Ferrous sulphate tablets and upset stomach

[AHarri123]

I have had heavy periods. Put on pill. Low iron. Been put on ferrous sulphate 200 tablets but iron not gone up in month. Diarrhoea in morn. Constipated at night. Now being sent for colonoscopy and frightened. Anyone just think it could be iron related but why haven’t my iron gone up. Maybe because only a month? Been forcing to eat as appetite also low on iron tablets.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

Do you have a diagnosis of hypothyroidism?

Are you currently taking any levothyroxine?

If yes, how much and how long on that dose?

Heavy periods are very common hypothyroid symptom

Heavy periods can lead to low iron/ferritin

Low iron/ferritin can take many months to improve

Please add actual results and ranges if you have any

[AHarri123 in reply to SlowDragon]

No diagnosis of hypothyroidism

Not taking levothyroxine

Had heavy periods for long time which why doc put me on pill.

I haven’t got results of ranges but doc said 21 iron.

I am more worried about the diarrhoea/ constipation now as been referred for colonoscopy. And why my iron not gone up in a month.

Thank you for your advice xxxx I am exhausted by it all and been signed off work now with stress

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to AHarri123]

So recommend getting FULL thyroid and vitamin testing

Certainly get hold of all blood test results and ranges that have been done so far

Heavy periods leads to low iron .....and low iron levels perpetuate heavy periods

Presumably you have had full iron panel test for anaemia?

Please add results

Post discussing just how long it can take to raise low ferritin

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test thyroid, including thyroid antibodies and vitamin levels

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus vitamins including folate (private blood draw required)

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

Medichecks - JUST vitamin testing including folate - DIY finger prick test

medichecks.com/products/nut...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

[greygoose]

Do you take vit C with your iron, to increase absorption and protect from constipation?

[AHarri123 in reply to greygoose]

Yes do that. Take with orange juice and on empty stomach

[greygoose in reply to AHarri123]

I very much doubt that a glass of orange juice would give you enough vit C. I would take more like 1000 mg.

[AHarri123 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you. Ok will give it a go.

[greygoose in reply to AHarri123]

You're welcome.

[Cat013]

Hi AHarri123.

I’m sorry you’re feeling so unwell. Having an iron deficiency can be horrendous and wreak havoc on your body. It knocks many test results out of range.

My 16 year old daughter was found to be anaemic and she’s on ferrous fumarate twice daily with vitamin c. Total daily FF dose is 420mg. What is your daily dosage?

She has been on them for around two months now and is still under range but moving up finally albeit slowly. It really does take a while, a good few months, and I think women with low iron really struggle during and after their periods. My daughter starts to feel ok then rapidly declines during that week and a good few days after before improving again. I’m looking into giving her an additional iron mouth spray for those times but am checking to make sure it’s ok. Pretty sure it will be. Her folate was also under range so I give her a daily folate spray.

Perhaps you’re not on a decent enough dose. Like the others say I’d get everything else tested to see what’s going on.

My daughter had stomach problems which may be linked to the iron so increased her vit c and also give her food sometimes with the tablets. Not much just enough to help. It does say to do this on the leaflet but to avoid some types of foods. It made a difference to her so may be worth a try but check your instructions.

We all had a food intolerance test and it made a huge difference to us. I had many yummy issues similar to yours which have for the most part been resolved. Whether this was the levthyroxine and or removing dairy and gluten I can’t be sure but I’d say all three. It’s worth a try removing certain foods to see if it makes a difference. Especially if you may have a leaky gut.

I hope you feel better soon and the colonoscopy goes ok xx

[AHarri123 in reply to Cat013]

Hi. Thank you so very much for your reply. It really does help. Hope your daughter continues to improve xx they have enough to deal with at that age without this xxx

[Cat013 in reply to AHarri123]

Thank you ☺️ she’s getting much better.

Sorry I meant tummy issues not yummy issues duh 😂🙄

I think you should have begun to see a slight improvement after five weeks, even if it was small, depending on your dose but definitely give it time. If you were very anaemic it’ll take a few months. Keep strong xx

[AHarri123 in reply to Cat013]

Thank you x

[helvella Administrator]

You might find a few fragments of interest in my iron document:

dropbox.com/s/4d885frbic4z8...

[AHarri123 in reply to helvella]

Thank you very much. I’m wondering if five weeks wasn’t long enough to see if they had risen and given more time on iron tablets. I have been ever so stressed and anxious so wondering if that effects too

[helvella Administrator in reply to AHarri123]

Iron levels can take L-O-N-G time to recover.

In healthy people, both uptake and loss of iron is very modest - especially in men. Our bodies seem to be set up to allow uptake of just a little more than the amount we need every day. Therefore, if we become deficient, we can only add that tiny bit every day.

In my document, it suggests considering haem and/or ferritin supplements (including links) - possibly AS WELL as a standard supplement. Potentially you can take in iron by three separate routes.

[AHarri123 in reply to helvella]

Quick question. What is the difference between ferrous sulphate and ferrous fumerate? Doc changed prescription as I’ve been having tummy problems ... don’t know whether to stay with the first though as worried about other symptoms with new.

[helvella Administrator in reply to AHarri123]

Many people find the fumarate more tolerable than the sulphate.

Have a glance at Wiki:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron(...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron(...

I have never needed to take an iron supplement so cannot tell you anything from experience.

I think that I would try the fumarate and see how it goes.

[AHarri123 in reply to helvella]

Ok thank you v much

[AHarri123]

Thank you. I also suppose I don’t know how long my iron has been low before the blood test. My periods were so heavy for over a year. Have only just gone on the pill to stop that too.

Thank you for your knowledge. Really helps.

[humanbean]

When my ferritin was very low in range and my serum iron was below range it took me 21 months to raise my ferritin to mid-range. My serum iron was still low in range after all that time. How fast iron and ferritin rises varies from person to person, and regular testing is essential to make sure it doesn't go too high.

I was taking ferrous fumarate 210mg, one tablet three times a day practically the entire time (although I did stop for a week before testing).