Iron Supplements ?

kamack1215 · January 2015

Wondering if anyone has any advice on which Iron Supplements for a 23 year old female to take? I have always struggled with my iron levels and do not like beans or red meat so I am finding it really hard to keep my iron up. I work out intensely 4 days a week (Tae Kwon Do), and am getting really weak about half way through my workout.

I would usually go to a doctor for this advice but since I graduated university I no longer have access to the health center and no family doctors in the area are accepting patients. So I am turning to everyone on MFP to get some advice!

The last time I went to donate blood I was turned away (this was months before trying to loose weight). My iron level was at 111. I am 5'1.5 and 188.6 pounds. Hopefully some one will be able to give me some guidance.

SueInAz · January 2015

The trick seems to be finding a supplement that doesn't have too much iron. I take gummy multivitamins and couldn't find one with iron in them. So I went out searching to find a separate supplement. Most of them are around 65 mg (360% of DV) which was far more than I wanted or needed but might be what you need, at least at first. I did eventually find a CVS branded pill that is 27 mg (150% of DV). I take one every morning.

xcalygrl · January 2015

Here is a list of foods that are higher in iron (which includes more than red meat and beans):
•Red meat
•Pork
•Poultry
•Seafood
•Beans
•Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
•Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
•Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
•Peas

**The following is not medical advice. This is my own experience.**
Even though I eat a diet with iron rich foods, my doctor advised me to take an iron supplement because I am borderline anemic every time they take my blood work. I take Finest Nutrition Iron Supplement once a day. It is 28 mg, which is 156% of the daily recommended value.

acarmon55 · January 2015

I have the same problem with iron. Since I started working out more, I have been getting weak and light headed during the work out. My biggest complaint is the all the time cold hands and feet and fatigue! I can fall asleep anytime anywhere if I got warm. I started taking the 65mg of iron last night. I drink a lot of milk in the morning and have read that it is best to take the iron at night with orange juice, so I tried that last night. Hoping to see some changes in the next week!

kamack1215 · January 2015

xcalygrl wrote: »

Here is a list of foods that are higher in iron (which includes more than red meat and beans):
•Red meat
•Pork
•Poultry
•Seafood
•Beans
•Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
•Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
•Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
•Peas

**The following is not medical advice. This is my own experience.**
Even though I eat a diet with iron rich foods, my doctor advised me to take an iron supplement because I am borderline anemic every time they take my blood work. I take Finest Nutrition Iron Supplement once a day. It is 28 mg, which is 156% of the daily recommended value.

Thanks! I eat a lot of poultry, seafood, and peas but still having trouble. I may try looing into the supplement you mentioned.

NaomiJFoster · January 2015

I take One-A-Day Women's vitamins, and they have iron in them. I don't remember the amount in it, off-hand.

Just be careful with iron supplements. They have a tendency to cause terrible constipation.

KarenJanine · January 2015

I have a tendency towards low ferritin so I take Ferrous Sulphate 200mg once daily to keep it in check. In the UK this can be bought over the counter in pharmacies for cheaper than the cost of a prescription from a GP, but you should speak with a qualified pharmacist or doctor to check this would be suitable for you.

jenltaylor · January 2015

I have anemia and am now on a prescription iron pill. However, my doctor originally had me try an over the counter supplement. Her suggestion was to find a slow release iron pill. She also recommended taking it with vitamin C and making sure not to take it at the same time you consume a calcium supplement or a food with calcium in it. The calcium apparently prevents the absorption of the iron.

earlnabby · January 2015

I am not going to give advice on a specific supplement because I am taking a Dr. prescribed high dose supplement (325 mg ferrous sulphate), but there are a couple of things you can do to maximize absorption of whatever supplement you choose.

DON'T take your iron with calcium. This is why multivitamins with iron are ineffective for many. The calcium that is also in the multi can slow absorption of the iron. Also, don't take it with milk, yogurt, etc
DO take your iron with vitamin C (juice or a C supplement, or find iron with C), which helps absorption
DON'T take it within 2 hours of any kind of antacid or acid blocker like prilosec or nexium. Those can also block absorption
DO take it with food. Iron supplements can cause nausea in some people.

Like you, I was always on or just under the line (which is 120 (12.0 in the US) for donating blood) for most of my adult life. Then about 2 years ago I had undiagnosed minor gastric bleeding from acid reflux and my body could not recover from the bleeding so I cycled down into severe anemia and ended up in the hospital with a hemoglobin of 53 (5.3 in the US). I just donated blood at New Years and was up to 14.8!!

ETA: I HATE being one of those with the daily pill reminder box that has the days divided into three, but I have to even though I only take a total of 5 pills. I take a multi and Vitamin D with my prescription in the morning, my prilosec at noon (because I always have yogurt or cottage cheese with lunch so I can't take the iron) and my iron with dinner.

Mariehc2014 · January 2015

kamack1215 wrote: »

Wondering if anyone has any advice on which Iron Supplements for a 23 year old female to take? I have always struggled with my iron levels and do not like beans or red meat so I am finding it really hard to keep my iron up. I work out intensely 4 days a week (Tae Kwon Do), and am getting really weak about half way through my workout.

I would usually go to a doctor for this advice but since I graduated university I no longer have access to the health center and no family doctors in the area are accepting patients. So I am turning to everyone on MFP to get some advice!

The last time I went to donate blood I was turned away (this was months before trying to loose weight). My iron level was at 111. I am 5'1.5 and 188.6 pounds. Hopefully some one will be able to give me some guidance.

IzzyBooNZ1 · January 2015

just wondering but on average how long did it take til your iron levels came up and you started feeling better?

also, say I eat something high in iron like clams, how long does it take for the iron to do its 'work' and how long does this last in my system?( hope this makes sense... )

I'm going to see my doc this week and arrange blood tests as I think my iron levels are low.
Amongst other things, I've noticed in my workouts the last few months I am losing strength and struggling for breath, no staminer quite a lot which totally frustrates me!

earlnabby · January 2015

IzzyBooNZ1 wrote: »

just wondering but on average how long did it take til your iron levels came up and you started feeling better?

also, say I eat something high in iron like clams, how long does it take for the iron to do its 'work' and how long does this last in my system?( hope this makes sense... )

I'm going to see my doc this week and arrange blood tests as I think my iron levels are low.
Amongst other things, I've noticed in my workouts the last few months I am losing strength and struggling for breath, no staminer quite a lot which totally frustrates me!

My hemoglobin was 5.3 when I was admitted to the hospital. 2 units of blood and one day later, it was 7.6. 2 more units of blood and one unit of IV iron and it was 9.3 the next morning. I started taking the iron supplement and a week later it was 11.4. Three weeks later, 13.3. It eventually got to 14.1 and has hung around 14 ever since.

When I was donating blood on a regular basis, my numbers were always just over or just under the cutoff of 12.0. When I went under, I sometimes had a big dinner of red meat and snacked on raisins and I would go back the next day and I would be up 2 or 3 tenths. This was just a temporary thing though. If you are going to eat high iron foods, make sure you get both animal and plant sources and that you get it every day. It only seems to last a couple of days if not continuously being ingested.

IzzyBooNZ1 · January 2015

thanks for replying !!

niferbyrne · January 2015

Hi I really struggle with my iron levels too and have tried all sorts of suppliments. The best with the least side effects for me was a tonic called floradix. All the others made me constipated. If you like liver I used to find that really helped too.

IzzyBooNZ1 · January 2015

I actually just bought some liver and I am googling recipes for it. Is it true you should only have it once a week due to high vitamin A levels in it ? ( or is that for dogs??.. )

Iron Supplements ?

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