Help with supplementing iron

[Heatheronthehill]

GPhas prescribed ferrous sulfate . I am finding it makes me very constipated. Has anyone else had this problem and can anyone advise anything better to take? Thanks in advance!8

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I've compiled a general background information document on possible iron supplements.

helvella - Iron Document

This is a summary of what I have read up and found out about iron supplements over the past few years. I am not in any way medically trained. You are strongly encouraged to check every detail before making any decisions for yourself.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[Heatheronthehill in reply to helvella]

Thanks so much Helvella xx

[seveneleven]

Could try heme iron - it's the only kind I can tolerate, and others seem to have good success with it in raising ferritin as well. It's essentially like having loads of liver but without having to actually eat liver. Best one seems to be Three Arrows Simply Heme, which is what I use. Caveat is that it's obviously animal derived, so may not be appealing if vegetarian/vegan.

[Heatheronthehill in reply to seveneleven]

Thanks Seveneleven. Do you avoid constipation using Heme?

[seveneleven in reply to Heatheronthehill]

Yep, because it's not synthetic ferrous. I've got a very dodgy gut, and I have no issues with it.

[greygoose]

Do you take vit C with it?

[Heatheronthehill in reply to greygoose]

No I don't. Should I??

[greygoose in reply to Heatheronthehill]

Absolutely, yes. It helps with absorption of iron and avoids constipation.

[Heatheronthehill in reply to greygoose]

Thanks , I'm learning fast!

[greygoose in reply to Heatheronthehill]

You're welcome.

[Chelt16 in reply to Heatheronthehill]

It's good to up your intake of fruit and veg for vit c as well to help with absorption of ferate. I've used Floradix liquid rather than tablets which is much better on the gut than prescribed iron tabs i found. You can buy floradix at the chemist/health food shops. I didn't get on with iron tablets from doctor for anaemia some 7 years ago. The other thing to balance is the amount of fibre you are eating. It's good to introduce slowly more fibrous veg, wholemeal bread, and drink more water to keep things moving! Ive found if i dont drink enough water my gut slows right down in terms of digestion and my energy drops. It can creep up on you. If i start yawning a lot and dream of lying down on the sofa I have a glass of water first. It usually helps! Hope you start to feel things are changing for the better soon.

[Heatheronthehill in reply to Chelt16]

Thanks for your helpful, encouraging words! xx

[SlowDragon Administrator]

welcome to the forum

Lots of people find iron supplements tend to cause constipation

What were your most recent iron and ferritin results

Posts discussing Three Arrows as very effective supplement

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Iron patches

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones

Low iron/ferritin common if not on high enough dose levothyroxine

How much levothyroxine are you taking

How long on this dose

Do you have any thyroid or vitamin results

ideally

TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 plus both thyroid antibodies

Plus vitamin D, folate and B12

[mrskiki]

I’ve self supplemented with iron for years, and only time it doubled me up in pain and constipation was when I was given the sulphate form by hospital, torture, yet I’ve always been fine on fumarate and more recently bisglycinate forms.

[Blearyeyed]

Ferrous Iron products are hard to absorb and cause a lot of people constipation and stomach gripes. Why the NHS still insist on using them is beyond me. They might be slighter cheaper but it's a false economy because most people end up needing to try various types and have extra blood tests and much of the iron prescribed ends up in the bin.In the Netherlands they choose to prescribe Bisglycinate Iron to pregnant women and people with Anaemia because it is an active form of iron , simpler and easy to absorb. It also stores for longer in the body which means Anaemia us less likely to reoccur.

Bisglycinate Iron is gentle on the stomach and rarely causes constipation so people follow the instructions to take it.

Unfortunately, the NHS do not prescribe the oral supplements , my GP checked and found there isn't an oral supplement available on their list to prescribe. It's only given by infusion in hospitals to certain patients .

You can buy it yourself though , thankfully, either online or at health shops.

I use Solgar Gentle Iron . I also have IBS -C and intestinal Dysmotility and it hasn't made this worse.

Other Bisglycinate Iron supplements are also good.

It is a good idea to take iron after breakfast with some orange juice or another drink with Vitamin C , because Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron better, and digesting it at the same time as food means that more of the supplement is absorbed.

It is also a good idea to take separate Vitamin B 12 and Folates supplements each day because these can help us we need vitamin B12 and Folates to help absorb other nutrients , particularly Iron and Vitamin D from our food. B vitamins can also help as part of thyroid self care.

You can take your Folate supplement at the same time as Iron and Vitamin C.

Vitamin B 12 absorbs better if it taken with food and water with little or no Vitamin C in it so it is better to be taken after a different meal with plenty of water.

Hope that helps , Bee

[mrskiki in reply to Blearyeyed]

That’s interesting about the Netherlands , I’ve stayed with the bisglycinate form. I take the tablets every other day, though have to have it later in day as I have my levo in the morning, so the bottle of 180, though not cheap , lasts the whole year. The hospital infusion I had didn’t do much, except leave them puzzled, I got my records I’ll have to see what they used.

I use Igennus iron bisglycinate with C as it’s a small tablet and I really can’t swallow the large ones.

[Blearyeyed in reply to mrskiki]

Yes you do have to fit your timing in with your medications , it sometimes feels like I'm creating a military battle plan when I'm decided what to eat or what to take and when every day!

[Blearyeyed in reply to mrskiki]

I buy most of my products from Amazon now if they are available on there.It's surprising how many branded supplements are available on it , and even if you need to pay for delivery it's still cheaper than buying it from other online companies or health shops ( I don't pay delivery I have Prime).

Often even cheaper than buying it from the company that makes it!

[am111]

Ferrous sulphate causes severe constipation in me too. I use ferric pyrophosphate and it does not cause any problems...

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to am111]

I’ve never heard of this one - where do you get it?

[am111 in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

[ Edited by admin to remove a link to a questionable source.

Please feel free to post some information about ferric pyrophosphate by referring to non-sales websites which have bona fide information. ]

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to am111]

Thank you

Have just ordered the haem iron from the US and if that doesn’t work I’ll try this.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to am111]

where is this website based? And how sure are you of its provenance?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

Link has been removed/edited.

It was based on the other side of the world to the UK.

[am111 in reply to helvella]

I don't understand why the link was removed. Non-UK links cannot be provided?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to am111]

I made a comment when I edited your reply.

[am111 in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

This is in India and the product is from a reputed Pharma company. My doctor prescribed this as I was unable to tolerate the regular iron salts. I have tried it and it creates almost zero GI problems (just a little harder stools, that's all, and only if you take one every day - I take twice a week now). My ferritin levels normalised after a few months of use.

They may not ship outside India, but I found something on iherb.com with this salt and they have very good worldwide shipping (got some products from them shipped to India and they did all the customs etc. automatically and very efficiently).

iherb.com/pr/swanson-sunact...

I have not tried ferrous Bisglycinate, which also appears to be gentler, may be you can try it...

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to am111]

I had hoped you would post some non-sales information. With unfamiliar substances, it is very helpful to point out information from sources that are not only sellers.

One example:

sciencedirect.com/topics/ph...

[am111 in reply to helvella]

I hadn't seen your comment (and removal of the link) when I posted the previous post. I agree ferric pyrophosphate is a new substance and we should get full understanding of it. I have myself not done much research on it. My doctor prescribed it for me and it worked for me. That's all.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to am111]

Oh thank you.

I’ve tried bisglycinate and it didn’t work for me.

But hopefully it will work for others reading.

It’s strange that gynaecologists aren’t experts in iron. So many of us here are women and suffer from iron problems and have to make this stuff up by finding a forum, rather than (unlike you a doctor who suggests another type.

[Gummybearx]

My daughter has just been told she is anaemic, sadly runs in family (me). She couldn't take the tablet with Orange Juice as the juice upsets her stomach. So she takes with mango juice, which seems to help. She was also told to take an iron tablet every other day as this helps better with absorption and constipation. Seems to be working at the moment

[Pulp88]

Have you tried Spatone, there's another iron supplement it's comes in a red packet also liquid or chewable iron gummies

[Pulp88]

I was also told if you take it with a glass of orange juice that can help

[KatrinaN]

If you can, take it on an empty stomach with vitamin c. I take mine with the Holland & Barrett 1000mg effervescent vitamin c

[Suffolklady]

I’ve just started to take ferrous fumate it’s giving me the gripes and diarrhea. I was given one make that made me constipated and a very painful stomach now I’m trying another brand but I’m on the toilet too often and have a very unsettled stomach. So there are alternatives a GP can give you that don’t attack the stomach? I’m in the U.K.

[j9j8j7]

Another vote for Three Arrows Heme iron. I had horrible side effects with all the other iron tablets I have tried over the years but no problems whatsoever with the heme iron. Their customer service is really good too.

[Eddie83]

Ferrous Sulfate is not a good form of iron for supplementation. When I needed to build up iron, I used a supplement that included iron bisglycinate, an iron chelate.

[kdall319]

When prescribed iron, I had difficulties keeping it down. Used spatone. Still a wee bit constipated but less so.

[Pripa2]

Hello, I had the same problem, I was very annemic and I tried 5 different types of iron, and nothing helped. My stomach was a mess, my intestines hurt, it was hell. I just cannot take iron orally. In the end I tried an IV, and it was ok for a while, but I find that the best combination for me is lactoferine capsules (they help absorb the iron) and iron patches (the transdermal kind, for patienta who had bariatric surgery), and now I am feeling a lot better without any side effects. I stopped using the patches 2 months ago and I still take the lactoferine, and my iron levels are perfect. I hope this helps!

[limonene7]

I take ferrous fumerate on any empty stomach without issues. The ones from Dr's gave me crippling pain and constipation. These are what I take...amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09...

[Suffolklady in reply to limonene7]

Thank you