Taking 195mg of iron pills a day: did yo... - Kidney Transplant

Kidney Transplant

3,682 members2,105 posts

Taking 195mg of iron pills a day: did you lose your appetite?

Gardner-NY profile image
5 Replies

My spouse with doctor's orders around July 8 started taking 195mg of iron pills a day (had been taking 65 mg for months) due to "low iron stores"/low hemoglobin and severe fatigue since February. Did anyone take a high dose of iron for a long time and lose their appetite? HE received his kidney transplant 8 months ago. Thanks for writing.

Written by
Gardner-NY profile image
Gardner-NY
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
5 Replies
JackFrost1 profile image
JackFrost1

Sorry I’ve never had to take iron pills . My deficiency is magnesium .

JoanC645 profile image
JoanC645

Hi, I had chronic anaemia with first transplant. When I was taking iron, the first medication that I received was ferrous sulphate, which had a very negative effect of my GI system - stomach cramps, nausea, loss of appetite etc - and this is apparently very common with ferrous sulphate. Then, one of my doctors suggested replacing this med with ferrous gluconate which is easier on the GI system - wow, such a difference - no problems at all. After I was put on EPO, if my iron levels dropped, I was given ferretin intravenously - someone would come to my house to give it to me and I would pop home from work. This is an option that you could ask about. Hope that he feels better soon.

Gardner-NY profile image
Gardner-NY in reply toJoanC645

Thank you Jackie Shan for your response about low iron and medications that were better for your GI system.

JoanC645 profile image
JoanC645 in reply toGardner-NY

You are most welcome. I hope that he feels more comfortable very soon.

Gardner-NY profile image
Gardner-NY in reply toJoanC645

HI JackieShan, Since Feb 2019 his iron stores and hemoglobin have been low and have not gone up much and stayed there. He has extreme fatigue and other than walking in the house some, he is so tired all the time, he lays on his couch watching tv most of the day while I work all day. He will make us supper and after eating, lay down for hours afterwards. His stamina is so low and it's hard to watch each month like this going on. The first 2 months after transplant he was on my treadmill 2-3 times a week doing 1-2 miles at incline walking and said he felt great. After a native kidney cyst burst in early Feb and 2 wks later in late Feb he had "low grade rejection" going on, it has been one problem after another.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

What symptoms did you have from having CMV virus?

My spouse had his kidney transplant 9 months ago and for 7 months still has low iron stores and...
Gardner-NY profile image

Elevated creatinine — six months post transplant

Had a fairly good first six months after transplant. No real problems except low BP and some...

Immunosuppressants

Hi all! Prior to our move about a year and a half ago, I was a mentor and volunteer for the NKF. I...
WYOAnne profile image
NKF Ambassador

6 month transplant anniversary!!! Whoo hoo

Today is the 6-month anniversary of my kidney transplant. All continues to go very well with the...
Jayhawker profile image

Hair loss

Has anyone experienced hair loss? I'm taking Tacrolimus 3x daily at 1mg each and am losing a lot...
LBatl profile image

Moderation team

See all
JessicaJ_NKF profile image
JessicaJ_NKFAdministrator
Cap21_NKF profile image
Cap21_NKFPartner

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.