Anemia & iron supplement question...

[Allison TX]

I am 7 months pregnant and my dr. just informed me that I am anemic and need to take an iron supplement. I feel awful- very tired and no concentration.

 

I have never been able to tolerate iron supplements, they make me very nauseated and I usually end up throwing up. I have had horrible nausea/vomiting throughout this pregnancy and am still taking zofran, so I'm not terribly excited about taking something that will make my stomach issues worse.

 

Has anyone found an iron supplement that was well tolerated as far as stomach issues?

 

Also, how long after starting the iron will I begin to feel better?

 

Thanks for any suggestions!:bigear:

[AuntieM]

I know many have good recommendations for brand names so I'll leave that to them. I will just say that I always take iron at bedtime and with a little food - graham cracker or the like.

 

Also, taking it with orange juice is good, as vitamin C helps with iron absorption.

[Seshet]

You might try a multivitamin that has 100% of daily iron (of course, check with your dr, especially if you're taking prenatal vits). That's what I've done recently when feeling like I was becoming anemic again. I've never been able to tolerate iron supplements, either. Also, try upping the iron rich foods you eat. Strawberries, watermelon, spinach, broccoli, etc. are great sources of iron. Also, vitamin C helps your body absorb iron better, so eat foods high in iron & vit C together.

[ktgrok]

You want one with the iron as iron gylicinate, I take Hemagenics because my midwife sells it, but I know there are other ones. It is MUCH more easily absorbed and doesn't upset my stomach, even when I have to take two for severe anemia.

 

Also, my first pregnancy I didn't know about different types, and the regular type upset my stomach so I skipped it, or just took flintstones. My poor kid ended up anemic himself by 7 months old. It can really effect the baby, not just you, so find something you can take and take it! It can also cause you to have problems with the birth.

[AuntieM]

By the way, in case your doc didn't mention it, you may want to pick up some

Miralax to go with your iron. ;)

[dancer67]

I was DX with iron def anemia two years ago. Since then I have been taking 3 iron pills a day. I am no longer anemic. Nor iron deficient but because I still get my monthly, I have to stay on them until I slow down or go through menopause.

 

I take Vitron-C. I have never had any stomach issues with it. It is coated. I take it with a Vitamin C pill and OJ. But the pill also has Vit C in it.

 

Another one is Floradix. It is a liquid. I used that along with my Vitron C at one point. But I would drink it with a straw or put it in OJ. It stains your teeth horribly.

 

And as far as feeling better. Iron takes a LONG time to build back up in your system. It took me two years to get my iron stores(Ferritin) from an 8 to a 47.

 

Also, please make sure you get bloodwork drawn with a full iron panel. Don't just let them pick your finger. Those are inaccurate, and cannot really tell you if you are truly anemic. You need CBC/diff, Serum iron, ferritn, TIBC, and Sat rate.

 

I think all women over the age of 35 need to have a full iron panel done. Expecially when we are in perimenopause. Your HGB could be on the low normal, so they shrug it off. Only to find out your iron stores are practically 0.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

[gabbymom]

For many years I had success with Floradix. Then had to switch to Energizing Iron (which was formally known as Liquid Liver!) For my last pregnancy I was using both and eating as much iron rich foods as possible: liver, prunes, spinach, blackstrap molasses, etc. Plus my midwife was giving me a vegetable based iron supplement. And I was taking lots of kelp supplements. Since I'm militantly all-natural/organic when I'm pregnant, I was against taking any medical/chemical forms of iron :) :)

[Heather in OK]

Food sources first.

 

For a supplement, Floradix or Hemaplex. Both are whole foods based and are gentle on the body. You will also not experience constipation.

 

I have had clients who respond to one better than the other. I recommend both because Hemaplex is less expensive. A couple ladies haven't done well with Hemaplex and when they switched to Floradix their hemoglobin came up immediately.

 

Eat iron-rich foods or take the supplement with something that has Vitamin C. This will help absorption.

 

Do not take them at the same time you eat something with dairy. The diary will inhibit absorption.

 

You should start to feel better fairly soon. If you do the Floradix it will taste really good at first. Once your body has recovered, it will taste like nails.

 

Oh...and Floradix will make your urine bright yellow. Floradix is iron + B vitamins so the bright yellow is just your body getting rid of any B vitamins you don't need. :)

[Allison TX]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am writing them all down and going to call my dr. When I was in yesterday, they gave me a few different samples to try, but I didn't recognize any from the suggestions you all have given.

 

I would love to just take a flinstone vitamin but I'm afraid that won't be enough. My level was 9.2, and that was from a couple weeks ago. I've just started to feel really yucky in the last few days.

 

Thanks again!:)

[Lizzie in Ma]

I am 7 months pregnant and my dr. just informed me that I am anemic and need to take an iron supplement. I feel awful- very tired and no concentration.

 

I have never been able to tolerate iron supplements, they make me very nauseated and I usually end up throwing up. I have had horrible nausea/vomiting throughout this pregnancy and am still taking zofran, so I'm not terribly excited about taking something that will make my stomach issues worse.

 

Has anyone found an iron supplement that was well tolerated as far as stomach issues?

 

Also, how long after starting the iron will I begin to feel better?

 

Thanks for any suggestions!:bigear:

 

Make sure you take a stool softener with them. Don't ask me how I know.

[Onceuponatime]

I love Hemaplex. I had anemia of pregnancy and prenatal vitamins made me sick, iron made me constipated. I now have perimenopausal anemia and iron supplements make me burp and feel yucky. Hemaplex doesn't do that. I have no after effects at all and my iron levels are great. For some reason the tablets smell like beef broth to me but they are vegetarian. I like beef broth. :-) You can get a bottle of 90 on Amazon for 12.99, free shipping.

 

Green smoothies are great for a nutritional boost.

Edited June 19, 2012 by Onceuponatime

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

You could try gingerbread (the bread, not just the cookies.) From what I understand molassas is a good source of iron and the ginger can help with nausea. I didn't figure out it could help until after my last pregnancy (I can't stand ginger in most forms) but if I get pregnant again I'm definitely going to try it. I get anemic,too.

[Seshet]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am writing them all down and going to call my dr. When I was in yesterday, they gave me a few different samples to try, but I didn't recognize any from the suggestions you all have given.

 

I would love to just take a flinstone vitamin but I'm afraid that won't be enough. My level was 9.2, and that was from a couple weeks ago. I've just started to feel really yucky in the last few days.

 

Thanks again!:)

 

For what it's worth, I can't swallow prenatal vitamins, never could. So, when pregnant, I took 2 Flinstones daily. The dr said that was fine, as long as it was 2 a day, not just one. So, maybe if you took more than 1 a day. The multivitamin I've been taking recently is a chewable (I really don't do well with pills) Centrum, with 100% of a bunch of the vit/min, including iron. I'm not really sure how they compare to Flinstones, but I think they've got more, & they're for adults.

[Heather in OK]

Your doctor may not know about Floradix or Hemaplex. I have yet to hear of a medical professional recommending a natural help for low hemoglobin.

 

9.2 is low but not bad. Enough to make you feel it though! For a pregnant woman we want it to be at least 11.3. The risk of it being low (if they didn't tell you) is that if you have any kind of postpartum bleeding above the normal amount, low hemoglobin can make that bleed worse. It's a good sign to see that dip (your blood volume doubled just as it should causing hemodilution ;)) but we don't want it to stay that low.

 

I forgot to mention in my other post but you can also do liquid chlorophyll. If I have a client who is under 9, they are required to do both Floradix and chlorophyll (1 T Floradix and 2-3T chlorophyll daily until we see results).

 

In regards to the prenatal vits, Rainbow Light makes a Petite Prenatal. They are small, like an aspirin tablet. Much easier to swallow and easy on the tummy. They are a whole foods based prenatal, unlike Flintstones. *shiver* And no, what is in any prenatal is not enough to raise your hemoglobin.

[Food4Thought]

One that I haven't seen mentioned yet is IronSorb. This is the best iron supplement I've ever taken, and I've been through a lot of them. It's easy on my stomach and doesn't clog the system like others can. At least, that's my experience.

 

I know I've heard other people (in this forum, I believe), who purchase liver, cut it into tiny pieces, freeze it, and then take those as supplements. I know spinach is a good source of iron, as are raisins. If you eat red meat with iron-rich vegetables, you'll have better success at processing the iron from the vegetables as well. I hope that helps!

[Artichoke]

zombie thread

 

Edited December 24, 2015 by Artichoke