Ferrous fumarate

[tigerjuz86]

Hi is it normal to feel rubbish after takin a dose of ferrous fumurate for b12 deficiency my ferritin 12ug ,, feel worser then before took a dose , if so how long before I feel better ish ,, thank you 😊

[fbirder]

Why are you taking an iron supplement for a B12 deficiency?

You should only take iron supplements on the advice of a doctor. Too much can be worse than too little.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to fbirder]

My levels were abnormal and got a prescription from the gp practice

[Nackapan in reply to tigerjuz86]

I found my doses prescribed made ne ill. 320mg mixed with folic acid. I took a lower dose 210mg ferrous funerate daily .

Probably took longer but as I read its good to have alternate days . Take with vit c . I know chelated bit I dud anyhow

Away from foid snd caffeine fir best absorbtion.

If it causes constipation a omega 3 oil capsul can help.

Only My experience.

Check with Gp

I did so Gp was aware coukdnt tolerate prescription and on my notes what actually taking .

Blood test followed 3 months later.

Does take time

Also with noting b12 treatment before folic acid

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Nackapan]

I’m on 210mg one x twice a day so 420mg I’ve had up to now

Do you mean like take it day on day off like Monday Wednesday and so on type till my body adjusts

Oh it says water but I’ll try with vit c thank you

Ah Oki thank you for tips I’ll keep them in mind

Yeah I will do thank you so much 😊 x

[Nackapan in reply to tigerjuz86]

Or try one a day first . Until your body accepts it. Just note what you do

and tell your doctor.

Or have spartone into the mix too.

Only 5mg but useful.

My doctor just advocated the best way to tolerate it

I ended up on210mg ferrous fumerate every other day and 2 spartone on the other day or solgar gentle iron.

Which ever way you can tolerate it . Vit c helps absorbtion but when chelated like ferrous fumerate not needed . I just take vit c in food form or juice or veg. Every time otherwise I forget with Spartone .

You need the elemental iron in the ferrous fumerate.

Yes take with plenty of water or mixed with juice.

.All sorts of ways .

Most need a day off occasionally because of digestive issues .

Your doctor may have other ideas

But the doctor and pharmacist gave me advice.

Also get more into your diet.

Little and often.

Hope you get on okay.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Nackapan]

Yeah I’ll try the one a day as feel 2 just a bit to much have no energy and feel rubbish ,, is that from anywhere the spartone or drs ,, okay I’ll have to check them out

Ahh okay I’ll still do vit c if makes it better

On the box it has 69mg elemental iron

I’ll take the water option only drink that milk and a small glass of fruit juice with breakfast haha

Ahh I see I never knew this I woulda prob just suffered and tried taking the 2 a day

I see dr next Thursday so I will jot down how

I’ve felt today and how on tomorrow’s dose

Yeah I tend to just have 3 meals a day but I’ll make them lighter and 2 fruit or nuts snack

Thank you so much for Help and so do I x

[Nackapan in reply to tigerjuz86]

Yes the low energy will get better hopefully ax your iron levels increase.Alot of people have trouble at first with iron supplements

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Nackapan]

Aw I really hope so i just don’t see how I got it as I eat well and always ate same as when was younger if not better so baffles me lol , hopefully it don’t take long ,, aw suppose it make us all feel better in long run

My mum always said you feel worse before you get better just can’t hack the worst deflates me x thank you

[nellie237 in reply to tigerjuz86]

"I’ll take the water option only drink that milk and a small glass of fruit juice with breakfast" I'm not sure what you're saying here, but calcium (milk) should be kept 4hrs away from Iron tablets, as calcium may inhibit iron absorption.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to nellie237]

Nackapan replied and said “ drink with plenty of water or mixed with juice “ so I replied I’ll just take with water instead of diluted juice

My main drinks i consume throughout day are water and milk and I have a fruit juice with my breakfast everyday

Yeah it says that on the leaflet keep away from calcium

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Nackapan]

Hi me again ,, so seen dr Thursday got the grumpy one of the 2 I have ,, he’s told me keep taking them which I would of anyway for good 2-4 weeks as know it takes time so I told him my worries that I feel it’s to heavy on me right now which he just looked at me funny 😢 ,,

did you suffer palpitations throughout the day when you took the 2 ferrous a day ,,

I’ve reduced mine to 1 and just waiting on my delivery for the Spartone I got the blue pack with 2 water drops on come in sachets hope these are the right ones 🤞

Gonna try the way you said day on ferrous and then day on spartone and see how I go on that route , I feel I can’t take the 2 at the moment I gave it a good week but my tummy goes so tight and feel so rough x

[tigerjuz86 in reply to fbirder]

Posted my results above I don’t know by how low or what they should be at ? x

[helvella]

Your image contains names - perhaps better to obscure them or cut them off?

[tigerjuz86 in reply to helvella]

Yeah I just did thank you didn’t realise x

[Foggyme Administrator]

tigerjuz86

I’ve deleted the image in your post as it displays the name of a healthcare professional. Please can redact the name and then re-post the image.

Many thanks.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Foggyme]

Ahh Oki I didn’t realise thats not a problem , I would of done it also when came back as someone notified it too ,, thank you juz shortened it so my details wasn’t on ,, thank you 😊 x

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to tigerjuz86]

Thanks tigerjuz 👍

[Curlygal]

I have the same problem but mebbe worse (?) as I have been kept up all night with stomach pain and intractable reflux after only one tablet.

I have been looking up so called "gentle" iron that you can buy OTC but none of them seem to give more iron than you would get in a much cheaper multivitamin tablet. I'm still in agony now and I only got 2 hours sleep 🙁

Not really sure what to do

[Nackapan in reply to Curlygal]

Speak to your doctor about different ways . There are liquid forms. Spartone sachets

Gentle solgar

Depends on how much you need ?

Get more jnyo your diet snd more roughage to compensate

The extra juice helps with extra fluid fir constipation it may cause.

Horrid to be up with stomach cramps

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

aw it’s awful isn’t it and you just don’t know what to do and lack of sleep doesn’t help I tried paracetamol but not touched it ,, I was hoping to take 1 and get a bit of relief not feel worse so know how your feeling

Ahh okay I’ve not seen that I’ll have a look are you on same dose as mine 210 x 2 day

Have you tried a water bottle and chamomile tea or just boiled water ive found sleepin my left side at 1st a bit better but then when wake up go onto my back

I would do as nackapan suggested in definetley giving the vit c a try on my next one

Really hope you can find relief soon all the best x

[Brokenbutbeautiful in reply to Curlygal]

I take an iron supplement from a company called barislim. They’re for people that have had bariatric surgery, but they do well for those of us with sensitive systems. It’s a powder inside a capsule, doesn’t cause any GI symptoms. I get mine from amazon, and they’re cheap. You might like to try that company. The multi with iron is good too.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Brokenbutbeautiful]

Ah okay I’ll have a peek at those too ,, aw that’s good I have ibs so this on top is awful I’m hoping it’s just my body adjusting and eases ,, I’ll surely look though gave me a couple of options on this page ,, thank you for that x

[Brokenbutbeautiful in reply to tigerjuz86]

I’ve got IBS as well, with frequent gastritis. My GI doc said gastritis is unfortunately very common with people that have PA. Last year it got so bad I got all the way down to 80 pounds because I couldn’t keep anything down. The doctor had me on iron 2x a day, so I’d take the multi w/ iron in the morning, then the iron plus in the evening. The iron plus has iron with a bit of folic acid I believe. It did make my stool rather dark, but it wasn’t constipating or made me feel bad. The name is spelled BariSlim, and they come in white bottles with green letters. Whatever you choose, I hope you feel better!!

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Brokenbutbeautiful]

I have that too I have colofac for ibs so it helps a lot just when I have the gastritis it really hurts ,, oh no that’s awful hopefully you can stomach things now and helped you put back on if , maybe try complan when You can’t stomach nothing then least some the nutrients you need are there ,, thank you so much you too 😊 x

[Brokenbutbeautiful in reply to tigerjuz86]

Oh goodness, I’m eating much better, a little too better, lol! I put on so much weight because I was barely eating for two years, finding I had ulcers and constant vomiting. Now that I don’t throw everything up, I was eating the things I had missed, lol! I take Linzess along with colace and a strict bowel regimen, other wise it’s one extreme or the other. The kicker is when I eat, and when I have a bm, I get pain in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. It gets very swollen after eating, but goes down after using the restroom. I’ve had every test, but my GI doc has no idea what is causing it. At least I’m not the only one with a wonky system!

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Brokenbutbeautiful]

That’s really good to hear I’m glad your eating much better think it’s better to have a little more then little less though ,, aw that sounds awful a really rough time for you n lol think everyone would be the same ,, yeah I get pain right under left ribs and go into my shoulder blade n tummy kills n mine does the swelling to goes rock hard look like a egg as it all tightens like you got baby belly and you feel it relax ,, still don’t know what triggers mine as I try write down what I’ve eaten and think it’s that but then I’ve been okay on another day so weird lol ,, oh no don’t think you be the 1st or the last I didn’t realise how many had it til got on this forum ,, think a bit more research needs looking at it as it can really mess day to day with you ,, but I definetley see links with other things too must be like a chain reaction 1 setting off another lol ,, really glad your feeling better awesome news ,, keep well n thank you for reply x

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

Hi did you manage to find one that was acceptable for you , I really struggled on ferrous fumurate and had to stop due to gastritis as was causing to much pain , had another blood test n it’s dropped to 9 so I need to do something,, I got some gentle iron from Holland and Barrett 20mg had one n still causes discomfort just don’t know what to do the spartone is acceptable slightly but only 5 but with it going lower I’m unsure what to do ,,, hope you found a way x

[Curlygal in reply to tigerjuz86]

Hi tigerjuz86

I tried the ferrous fumarate and that was hellish, then I tried something called Blue Iron and that was also terrible. So then I tried the gentle iron from Holland and Barrett and thankfully I can tolerate that. I bought it during the penny sale so it was cheaper. I'm taking 3 a day but haven't had my levels checked yet. I feel like my breathlessness is a little better so I'm cautiously hopeful. Next on the list if that hadn't suited was polyiron which I think you can only buy from the US. It's really just a process of elimination. If all else fails you'd have to ask for an iron infusion.

Are you taking anything for the gastritis? I have on/off chronic gastritis and have been taking a PPI for 4 years. I would like to stop but haven't been able to. It's also more difficult because ranitidine (Zantac) is currently unavailable. I take 20mg lansoprazole and when my stomach behaves I can manage every other day but that's as far as I've got.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

Yep I’m glad it not just me being silly and it can cause horrible pains ,, oh no ,, 3rd time lucky ,, I will try the Holland and Barrett’s again when my flare goes down ,, are you allowed more one on packet says 1 but I rexkon that’s a healthy person just to keep it up ,, since ferrous is 210 n give you 2-3 a day from drs ,, love the penny sale though , ,ohhh I really hope it’s working for you and glad the breathlessness is easing as that scares the jeebies outta me ,, hopefully you don’t have to try the 4th and hoping

They do start working for me if it be hard get hold of others

,, yeah just that be last resort o think scares me thinking bout it needles terrify me ,,

I’m sorry you have gastritis too it’s one worse things I’ve ever dealt with it’s horrid ,, I’m on lansprazole my 2nd month in was on 15mg for 3 weeks then had be upped to 60mg (30xtwice day) and I totally get that that’s when I try take the iron tabs too when tummy behaves but get scared when flare to take them ,, hope you feel better soon for both gastritis and iron x thank you for replying

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

Or vibrations in the body lying down

Sorry all questions just mind in overtime x

[tigerjuz86 in reply to tigerjuz86]

Can I ask too - did or do you wake up sleep time - heart racing , sweating and like ur upper area pressure like someone sat on you , right shoulder blade pain sweating ?? Any those ?? Not sure if my iron o gastritis or other causing it x

[Curlygal in reply to tigerjuz86]

Yes you can take more than one if you're anaemic, my consultant told me to take as many as I could tolerate! She took a blood test last time I saw her to see if it had gone up so we'll see (this is my immunologist who I see for an unrelated condition). I'm not sure if you can really say I have gastritis at the moment, I get a lot of tummy pain but not much nausea. Heartburn very occasionally but I'm still on the lansoprazole. I don't know how you manage to take the ferrous fumarate if your tummy is really bad!

I do sometimes wake up with anxiety and sudden epigastric pain (left upper stomach area or right in the middle between my breasts). I know that tummy pain can irritate the vagus nerve which can cause palpitations as well. If my stomach is really bad I get oesophageal spasms which are HORRIBLE. Have you spoken to the GP about it?

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

Ahh okay I will try a extra one every other day see if it goes okay then try adjust it ,, ohh okay you have let me know if goes up hopefully so but it’s a good sign your breathlessness is going hopefully mine will soon as scares me especially on waking ,, ahh okay mine main are bloat and discomfort feeling gastritis with pain under left boob and to middle upper tummy and pain in my left shoulder blade , but never sure if any that the iron too , I cant take the ferrous it causing to much discomfort but at the min the gentle iron I can tolerate , but if my next bloods sept show no improvement I might have to suffer with them just to up it as can’t cope with the breathlessness ,,

Yeah that’s same as me it’s scary ,, yeah seen my go about it he said it could be connected and mentioned the vagus nerve 10 ,, but my next appointment is 28th phone appointment but gonna ask if anything else can do or try at min I’m just on bland diet of white rice , chicken , sweet potato , carrot and banana day but still can’t eat enough calories without my stomach feel like it gonna pop , do you feel like your upper body

Good luck for next results really hope these gentle iron work x

[Curlygal in reply to tigerjuz86]

Hi tigerjuz86 sorry I haven't replied sooner! I saw the consultant last week and was pleased to find my ferritin had gone up to 11 (was 3) and my haemoglobin to 124 (was 108)- the haemoglobin is now in the normal range. At that point I'd not been taking the gentle iron for very long (about 3 weeks?) so I must be absorbing it. I was only taking two a day at that point.

Hope you get an increase too. How are you feeling?

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

Hey not a problem at all ,, aw that’s great I know it’s not spectacular and still touching the low end but shows these can work and don’t have to suffer with ferrous ,, I’m managing 1 then alternate to 2 back to 1 gentle iron just till can accept more but hope I can get there

Brilliant news so ur not anemic now ? Just deficiency which is still horrid like but love that it gone up

Just 3 weeks and it’s gone up like almost doubled makes me just wanna try the 2 every day for a couple of weeks n get to three

Me too 2months til my blood test but hopefully it will go up that way I will just take these gentles 1 day when it’s in good range to keep it up , feel slightly better still exhausted and gastritis still playing up but dr said can take months even years so I’ll have to put up but on the good side I’m hopeful I can get my ferritin up with these and one less thing to deflate me x

Thank you for getting back in touch x

[Curlygal in reply to tigerjuz86]

Hey no problem, glad you are managing to take some iron! More than me! The good news is we will both know how we've responded after we have the blood test, and that'll give us an idea of how much we need to take.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Curlygal]

Thank you ,, yeah I find it helping slightly keep going lightheaded tho ,, n glad too as know need them ,, and that is true I so hope mine has gone up as I don’t want go back to ferrous and yeah Im hoping can be 1 every other day eventually

[Showgem]

Sorry if I've missed something. Are you taking anything for a b12 deficiency? Iron is for an iron/ferritin deficiency which is something completely different.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Showgem]

I don’t have a clue now just got a call from gp receptionist saying script is ready as my b12 iron results came back abnormal and I’ve got ferrous fumurate , I posted pic of my results so unsure which it is ?? x

[Showgem in reply to tigerjuz86]

Do you have any other results? A full blood count to show if you’re anaemic?

The results you’ve added show that your ferritin stores are low which is why your doctor has prescribed iron.Your b12 is fairly low but in range so your doctor hasn’t prescribed b12.

What are your symptoms? Do you eat meat or do you eat a vegetarian diet?

I take Solgar gentle iron for iron anaemia as the iron that my GP prescribes gives me stomach problems. I also have b12 injections as I have pernicious anaemia and had very low vitamin b12.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Showgem]

I have put my results up , if you can pick the bit you need out full blood count as there’s loads stuff x

[helvella in reply to tigerjuz86]

Afraid I really cannot read the results. I might be able to make out a few names but I don't think there are many numbers I'd be sure about - even if I zoom in massively.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to helvella]

Okay I’ll try retake it in sections maybe

[tigerjuz86 in reply to helvella]

Redone that’s the full blood count bit

The other bits are heamoglobin ,, serum lipids ,, tsh,, serum a lot that ,, but that says satisfactory no further action ?

I’m so sorry I just don’t have a clue what I’m looking for x

[Showgem in reply to tigerjuz86]

Try taking one ferritin tablet a day and see how you get on, it will take longer to get your levels up but you should get there as your levels aren't severely low. You won't get Solgar gentle iron on prescription as it's more expensive compared to other forms available on the NHS. You could also Google iron rich foods so you can increase your iron intake naturally.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Showgem]

Yeah I will thank you can only try 😊,, okay that is good news they not really low I feel for those that have really low I’m struggling with this ,,

Ahh Oki where would I buy solgar safely as I don’t mind paying as pay anyway

I will surely look for iron rich foods I’ll try anything if means 1 less tablet to take

Thank you for help 😊x

[Showgem in reply to tigerjuz86]

I get mine online via Amazon, you can get them from Holland and Barratt but they're a bit more expensive. Hope you feel better soon. Keep in mind that your b12 is on the low side so I would ask for retesting in a few months and come back on here to ask for advice if it's any lower.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Showgem]

Ah okay my partner works for Amazon so get a lil discount too ,, thank you me too hate feelin sluggish ,, okay I will ask for retest for that soon then ,, okay thank you so much for help x

[Mannequin18]

Hi, I was given Ferrus fumerate for anaemia. And B12 injections for PA. My understanding is they are totally different conditions. Why would a gp give you Ferrus fumerate for B12 problems.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Mannequin18]

I thought it was b12 I haven’t yet spoke to a dr I just got a script given and appointment is next Thursday with doctor so I’ll find out more of why I have them then , but above post says my ferritin is low so it must be that n I’ve read the results wrong as all 3 are on it ferritin and b12 but I didn’t know they was different x

[Mannequin18 in reply to tigerjuz86]

Thank you for your reply. I hope you get sorted out soon, as both conditions make you feel very ill. Good luck.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Mannequin18]

Your welcome ,, thank you me too hare feeling awful , a couple days o weeks is ok but when it drags out wears me out ,, thank you take care x

[Gen89]

I take ferrous fumarate 210mg one tablet every other day for low ferritin levels. I have taken several a day in the past but it always caused me problems so ended up stopping it. I can tolerate every other day. I also take vitamin d as I am vitamin d deficient and this seems to help prevent constipation. However, after three months my ferritin levels have barely gone up so I think it will take a long time on the lower dose to get back to normal. I have started taking a multivitamin with 14mg of iron on the day I am not taking the ferrous fumarate in the Hope that this might help a little bit.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Gen89]

Ahh okay I’m gonna see how I go and if troublesome try that way and if not ask about that solgate as my dosage is 210mg x twice so 420mg ,, do you know what level it should be at if it is the ferritin and not my b12 , I have no idea what I’m looking for ,, I’m glad have found a tolerable way to take it but a shame it only moved a bit but do you feel a bit better though ,, really hope it works for you and you feel good again ,, thank you for reply x

[Gen89 in reply to tigerjuz86]

Normal ranges can vary so it’s best to ask your doctor but on my tests the normal ferritin range was 10-150 ug/l. Ferritin levels are used to assess iron deficiency. Blood iron levels can also be done but my GP never wants to do both. Extra cost involved I assume. Vitamin b12 is a completely separate problem from iron deficiency. Many people have both if it’s an absorption problem. It’s worth checking with your GP if you have b12 deficiency as well as it’s important to get it treated if your level is low. Hope all goes well.

[tigerjuz86 in reply to Gen89]

Yeah I will mine is 12 so I’m just on the edge of low side but I’ll defo ask my dr when see them Thursday ,, ahh okay and aw if it can tell extra things going on you think they try just once but yeah always comes to Costs doesn’t it lol ,, yeah I thought was all the same the way they wrote results part yeah someone said on here my b12 on low side and ask retested for that in a couple months ,, thank you me too and thanks for that help x

[tigerjuz86]

I’ll upload what I had done as I’m unsure what I’m looking for

Ahh okay so it’s my ferritin which is low I thought was b12 as said that then needed a script

I eat just fish ,, chicken and Turkey now as have high blood pressure too so cut red meats and salts out and switched from white to brown and dairy milk to soya

Ahh Oki someone said about that solgar above if it doesn’t ease I will ask about it on my appointment on Thursday

Thank you 😊 x