Gentler iron supplement options for low ferritin and stomach upset?

[Sleepy21]

This is my second message on MN today so sorry for overdoing it! A couple of weeks ago GP prescribed me ferrous sulphate as had a serum ferritin of 13 - I could not tolerate it - cramps, loose stools, bloating - so I asked for an alternative and they gave Ferragrad C to take every other day - not having any luck with that either and I still can’t tolerate it. Can anyone suggest anything effective but gentler on the tummy? These tablets are making me feel so terrible tempted to just stop altogether! Any other tips for boosting iron welcome. Thank you for reading x

Iron bisglycinate is literally the only one I can tolerate. I can’t even tolerate spatone or ferric maltol (but you might be able to).

I used to swear by Spatone, I could tell the difference after taking it for a week or so. The tablets from GP used to just give me a bad stomach

I take iron bisglycinate and have had no side effects whatsoever. I take that on alternate mornings and I take beef liver supplements daily.

Are you having it with food? I find if I take iron tabs on an empty stomach, I pretty quickly feel really nauseous. Having vitamin C at the same time helps it absorb, tea or coffee within an hour of taking the tablets stops it absorbing (because of the tannins, not the caffeine). You probably already know this but doing the those things alongside it will hopefully mean you need to take it for less time. You could try boosting your intake of iron-rich foods too (just Google and it'll tell you).

I can’t tolerate iron tablets (same issues) so the hospital is arranging an infusion for me. Can you see if they can do that?

I tolerate the healthspan ironcare really well.

https://www.healthspan.co.uk/ironcare/

Thanks so much everyone for all your replies and suggestions. The Ferrograd C I am taking already has vitamin C in it but I haven't been taking it with food as I read it was better on an empty stomach? I will give it a go though and see if it helps! Yes, if I continue to tolerate them badly, which is seeming likely, I will ask about an infusion and in the meantime I will try something gentler. A few years ago I took Solgar gentle iron and had no problems with it so maybe I will go back to that - I know its not as powerful as what I am taking but its better than nothing!

What dose were you taking of the FeSO4? It might be that just taking it less frequently does the job.

Ferrous fumerate

Floradix liquid iron. It's great.