Anyone taking iron supplements for anemia?

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  • TMcChamp
    TMcChamp Posts: 165 Member
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    prunes and dries apricots :/
  • ophelia917
    ophelia917 Posts: 4
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    I've tried most of the supplements on the market. The only over the counter one that didn't have terrible gastrointestinal effects was Bifera. However, after taking it for well over 3 mos, my Ferritin levels actually continued to drop.

    I decided to bite the bullet and buy Proferrin. It's more easily absorbed, plays nicely with other supplements and also has zero bad side effects. The one downside? It can only be bought from a few places online (I usually buy direct from the lab that makes it. Best shipping price and sometimes have 2:1 offers/free shipping) and is pretty costly.

    My ferritin level got MUCH better on it.
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
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    I had to with both my pregnancies. I highly recommend taking the FE Iron pills (slow release), they are more expensive but they don't wreack havoc on the body the way the regular iron pills do. Also, lots of fiber and stool softeners if necessary.

    ^^this. I also had to take it in pregnancy. I was scared at first, b/c I had taken iron as a teenager for anemia and it messed me up bad til I quit it. But in pregnancy, the doctor gave me the slow stuff and it never caused me any problems at all. Worth it.
  • Trerika
    Trerika Posts: 52 Member
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    If your doctor prescribed it you should listen to him or her! There is nothing fun about anaemia (dizziness, blacking out etc), so eat lots of veggies and fruits and you should have no problem with constipation at all.
  • toothpastechica
    toothpastechica Posts: 250 Member
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    I used to, because my DR told me to because I was borderline anemic and would get (lack of) iron white spots spots on my skin....but then I forgot to take it most of the time because I wasn't supposed to take it within 4 hours of my other medication....so then just made a conscious effort to try and up the iron intake in my food...now I eat a LOT of baby spinach...(salad...let me add baby spinach, pizza, let me add baby spinach, rice, chopped spinach it is....) and other green veggies. As long as I am conscious about it I seem to do ok. (I have the DRS ok on this)
  • dollladie
    dollladie Posts: 1
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    I have learned (the hard way) that raw spinach, as in salad, has no value as far as iron. Cooked spinach releases more iron into our bodies, whereas raw spinach may actually block iron absorption. There's so much to learn on this subject. I was just diagnosed 6 weeks ago, and I wasted 4 weeks taking my iron the wrong way ... good luck with yours.

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