Iron supplements and D?
#298473 - 01/30/07 01:36 PM
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Ulrika
Reged: 08/20/06
Posts: 581
Loc: Uppsala, Sweden
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I have done a search on this but I found it hard to find good info...
I have been ordered to take iron supplements by my GP as my HB and iron value is low. But I am so scared to start. I have reached a balance with my IBS and am starting to feel confident, i.e. being able to go out on most days without being scared of accidents et.c. I don't want to ruin the balance. And yet I need the iron...
Most people talk about how you get C from iron and yet my iron supplement lists D and C both as common side effects. Is one more common than the other?
My pills are 100 mg each and I am recommended to take as much as I can until the values are ok, i.e. at least one every other day up to preferably 1-2 a day.
Does anyone have any suggestions? The supplement is ferrous sulfate, it's the only available type here as far as I know.
I don't want to start eating ultra safe boring food in order to be able to tolerate the iron pill since I will have to stay on the iron for at least a couple of months.
Suggestions and support is very welcome!
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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I took iron supplements for quite a long time and yes they did aggravate my IBS (although I didn't know it was IBS at the time). I found that they did give me more pain and D than usual, and more C during the few days before my period. So for me it seemed that it just increased my IBS and not necessarily switched me from C to D or D to C. I am IBS-D now, but when I used to get my period I was always C right before it.
I only managed to take about 1 pill every 2-3 days, and unfortunately it never made a difference in my iron levels. The only way I got my levels up was to stop getting my period (not sure if that is the reason for your iron defficiency?) I would recommend trying to take the iron pills with a safe meal, and if you can split them and take them twice a day instead that may help. Or maybe 1/2 per day if possible.
With things like calcium, certain types of calcium are better for IBS-D than IBS-C and viseversa. Maybe with iron it is the same thing? Try to find an iron supplement that is the gentlest form? Hope someone else can give some info here..
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Kat
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Well. Yes, my deficiency comes from not eating enough stuff with iron, like green vegetables and blood stuff for obvious reasons, AND from having quite heavy periods. However, not having periods is not an option for me since 1) I have bad circulation (cardiovascular) in my right leg, from a paralysis I had as a child so I am not allowed to take birth control pills because of the risk of blood clots, and 2) my fiancé and I want to have kids as soon as my sphincter and bladder issues that I am currently undergoing tests for, are resolved.
My iron pills cannot be split. I will try to go to the pharmacy this weekend though (hopefully the pills I have won't affect me in a bad way, so that I am able to go there) and ask them. I think this is the standard supplement though. It could be that the health food store has something. But the pills I take are of the kind that release a little iron at a time over a longer period of time and that is supposed to decrease the risk of side effects.
My plan is that if I survive the time it takes to get my iron level normal then I will take the iron supplements during my period to refill but not mess with the bowels the rest of the time.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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I will let you know my experience with iron pills. I also have started having heavier periods due to perimenopause and the doc put me on ferrous sulfate pills (small red pills). A freind of my suggested that I start taking a stook softner when I started the pills since it does constipate. I followed her advice and still did not have a bm for OVER a week. I hurt so bad. In addition the medication upset my stomach so half the time I threw up the pills. Not a pretty site since I took the pill with crackers and water so I had "sorry so gross" projectile red vomit. Now I have a very sensitive stomach but usually I can make it to the bathroom, but not with the iron pills. The doc eventually changed the pills to Heme iron pills (large green pills) which I still had trouble taking. I take them every few days since they also cause my stomach to hurt and make me very naseous. The only thing that I have been able to tolerate is a ferrous sulfate liquid which you mix with water and sip. It still tend to constipate so I take the stool softners and you must be very careful because it will discolor your teeth severely. I am trying to get my iron through my diet with greens mixed with rice. I also tried taking the pills only during my period but it still did not raise my iron levels. Of course, I am talking very heavy bleeding and it is due to menopausal issues. I am all ready on bc pills - which have a small amount of iron in them and am okay with them.
Hope this helps and good luck
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Well, I have IBS-D so I'd prefer a constipating effect over the opposite...
I have noticed feeling some nausea today and a bit of an uncomfortable feeling in the lowest part of the abdomen but I hope I won't have any change in consistency/frequency. Still I think I will try to go to the pharmacy tomorrow of or the day after and ask them how much they think I need (the minimum dose and frequency of taking the iron pill) to get my iron level back to normal and if they can recommend any specific brand. I will not take more pills till I have talked to them. They should also be able to tell me for how long after you take the pill that the possible side effects can remain.
I had to take iron at one time before my IBS got bad and I can't remember having any specific or hard to tolerate side effects then and back then I took 2x100 mg a day for 50 days I believe... But that was before the IBS really started acting up...
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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Pills that release over time sound like a good idea. Hopefully the pharmacist will know what's best. If there is an iron supplement that's gentler it's well worth it to find. Some people have mentioned in the past that liquid form is easier to handle, maybe ask about that too.
On another note just remember that you are in control of taking these iron pills. It may take a while for you to be able to handle a higher dose, and it may take a while for your blood counts to return to normal, so don't rush into it too much and affect your IBS. If you take the pills and your IBS gets worse, you can always stop them for a few days and feel better. I found that's what happened with me, if I wasn't feeling well it only took a few days of not taking them to feel better again.
Let us know how you do,
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Kat
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Thanks...
#298641 - 02/01/07 07:33 AM
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Ulrika
Reged: 08/20/06
Posts: 581
Loc: Uppsala, Sweden
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I think I get really worried because I am in the middle of a round of tests at the surgery department as I want to see what they can do about my sphincter problem. And when you have appointments like that especially when it involves all kinds of tests "back there" where they want you to have an empty rectum I find I really want to be able to trust my bowels and I want the BM to be predictable. I mean I'd rather be able to empty the rectum myself in the normal way than have them force me to take some bowel irritating substance...
And with my low sphincter control even leaving the house is like torture if the IBS is acting up.
I think I'm scared of getting a problem from the pills and that it will take a long time to recover physically and/or mentally from it... I am just trying to learn to feel more confident and feel like ok, if I take something that upsets the system then if I just stop taking it I will soon be well again. I'm working on it.
Thanks for your support.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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Hi everybody!
Wow, it's been ages since I last posted here.  Anyway, just thought I'd post an update on my iron supplement thing.
I started taking Duroferon which is the supplement of choice in Sweden at the end of January. The pills are 100 mg ferrous sulfate and they are of the kind that release a little iron at a time over an extended period of time. I first tried one pill and then waited a few days to see what would happen. When it turned out ok I started to take one every other evening. I always take the pill after dinner so that my stomach is full when I take it. The average dose per day was of course then 50 mg which is about 3 times the normal recommended dose. I went back and had my iron and blood level checked again at the end of March and - TADA - both iron and blood level were back to normal. (I think my HB-value was 113 in January and it was 127 in March!) I have continued to take the supplement. It turns out now that I've taken it and it's worked so well I'm a bit scared to stop... Ironic right? Anyway, will continue taking it next week too since I'm going home next weekend and don't want to mess with the system then... My plan is to then start trying a daily vitamin/mineral supplement instead and only take one or two iron pills during my period.
The problem now is of course finding a good vitamin/mineral supplement. I have found one which is possible to split in two doses per day, however for some reason it has 6 times the recommended daily dose of vitamin E. Why can't they just make a supplement that has the exact recommended daily dose of all the vitamins/minerals? Why do they insist on putting megadoses in the pills?
Anyway, I had no side effects at all from the iron supplement. It might be that it was slightly constipating but that's only good for me so... But there were no big immediately noticeable side effects.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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