Iron supplement

[essexgirl]

Does anyone take iron supplement with Mtx

[Hidden]

Most people take folic acid every day apart from mtx day

[essexgirl in reply to Hidden]

I take folic acid for 6 days but was wondering with iron

[Hidden in reply to essexgirl]

Is your iron levels low? I wouldn’t take iron with folic acid unless prescribed

[essexgirl in reply to Hidden]

Ok 👍

[essexgirl in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou

[bubblyalex]

I have iron infusions because I’m anaemic... pills did nothing other than Haley my digestive system

[essexgirl in reply to bubblyalex]

Thankyou

[helixhelix]

I eat a good diet with lots of leafy green veg, make my own cereal with oats and dried fruit, and eat fish a few times a week. That gives me a good amount of iron. O prefer to spend my money on dried apricots rather than supplements...

[Neonkittie17 in reply to helixhelix]

Me too and my iron levels are really good with all the iron rich foods I have. Iron tablets have always given me really intense and uncomfortable tummy issues so I avoid the tablets. Best as you say to take the natural iron from foods and I love all the iron rich things anyhow. It’s the natural way and I love that very idea! x

[essexgirl in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thankyou

[essexgirl in reply to helixhelix]

Thankyou

[ruth_p]

I take a multivitamin with iron.

[essexgirl in reply to ruth_p]

Thankyou

[Monkeysmum]

Hi essexgirl. I seem to have problems absorbing iron so take a supplement daily but iron levels still stubbornly on the low side of normal. I am also on mtx.

[essexgirl in reply to Monkeysmum]

Thankyou

[Empress30 in reply to Monkeysmum]

I take folic acid everyday. Even on Mtx day. Eating red meat helps with iron. My rheumy told me to take it that way. He said skipping the mtx day is the old way of thinking.

[essexgirl in reply to Empress30]

Never heard that before

[KittyJ in reply to essexgirl]

Empress may be in the U.S. as they are told to take fa every day.

[essexgirl in reply to KittyJ]

Ok

[Empress30 in reply to KittyJ]

Yes I am in N.Y. USA. I asked the doctor and he said it was the old way of thinking. I was wondering what is the reason for not taking it? 🌝

[marti]

I take methotrexate as my iron levels are low so my GP has prescribed iron tablets but I do struggle to take them I should have 2 a day but gave me terrible runs so I now take every other day and have been alit better. I make sure I don't take them on tablet day and I'm coping alot better with them now

[essexgirl in reply to marti]

Thankyou

[Mall]

I have an overload of iron due to hereditary hemochromotosis, My overload can’t be controlled by diet alone but can be slowed. Certain food combinations can increase absorption of iron from food and other combinations decrease absorption. Having foods that have plenty of vitamin C along with foods with plenty of iron aid iron absorption so try drinking some orange juice with a main meal. Also avoid drinking tea with meals as this can suppress absorption as can creamy sauces with meals. The body finds absorption of iron from hemo, meat, types of foods easier than non hemo, veg types of foods. Eat a wide variety of healthy foods with plenty of vitamin C for good absorption.

[essexgirl in reply to Mall]

Thankyou

[Niao in reply to Mall]

Excellent advice re the taking of Vit C rich foods alongside meals and avoiding drinking tea or coffee, to add absorption. I'm sorry to hear you have hemochromatosis. We also have to watch our son's iron intake, as although he only has the one gene, he did have signs of overload. It must be tough for you! We found it hard at first having to read all the ingredients and cut out so many things due to the added iron!

[nomoreheels]

Only under medical supervision (prescribed) when I had severe iron deficient anaemia around 21/2 years ago. Have you had your levels checked & this is why you're asking? If so I’d run with what's been recommended.

[nomoreheels in reply to nomoreheels]

Just read the other comments... I’d be careful, only take a supplement if it's needed, if you've been tested, they can make you poorly otherwise. You can always ask your GP to test you if you think you have a problem, whatever it may be. You may be able to check your levels from blood monitoring bloods, that's how mine was noticed.

[Niao]

I was alerted to low iron levels by Gp but am at the moment trying to manage by dietary intake, though it's a little harder due to being vegan. There has been some excellent advice already given about dietary sources and ways to increase absorption, so I can't add much there, other than I believe prunes or prune juice are quite good. When I was considering taking a gentle on the stomach iron supplement, my Gp didn't see that to be a problem, and neither did the Rheumy nurse, but I would check with your own to be sure.

[essexgirl in reply to Niao]

Thankyou I’m gonna retry the eating more iron foods

[Mall in reply to Niao]

Its probably a bit harder to boost your iron levels being vegan than being a meat eater, without supplements. The body absorbs 15-35% of haem iron from food we consume whereas it's around 5-15% of non haem iron. (Haem means blood so haem iron is from animals and non haem foods that haven't had blood in them mainly plants). sources of non haem iron include green leafy vegetables, grains, pulses, beans, eggs, dark chocolate, wholemeal bread, brown rice, nuts. Iron is also added to fortified foods such as cereal and flour. Lots of off the shelf breakfast cereals and bread have added iron. As a vegan you probably plan to eat a well balanced diet full of variety so find out a bit more about what suppresses absorption, like drinking tea with meals, and look for recipes that can aid absorption or add an orange for pudding. It may be that you need a supplement short term to give the initial boost and then tweak your diet a bit to maintain a good level. Be guided by your Dr.

[Niao in reply to Mall]

Thank you. I am happy enough at the moment with just my diet as I pretty much eat everything you have listed, I did add in a few tweaks such as adding the Vit C rich foods and cutting drastically back on my tea and coffee intake, and certainly not having any for about 2 hours after meals. I was happy you'd also brought this up to essexgirl. My levels are not too bad right now as I have been paying more attention to helping absorption levels.

[Gladders]

My iron levels are often unstable and I have now been referred to Hematology to check if iron infusion may keep it stable. Iron tablets cause so much stomach upset so I now take liquid iron, tastes horrible but not so harsh on the stomach. I can't keep iron level stable with diet alone Ive tried it many times. My own feelings are that it's due to the combination of drugs including MTX but Rheum doesn't agree. If anyone knows any more I would be pleased to hear from you.