Iron supplements / Liquid

[811Yoga]

I am not a great red meat eater or sardine lover and having had 9 months of prescribed iron tablets from the GP for anemia ask what iron supplements others safely take with Predisolone. I am having my levels checked so I will be able to gauge whether I need more iron. I was looking at Floradix which is a tonic but am open to suggestions.

[piglette]

Personally I would not take iron tablets unless my doctor recommended them. What does your doctor say now about it? There should be no interaction between pred and iron supplements. drugs.com/drug_interactions...

[811Yoga in reply to piglette]

Actually just had iron results today and they are improved but will keep my eye on them.

[piglette in reply to 811Yoga]

Is your doctor doing regular ferritin blood tests for you?

[811Yoga in reply to piglette]

No not regular as I have to ask for them

[piglette in reply to 811Yoga]

I always have to ask for tests too!

[Leofriend in reply to piglette]

Calcium interferes with iron absorption, and is often suggested to people on prednisone. As I understand it, it leaves your system in about 4 hours so I've begun taking my Fe supplement at bedtime, and no Ca from 6pm onwards.

[Blearyeyed]

Have you had your B12 and Folate blood tests done? Often very low normal levels or a deficiency in these nutrients is the cause for Anaemia and Vitamin D deficiency , especially if you have had months of supplements and still not improved.

It is definitely worth asking your GP to do the Vitamin B12 , Folate and PA antibodies tests , even if you had them nine months ago to check that this isn't adding to your issues.

And get copies of your results because a GP will just tell you they are in normal range , but very low normal results are still a sign of Insufficiency which can cause symptoms including a reduction in his well you absorb Iron , Vitamin D and certain medications , so B12 and/ or Folate supplements or injections may be required to help you improve.

Unfortunately, GPs often neglect to check levels of these nutrients even if people have recurring Anaemia or Vitamin D deficiency. Many don't even consider the link at all.

You can request these tests on the NHS as recommended by NICE especially if you take certain medications like steroids. NSAIDs. Statins or Antacids and PPIs, especially if you are over 60 because age also changes stomach acid and how well people absorb B nutrients and Iron.

You may also benefit from buying your own iron supplements because many people do not tolerate or absorb Ferrous Iron supplements very well, and they can have more side effects.

The active form of Iron is better absorbed and gentler on the stomach, it also stores for longer in the body reducing how often Anaemia reoccurs according to the Health Service in the Netherlands.

Active iron is called Iron Bisglycinate, but it's unfortunately not available on prescription on the NHS , for some reason it's only available as an infusion for severely ill patients.

You can get Iron Bisglycinate from a company called Solgar , the cheapest source is on Amazon , although it is sold in Holland and Barrett and many other health shops and pharmacies.

It is called Solgar, Gentle Iron. You usually require 1-2 tablets initially followed by one a day until your Anaemia has been resolved.

[811Yoga in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you. A lot of good information here.

[Angelsmummy]

Hi811,do you like spinach either wilted or the baby leaves in a salad,plus there are lots of fruit ,nuts and veg that contain a lot of iron.Never take any supplements j just try and eat natural ( but do admit to sneaking the odd choc or biccy! Hope you find a way to help increase your intake!xx💐😜

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Angelsmummy]

Spinach isn't as good as Popeye suggested!!

nutritics.com/en/blog/why-m....

[Angelsmummy in reply to PMRpro]

Don’t seem to get much right do I?😢

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Angelsmummy]

I don't blame anyone getting that not right - that slipped decimal point way back when has a lot to answer for!! You have better things to do than read the sort of things I do!!!!

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

Didn’t a German scientist mistakenly place a decimal point incorrectly when measuring spinach's iron content? Whoops!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Didn't know what nationality but that is the story - no idea if it is true! But Germans are very fond of their spinach ...

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

Perhaps he was working for the spinach industry too! Just looked this up:-

“The German chemist Erich von Wolf accidentally misplaced a decimal point in 1870 while recording the iron content of spinach, which led to a popular misconception that spinach is high in iron.”

[811Yoga in reply to Angelsmummy]

I would have liked to have gone this way but Rheummie said the disease was driving iron levels.

[Angelsmummy in reply to 811Yoga]

Oh,so sorry to hear that ,really hope you find the right path in all of this.xx💐

[Zebedee44]

I take the Betteryou sublingual spray. I find it easier to use than pills, so I take Iron, B12 and Vit D andK first thing in the morning . I don’t know if it has improved the anaemia I had which caused me to faint and led to various investigations and findings, but as a non meat eater I am aware that I (probably)need to supplement my diet.

Floradyx is a great tonic if you need a general pick me up, but it’s quite a commitment !

[811Yoga in reply to Zebedee44]

Thank you. Better you do some good sprays I will investigate.

[carport]

I refused to take iron tablets because of previous experience and side effects so bought Spatone a liquid form much more pleasant and no side effects and raised my levels in blood

[811Yoga in reply to carport]

That's interesting. I'll look at that as my husband definitely needs some help on this area too.