Pica

[AbcdeDooDah]

Ever since I donated blood in May, I have been craving ice like there's no tomorrow. I'm assuming my iron stores need to build back up. It's not just any ice I'm craving , though. It's the built-up ice from our deep freeze. Outing myself as a weirdo, but it's like an obsession. When I get a big pile, it's like a rush. I go out to the garage several times a day to get more. I'm fighting the urge to go get some right now.

I did start taking a vitamin with iron to help stop the cravings, but they haven't helped much. Is there an iron supplement that is good but won't cause bathroom problems? 

Embarrassed, but it's becoming a problem. 😊 

ETA: I donated last week at my hemoglobin was 12.7 so on the low side.

Edited August 20, 2021 by AbcdeDooDah

[GaviMils]

I think you should seek medical advice. There are also a number of breathing exercises. Google it for that. 

[Soror]

I take iron biglyscinate it is generally well tolerated. 

I also take magnesium for other reasons but it is known to also help with keeping things regular.

[ktgrok]

Ice craving is definitely a symptom of anemia. You need more iron than a multi vitamin. I always got good results from hemagenics, which was iron bisglycinate with b12 in it. But last time I tried it I couldn't tolerate it. I ended up taking this chewable one, 1-2 a day, and eating fried chicken livers once a week, and finally got mine up. It's not the most absorbable, but it actually worked and never has upset my stomach. All the others I tried gave me bad bloating, nausea, etc. 

https://www.bariatricadvantage.com/item/chocolate-raspberry-iron-chewy-bite

[historically accurate]

My DD's doctor put her on Slow FE for Iron. She insisted on this brand for the ease on the stomach as POTS often comes with gastro problems too. 1 in the morning with a Vitamin C, and one in the afternoon with a Vitamin C. It's available at Walgreen's. I did find a generic brand at Amazon recently that's much less expensive. She's only started the generic brand recently so I can't tell you if it's working yet. No stomach issues though since she switched over about 4 weeks ago. 

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/slow-fe-iron-supplement-for-iron-deficiency/ID=prod6281845-product

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00582WT6I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[ktgrok]

Yeah,with iron it really is trial and error since everyone is different. 

[fairfarmhand]

This is why I don't donate blood. I have low iron in general (heredity) and struggle to keep it at good levels. So donating isn't good for me personally. I also can't stop eating beef for more than a few weeks without my iron levels dropping for whatever reason. 

[Lady Florida.]

While that's not actually pica, I'd definitely seek medical help. 

[Shelydon]

I like liquid iron -- Floradix. 

[hippymamato3]

I have this issue too. It's bad. I now take an iron supplement and a daily vitamin with B12. 

[hippymamato3]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

While that's not actually pica, I'd definitely seek medical help. 

It actually is considered pica. Here's an article from Mayo Clinic: 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/expert-answers/chewing-ice/faq-20057982#:~:text=Doctors use the term "pica,although the reason is unclear.

And one from National Library of Medicine:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30215844/

Edited August 20, 2021 by hippymamato3

[Amy Gen]

I had a bad case of this a couple of years ago. I told Dd that I thought I was anemic. She said that was probably an old wives tale. The obsession with ice was then joined by a full blown addiction to……wait for it……parsley. 
 

I knew which stores in town had the best parsley. I would drive to different stores so as not to buy more that 6 bunches at any single location. I didn’t want to be forced to talk about it with curious cashiers. I tried to limit myself to only eating one bunch a day, but seldom succeed. I couldn’t sleep because all I could think of was one tiny bit more that I knew was in the refrigerator. I’d sneak out of bed trying not to wake my husband. 
 

When I finally got help, my hemoglobin was below 6. I’m sure that the excessive vitamin K I was consuming contributed to my multiple blood clots, but if it wasn’t for the blood clots, my stage 3C cancer would not have been discovered before it progressed to stage 4, so I guess I could say that I owe my life to my parsley addiction. 
 

It feels silly to go to the doctor because of cravings, but I do think this warrants having a blood panel done. 

[AbcdeDooDah]

9 minutes ago, Amy Gen said:

I had a bad case of this a couple of years ago. I told Dd that I thought I was anemic. She said that was probably an old wives tale. The obsession with ice was then joined by a full blown addiction to……wait for it……parsley. 
 

I knew which stores in town had the best parsley. I would drive to different stores so as not to buy more that 6 bunches at any single location. I didn’t want to be forced to talk about it with curious cashiers. I tried to limit myself to only eating one bunch a day, but seldom succeed. I couldn’t sleep because all I could think of was one tiny bit more that I knew was in the refrigerator. I’d sneak out of bed trying not to wake my husband. 
 

When I finally got help, my hemoglobin was below 6. I’m sure that the excessive vitamin K I was consuming contributed to my multiple blood clots, but if it wasn’t for the blood clots, my stage 3C cancer would not have been discovered before it progressed to stage 4, so I guess I could say that I owe my life to my parsley addiction. 
 

It feels silly to go to the doctor because of cravings, but I do think this warrants having a blood panel done. 

Thank you for sharing. It makes me feel less crazy. The obsession is real. 

I'm glad you're okay.💓

 

[Lady Florida.]

21 minutes ago, hippymamato3 said:

It actually is considered pica. Here's an article from Mayo Clinic: 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/expert-answers/chewing-ice/faq-20057982#:~:text=Doctors use the term "pica,although the reason is unclear.

And one from National Library of Medicine:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30215844/

Huh. Thanks for the links. We had to learn about pica in my major (exceptional ed) and pica then was only considered a craving for non-food items. I didn't know the definition was updated but it makes sense to have done so.

[AbcdeDooDah]

4 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Huh. Thanks for the links. We had to learn about pica in my major (exceptional ed) and pica then was only considered a craving for non-food items. I didn't know the definition was updated but it makes sense to have done so.

I think ice is technically a non-food item since it has no nutritional value so it's included.

[hippymamato3]

5 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

Huh. Thanks for the links. We had to learn about pica in my major (exceptional ed) and pica then was only considered a craving for non-food items. I didn't know the definition was updated but it makes sense to have done so.

Ice is a non-food because there is no nutritional value. 

[kbutton]

No supplement suggestion, but if you like oatmeal, that could help with the bathroom side while also being a decent source of iron (maybe prunes too). 

[AbcdeDooDah]

I ordered an iron bisglycinate and will try that until my next donation and see if it helps. I don't eat red meat so I will also look into upping it with other foods.

[Tap]

DD22 has to take high doses of iron daily. She has chronic constipation andalso has to take medicine for it daily, so she can't take an iron that makes that problem worse. She alternates daily between these two products. 

When she stops her iron, and then restarts, she feels the fastest difference by taking NovaFerrum 50 Iron Supplement, (50 mg of Iron per capsule, Gluten-Free, Vegan, (90 capsules) on Amazon is about $20

Her ferritin levels on blood work, respond best to Ferrochel Iron Bisglycinate. She takes NOW Supplements, Iron 36 mg, Double Strength, Non-Constipating, Essential Mineral, 90 Veg Capsules which is about $10 on Amazon. 

 

She takes her iron with vitamin C to aid in absorption. This is the one she takes:

Solaray Super Bio C Buffered Vitamin C w/Bioflavonoids | Timed-Release Formula for All-Day Immune Support | Gentle Digestion | 125 Servings, 250 CT.  IT is about $25 on amazon.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Tap

[Teaching3bears]

Dried apricots are high in iron and will also help with constipation.  Prune juice too.

[KungFuPanda]

When I’m iron depleted I HAVE to have smoked oysters. I become mildly obsessed until I get them. I’ve never experienced pica, but I can infer how you’d eventually reach that point if your body demanded satisfaction. Cream of wheat is a pretty easy way to get iron too. I’d probably launch a campaign of eating an iron rich diet and cooking in cast iron for the week to see if I got results. 

[BlsdMama]

On 8/20/2021 at 1:48 AM, AbcdeDooDah said:

Ever since I donated blood in May, I have been craving ice like there's no tomorrow. I'm assuming my iron stores need to build back up. It's not just any ice I'm craving , though. It's the built-up ice from our deep freeze. Outing myself as a weirdo, but it's like an obsession. When I get a big pile, it's like a rush. I go out to the garage several times a day to get more. I'm fighting the urge to go get some right now.

I did start taking a vitamin with iron to help stop the cravings, but they haven't helped much. Is there an iron supplement that is good but won't cause bathroom problems? 

Embarrassed, but it's becoming a problem. 😊 

ETA: I donated last week at my hemoglobin was 12.7 so on the low side.

Ancient Nutrition Blood Booster
Love this thing - I also take sublingual METHYLcobalamin (B12 - but NOT cyanocobalamin) to boost iron absorption

It doesn't cause issues for me but I already counteract those bathroom issues (Fast Traq by Solle) because neuro patients tend to have these issues anyway, so I can't PROMISE they won't cause any constipation, but I haven't noticed a difference.