Iron supplements

[skris4]

I've started taking iron pills since last week. Since 15 weeks (almost 22weeks now) I have been taking a women's multivitamin and a prenatal DHA supplement daily and although the multivitamin has iron it doesn't seem to be enough.
I am taking ferrous sulphate which makes me constipated . Can someone please share other iron supplements that have worked without being a pain to digest? Thanks

 

[arturia]

No advice on supplements specifically but diet-wise, there are definitely things you can do to boost your iron levels.

There are two types of dietary iron: heme and non heme. Heme comes from meat. To absorb it, just eat meat. Non heme comes from vegetables, specifically leafy greens like lettuce or broccoli. You'll also find it in that form as an additive in cereals. To absorb it, you want to avoid having calcium and have vitamin C at the same time. I think heme iron also has a positive effect on the absorption of non-heme. That means a delicious meal of your choice of protein, a big green salad, and a glass of orange juice would give you a good boost from diet.

 

[2have4kids]

I've taken SpaTone, Floradix both are liquid, SpaTone is like sparkly water in a small pack and gives you 11mg each pack (you'll need 28mg/day of iron being pregnant). There's also pills that are heme and super easy to digest if you ask at your local pharmacy. I don't know why multi vitamins and prenatals use such cheap and hard to digest iron, it's not nice! And you'd literally need to eat 30+ heaping plates of spinach (lettuce has very little iron in it) in order to get half your daily serving of iron (or 6 cups of beans) UMMMMM no thanks! Like the pp said, always avoid dairy 2 hours before and after taking iron and take iron with orange juice or citrus for best absorption.

Iron is very important for baby, it carries the oxygen on the blood to the baby and prevents learning & cognitive disorders/disabilities. Good on you for having enough interest to take a good supplement, your baby will thank you in the long run!

 

[broodymrs]

I'm on supplements too for anaemia. I'm just eating loads of plums to help withconstipation! Horrible isn't it?! I've got piles too just to add to the fun 😟

 

[2have4kids]

I'm on supplements too for anaemia. I'm just eating loads of plums to help withconstipation! Horrible isn't it?! I've got piles too just to add to the fun 😟

You're def on the wrong kind of iron if it's making you constipated. Sorry to hear you're having so many troubles. I paid $60 for a 90 day supply of super easy to digest heme pills and the floradix is pretty cheap too (it's liquid and you take it in your OJ). Why wouldn't you get the kind of iron that doesn't cause such health issues?

 

[skris4]

I'm on supplements too for anaemia. I'm just eating loads of plums to help withconstipation! Horrible isn't it?! I've got piles too just to add to the fun 😟

You're def on the wrong kind of iron if it's making you constipated. Sorry to hear you're having so many troubles. I paid $60 for a 90 day supply of super easy to digest heme pills and the floradix is pretty cheap too (it's liquid and you take it in your OJ). Why wouldn't you get the kind of iron that doesn't cause such health issues?

I ordered Spatone. Can I ask what pill you get?

 

[2have4kids]

I'm on supplements too for anaemia. I'm just eating loads of plums to help withconstipation! Horrible isn't it?! I've got piles too just to add to the fun 😟

You're def on the wrong kind of iron if it's making you constipated. Sorry to hear you're having so many troubles. I paid $60 for a 90 day supply of super easy to digest heme pills and the floradix is pretty cheap too (it's liquid and you take it in your OJ). Why wouldn't you get the kind of iron that doesn't cause such health issues?

I ordered Spatone. Can I ask what pill you get?

It's just a generic brand but you have to ask your pharmacist, this kind is usually more expensive than the cheapie iron on the shelf. Very much worth not having the health issues though.

 

[broodymrs]

Mines prescribed by the GP. And because I'm pregnant I get it free. It's just called ferrous sulphate. I was considering getting floradix but plums are cheaper and they're keeping me regular!