit. Spatone contains just 5mg of elemental iron, NICE guidelines suggested 65mg daily. I would be very surprised if they would be sufficient to increase your ferritin levels and they are incredibly expensive.

While iron is absorbed better on an empty stomach you can reduce side effects from normal iron tablets by taking with food. You can switch to alternate days as reduce side effects too.

Avoid caffeine for a couple of hours either side of taking it.

I agree with all of this. Also, taking vitamin C with it increases absorption. So you get more bang for your buck if you take it with an orange juice.

It's avoid tea & coffee totally either side of meals/ iron tablets, by the way, not just caffeinated versions. It's the polyphenols, not the caffeine, which are problematic.

How long did you try the tablets for before? It's worth seeing whether your symptoms settle down after a couple of weeks.

Floradix do a liquid or tablet version, I found the tablets easy on the stomach

Do you know why your iron levels are this low?, Is it due to heavy periods?.

How low is your ferritin? You could ask for an iron infusion and cut out all the drama. Though it comes with risks these are well discussed and rare.

Are there any over the counter iron supplements that are higher than the spatone value?
asking as I bought some active iron with b bits from boots yesterday but wonder now if they’ll be any good

@Nightvax Most iron (as in supermarket / health food shop 'multivitamins with iron') will have 14mg of iron which is enough to keep most people ticking over even if dietary iron intake is poor.

If however you already have an iron deficiency (diagnosed by a blood test eg low ferritin, low Hb) it wouldn't top your iron stores up very quickly (if at all) so where you know you have a deficiency then the higher dose pharmacy or prescription iron tablets (ferrous sulphate 200mg, ferrous fumarate 210mg etc) which contain at least 65mg of elemental iron are needed to replenish stores. It's usual to take them until levels are back to normal and for another 3 months after that and then stop.

It's important that the cause of low iron stores is investigated. Lack of dietary iron or failure to absorb iron (coeliac, gastric surgery etc) can mean there is not enough iron going in but usually the cause is too much iron being lost... Heavy periods is a common cause but other types of blood loss and diseases should be considered if there isn't an obvious cause.

Sytron liquid. It's prescribable and in theory also available OTC but in practice pharmacist may want to know who is monitoring you. It's the only thing I've been able to stomach. That said, it is still very evil stuff, but with a liquid you can start with a tiny dose and increase as you get used to it, stopping as soon as you've reached your limit.

Thank you for this post. I have coeliac disease and heavy periods and am now permanently on a daily dose of 3x 15 mg liquid iron from the GP (and tranexamic acid). It’s good to see in black and white what the inter-relating factors are.

I took ferrous sulphate once every 48hrs.

So one iron tablet. One vitamin C tablet. Then no food for two hours.

My ferrutin has gone up 100 in two years.

You could try eating lots of green veg instead of taking tablets. I stir spinach into almost everything.

Taking iron every other day is another good way to reduce stomach upsets.

There's evidence to show that after one good dose of iron the body can't absorb much more for another 24-48 hours and so those doses stay in the stomach, causing stomach issues. Taking a second or third dose in a day (and perhaps even just taking a dose the following day) might increase side effects without much extra iron being absorbed.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098299720300364