Iron supplement recommendations? Reacting to the ones I currently take.

I've been noticing lately that I'm getting itchy areas on my body - no rash or anything. Have been checking all my supplements/medicines for exactly what fillers they contain and have just discovered my ferrous fumarate tablets (210 mg manufactured by Aver Healthcare) contain sodium lauryl sulphate. I can't use any shampoo with that in as it makes my scalp terribly itchy. I only just started taking those a few days ago so it would tie in with my more general itchiness.

Anyone have any recommendations for other iron tablets (hopefully without that filler)? I'm annoyed because I was getting on fine being able to stomach those.

As a side note, I take cetirizine anti-histamines daily as I'm very sensitive to cat hair, grass pollen, dust mites, so if I'm getting any itching it has to be something that is reacting strongly enough to not be suppressed by the anti-histamine.

[Phoenix605]

Search SeasideSusie she gives very good supplementation advice and I know she has mentioned different iron supplements. She nas been commenting today but may have missed you. Her advice fixed my deficiencies but my ferritin was already good so tend to skip that bit in posts 😁

[Hidden in reply to Phoenix605]

Thanks, yes I've been looking at various other options and trying to decide which has the lesser of the filler 'evils'. Why any pill needs sodium lauryl sulphate I have no idea.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

There are a few alternative makes:

medicines.org.uk/emc/search...

(There could even more, only those that choose to list on EMC appear there - obviously! )

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

Thanks helvella, that's a useful resource.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hidden]

I'd like it if it was made mandatory for all medicines to have their Patient Information Leaflets and Summary of Product Characteristic documents there.

It is very, very useful.

[Annealise]

I have been taking the same iron tablets for 6 weeks and have the same symptoms and it's been driving me mad- never thought about the tablets being the cause!!!!

[Hidden in reply to Annealise]

I found a 2015 review of SLS by the European Medicines Agency:

ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/do...

""There is currently no EU regulatory guideline or recommendations in place relating to the acceptable levels of sodium laurilsulphate (SLS) in medicinal products. The vast majority of SLS use in in oral products (tablets and capsules) where it rarely displays any adverse reactions."

"In medicinal products, SLS has a number of functional uses in pharmaceutical preparations as an emulsifying agent, modified-release agent, penetration enhancer, solubilising agent, tablet and capsule lubricant."

"SLS is not a permitted food additive in the EU."

It's recognised as being a skin irritant yet it's still allowed in tablet manufacture!