fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2958 ]

[ SECRET POST #2958 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2958 ⌋

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My latest physical showed I'm slightly anemic and I need some folic acid and iron. The only iron rich foods I love are meat and they don't really love me back so I avoid them; therefore I'm looking for an iron supplement (325mgs).

I'm in the US but I can get it online; I need something gentle on the stomach and above all does not cause constipation. I already have a preexisting issue with that*; I don't need a pill that makes it worse. So can anyone recommend a good iron supplement meeting these requirements?

*And uh, before it happens, please spare me any advice on how to deal with constipation. I have tried literally everything; it's a functional issue I've had all my life that does not respond to any kind of usual cure and seemingly has no cause. I am just so tired of people looking at me piteously and condescendingly suggesting I change my diet or I don't get enough fiber/fruit/water, etc. Trust me; there's nothing to be done about it. It's under the best control I can keep it.

I almost forgot -- yes, I have talked to my doc and my pharmacist and none of them had much to tell me concerning what's really good and what isn't. Must not be something they deal with a lot.

It's probably more that there aren't really iron supplements out there that exist that don't cause constipation.

this

yep

Ahaha, yeeeeah.

Or, in my case, the delightful swing every few days from painful constipation to endless diarrhea. That was fun, let me tell you.

From personal experience, most if not all pill-form iron supplements will cause some level of constipation or digestive issues. It's a mechanism of the iron absorption itself, because what happens is that despite the higher doses your body can only take in so much at a time -- the excess goes to the digestive system.

You can try the different kinds of ferrous salts (gluconate, fumurate, sulphate) and see which one works best for you -- they all have different levels of available iron, so the levels of excess your body has to deal with will be different.

I haven't tried it myself, and I'm not sure you can get hold of it (I'm in Europe) but some people say a liquid supplement called Floradix is much gentler on the system than the pills. It's got a lower iron availability, but something like that may be something you can look into?

...gentler on the system yes, Floradix used to be recommended for pediatric iron deficiencies. But it tastes awful. Mumblety-some years later I can still taste the stuff/recall the smell. *shudder*

Do other iron-rich foods make you sick, or do you just not like them? If it's the latter, you might have to suck it up and eat them, because most iron supplements are hell on your stomach.

Seconding. I have not yet found an iron supplement that doesn't wreak havoc on a sensitive GI tract.

I'd recommend getting a magic bullet and experimenting with some smoothie recipes.

Ugh. I have GERD already (in fact I'm pretty sure the anemia is being caused by the high dose of prevacid I take daily.) I would love to have more meat in my diet but it also exacerbates my constipation issues, so I'm practically vegetarian (well, dairy-tarian, more like). I probably should see about finding something that disguises the taste of spinach. Thanks for the idea!

nayrt

You're probably right about the Prevacid -- most long term use of any kind of acid inhibitors is going to cause deficiencies (not just iron -- if you haven't already I'd get your B12 and D levels checked also if you've been on them a while) because you're not breaking down and absorbing food the way you otherwise would.

Red meat and spinach isn't the only source of iron, though. Actually there's some debate about spinach because while it contains a good amount of iron, it also contains oxalic acid which inhibits iron absorption, so if you eat a lot of it then you're probably not getting as much iron as you think.

Obviously red meat has the higher concentrations, but all meat has iron to some degree. Fish is also a good option, especially shellfish and oily fish. When it comes to non-heme iron (or non-meat-based iron) then you've got a lot more choice than just spinach! Almost all the leafy green vegetables contain decent iron (peas, broccoli etc.) and virtually all beans and pulses have good amounts of iron in them, as do a lot of nuts (cashews and pine nuts) and seeds (pumpkin or sesame seeds). Blackstrap molasses is also a good source, as are things like dried apricots and dried prunes/raisins. A lot of breakfast cereals come fortified with iron too, but make sure they're more on the fibre side than the sugary side to get the most absorption out of them. And like another anon said, make sure you also have plenty of Vit C in your diet to help absorb as much iron as you can.

A side benefit of all those things is that they won't aggravate either your GERD or your constipation problems.

I took an iron supplement called 'Slow Fe' which is supposed to be a bit easier on the digestive system. I had some problems if I took it every day, but I managed to raise my hemoglobin count by taking it every other day and missed most of the constipation issues that way.

Good luck, anon!

I don't know any specific brands - have just taken whatever my doc has prescribed when I've needed to - but as an additional point - vitamin c aids the absorption of iron, so drink orange juice, or eat rich in vit c foods to help - and avoid taking the iron pills with tea/coffee as caffeine will inhibit the absorption - or so my doc told me.

If you live in a place that has it covered under insurance, I would actually suggest iron injections rather than supplementing if you're prone to bowel problems.

For one, the absorption rates of iron supplements typically aren't very good, and for another even the prescription oral supplements can be very pricey (and those are honestly the only ones I'd recommend).

Talk to your primary care physician about it and see if this is an option.

Try a tincture. They are inexpensive, easy to digest, and actually work to *fix* constipation.
In fact, because of my Crohns, I sadly had to *stop* using the tincture i got, because it really exacerbated the issues i was having.

https://herblore.com/products/iron-tonic-tincture

My doctor recommended that I take my iron supplements with a glass of orange juice. The oj helps a LOT to keep the iron from upsetting your stomach. Something about the acid in it, from what I remember, aids the body's absorption of the iron and keeps it from upsetting the stomach. I've had really good luck with it, though I dunno if it'd help you any!

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[ SECRET POST #2958 ]

Favorite Iron Supplement?

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