Iron tablets problem

[ChrisG2313]

Hi. After a very bad heart attack my iron levels have dropped and not recovered . My doctor has now put me on iron tablets which would upset my stomach and I am already taking 9 tablets a day to keep me alive. Should I take them?

[clivealive Forum Support]

What iron tablets are they ChrisG2313 ?

I've been taking 1 – Ferrous Fumerate 210mg tablet every day for more years than I can remember and I have no problem with them despite having had two thirds of my stomach removed nearly sixty years ago resulting in P.A.

Do you know what your Folate level is?

Folic acid works closely with vitamin B12 in making red blood cells and helps iron function properly in the body.

I wish you well

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Has your GP got to the bottom of what is causing your iron levels to be low?

Do you know if you have any other vitamin and mineral deficiencies - eg B12 and folate.

Although the title of this forum includes the word anaemia it is a bit of a misnomer as PA is a condition that causes problems leading to B12 and will, untreated lead to anaemia. Sometimes there are also iron absorption problems as well but the type of anaemia caused by being iron deficient is different from the type caused by being B12 deficient.

[ChrisG2313 in reply to Gambit62]

Hi. Have been receiving B12 injections for PA for many years every three months and had wondered if this would be connected to my low iron levels

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to ChrisG2313]

thanks for clarifying.

absorption problems like PA, can affect other minerals and vitamins so a definite possibility.

[Brian77 in reply to ChrisG2313]

If you have autoimmune gastritis as cause for PA, that might cause trouble with iron absorption. OTOH, the various anti-platelet medicines given after heart attacks/heart procedures can cause GI bleeding, causing or worsening iron deficiency anemia. I have PA, atrophic gastritis, and doing pretty well with Ferrous sulfate taken with vitamin C. I can take with fluids only, but some people do better taking with meals. Did you get an investigation re blood loss, GI especially?

[Steap]

Solgar Gentle Iron Vegetable Capsules, 90 V Caps amazon.co.uk/dp/B005P0TJ84/...

These bumped my levels right up and not a hint of stomach discomfort.

I was also having a nice helping of pan fried liver once a week too. Make sure it's from grass fed stock ideally though.

[fbirder]

The iron your doctor prescribed was almost certainly iron sulfate. Iron in this form can be quite difficult to absorb. You would probably be better off taking iron in a chelated form such as iron fumarate, as recommended by clivealive or iron bisglycinate, recommended by Steap

In the meantime, you can increase the solubility of iron sulfate by taking it with citric and ascorbic acids. Tesco soluble vitamin C (ascorbic acid) contains both.

Have you had your iron levels measured recently? Too much iron can be worse than not enough.

[SarahFerguson]

I have P-A and take Ferrous Gluconate, after having problems digesting other Iron tabs. Good Luck.

[helvella]

You could consider iron supplements in the form of haem or ferritin.

Humans absorb iron from the gut by at least three different pathways and the standard "mineral" forms of iron such as ferrous sulphate, haem and ferritin are each absorbed by different pathways. That might mean that if we took all three forms we could maximise our rates of absorption! Most people who have tried haem and ferritin forms find them acceptable from the point of view of not causing upset stomach.

(I do not take any iron supplements so all the above is collected information.)

[Maadkins]

After my husband was fitted with a stent he became very anaemic. He was sent for colonoscopy and endoscopy as the doctor was convinced he was losing blood from somewhere.

Results came back clear and he spent weeks trying to tell them that the medication of ticagrelor was causing the problem.

No one really listened to him and he was given an iron infusion. Two weeks later he had to have another infusion.

Fortunately one of our doctors wrote to his surgeon about the ticagrelor. The surgeon said to stop taking them to see what would happen so he did and within a few days he felt much better. He was tested again for iron deficiency and it had gone back to normal.

Perhaps you should get your doc to see if any of the drugs you are on could be causing it.

I do hope you feel better soon.