Iron tabs

[keiralee]

Hi all, Is Ferrous Fumurate the same as Ferrous Glycinate?

Thank you

[ChrisColumbus]

They are different salts of iron. Ferrous fumarate seems to be the one usually prescribed by UK doctors, although it's also available over-the-counter. Some users have problems with side effects:

nhs.uk/medicines/ferrous-fu...

Ferrous bisglycinate is widely available OTC branded as 'Gentle Iron'. Studies have shown it to be at least twice as bioavailable as many other iron salts, while also being much more soluble, better absorbed, with far fewer gastrointestinal side effects like constipation and stomach upset. (Hence the 'Gentle Iron' branding).

See this guidance from RLS-UK on iron therapy:

rls-uk.org/_files/ugd/b0a19...

[50568789 in reply to ChrisColumbus]

When I was finally prescribed iron to treat anaemia, hoping it would also help with RLS, the GP said it would be ferrous Fumarate. I told him I would prefer bisglycinate. He said he didn't know it and asked me to spell it 🤔, but he was only allowed to prescribe Fumarate. I've gone along with it for now but know I can get bisglycinate from health food shop if I want it (and prepared to pay for it).

[ChrisColumbus in reply to 50568789]

There was a paper published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 2021 which recognised that some had problems with side effects with inexpensive generic iron salts - e.g. ferrous fumarate and ferrous sulphate - but was concerned about the expense (to the NHS) of moving to "new iron therapies" - e.g. ferrous bisglycinate. It suggested that iron infusions could be used to avoid the side effects of oral iron: true enough, but it can be difficult to get referred for an infusion!