How can you take iron supplements 3times a day and still keep it 4-6 hours away from raking levo?

[Hashoo]

Hi, ok so this question may sound a bit thick but i guess the main thing is, can i take it all at once? Or half an hour apart?or something else?

[PinkNinja]

I know, it does make it difficult. I used to take my levo at night which helped a lot! In that case, if I needed to take iron 3 times a day, I would take it right after breakfast, after lunch and then with dinner if it was around 6 ish. I would then take my levo right before bed, 10ish.

Of course, not everyone gets on well with taking their levo at night but taking it in the morning can make it a little more tricky.

If you take your levo in the morning you could then have your iron with lunch, dinner and then with a snack later in the evening.

It can be difficult trying to take everything away from each other, but 4 hours is plenty and it should be at least 2 hours away, but 6 hours is probably overkill unless it specified that it should be 4-6 hours.

I hope that helps

Carolyn x

[Hashoo in reply to PinkNinja]

Thank you ...yeah, I take my levo in the morning but have so many meds to take am having trouble squeezing this one in!! argg!!!...thanks though

[Flutegal]

I've been doing it for 18 months. I assume you mean ferrous sulphate.

I do Levo at 6am

And ferrous sulphate at 10am, 2pm, 6pm.

[Hashoo in reply to Flutegal]

yes, sorry, should have specified...I take ferrous sulphate....I was taking my first iron at 2 after taking levo at 6.15 for no other reason than I finish lunch at 2 so is eay to remember, then take my last one before bed but it's the first one that I can't do....do you know if it's ok to take all at once? It's so hard!....Have your iron results moved much? I have been taking it for 6 months now and I've gone from 8 to 29 (top end of the range is 250 but can't remember the bottom one off the top of my head and don't have to hand) .... it seems to be taking forever! ... oh well, guess I'll have to carry on trying to squeeze it in!

[morebeans in reply to Hashoo]

I think other forms of iron have a larger proportion of actual elemental iron, see chart here:

anemia.org/patients/feature...

so you might be able to take fewer tablets for the same benefit. Ferrous fumerate is supposed to be easier on the stomach, too. Galfer do tubs of 100 305mg tablets for around £3 which I'm about to try.

It is a total pain trying to remember which supplements are affected by other things. As soon as you need to add in something else, it all goes to pot again. Best of luck!

[Hashoo in reply to morebeans]

I can't seem to access the link you've posted? I'd love to have a gander, not sure what it is....thank you though....and yes, I'm just learning about the different suppliments which interact with the rest, do you know if there is some sort of chart out there for an easy reference? I'm sooo confused!! thanks again

[morebeans in reply to Hashoo]

Can tell why the link isn't working, but if you go to anemia.org then click on 'feature articles' under Patients and Consumers, you'll find 'A Patient’s Guide to Oral Iron Supplements' under November 2008.

I got a lot of my info on supplements from John Lowe's 'Recovering with T3'.

As a point of interest, my endo told me that the latest thinking is that levo is best taken at night. I take my T3 morning and afternoon and levo at bedtime, so I have a rather small window of opportunity around 6pm to take my iron. Wonder how well it mixes with beer, as that's the time I'm due for a small 'medicinal' bottle!?

[Hashoo in reply to morebeans]

lol!!!.....I'm guessing it doesn't mix too well, though you never know!...may turn out it's good for absorbtion!!! .....I'll check out the book, have seen millions of books on Amazon and Ebay covering the thyroid and never know which one to go for so thanks for the recomendation

[morebeans in reply to Hashoo]

Sorry, 'Recovering with T3@ is by Paul Robinson - blame residual brain fog!

[tingles]

And you're not supposed to take it near calcium as that inhibits uptake:.. that's what I find nearly impossible as I love my cup of tea! X

[Hashoo in reply to tingles]

what????!!!?!?!! are you joking???....knew you couldn't take it with calcium suppliments.....guess that explains a lot!!...how long should you wait before taking iron after drinking milk? this is impossible!!!...why don't the doctors tell you all this when they give them to you instead of letting you pop pills without the appropriate info???....argg!!! thanks by the way

[Dannia in reply to Hashoo]

I've read anything from 2-4 hours after calcium/milk etc. But I have a multi which had iron and calcium in it so how does that work.

[Hashoo in reply to Dannia]

Oh man!!...no more tea for me :(... how much more of this torture is there?.....am glad I'm not the only confused one around here...makes no sense whatsoever!

[PinkBear in reply to Hashoo]

I take my 3 ferrous sulphate at night & was ttold this was fine by the pharmacist as long as your stomach can handle it, I couldn't give up coffee + take my Levo first thing & vitD four hours later-which should also be 2 x a day but is impossible when Levo, vitD & iron have to be taken 4 hrs apart & with having to take Levo on a empty tummy & avoiding dairy I think it's 2 hrs before & for 30 mins after taking iron there'd be no coffee time left at all & that wouldn't be good!! Hehe

[Hashoo in reply to PinkBear]

cool, I think I'll end up doing the same as you!!!....how many rules???....it sounds ike the tea and coffee drinkers are united on this one....no to not drinking it!!! lol ...and I didn't realise Vit D also had to be taken apart from iron....*sigh* .... I just need a reference guide I think....they put them altogether in one pill and you assume you can do the same yourself but obv not! .....rubbish!! hehe

[tingles]

I take my Iron away from my levo, but cant take it away from milk as I love my tea too much, probably why I cant get my ferritin levels up?!

T

[Hashoo in reply to tingles]

See I have a problem doing this because I take herbal medicines, one of which I eat with yogurt....I can't take it any other way...and I have to take it 3 times a day....there just isn't a way round it....there must be something else that we can do? ... and yes, I also have my very much needed cups of tea which I have cut down from more than 10 cups a day (WAAAAY more than 10...more like 100 cups but shhhh don't tell anyone ) to 2 and there is no way I'm cutting down anymore....it just can't be worth it!...there has to be something else???? when you eat iron filled things you can eat them with calcium enriched things.....

H

[Everdean in reply to Hashoo]

Hi Hashoo. I've just found your post about juggling iron and thyroid meds along with vitamins. I am having the same problem and wondered how you are doing with it. Have you found a solution?