Anyone familiar with Iron Supplements?

My OB has me on an iron pill, twice a day, because my blood count was going low.  I haven't had any of the "bad" side effects from it and I have noticed I feel better on it.  My problem is that it says not to take it with dairy.  And I'm craving milk.  Nice cold glasses of milk!!  I just downed one now.  I had to.  It was amazing!!

So now I will have to wait a bit before I take my 2nd pill and go to bed.  Of course I'm yawning sitting here.  And I've been having this problem every night for a while now.  And it's made me miss a few pills too.  I believe it's the calcium in dairy products that affects the absorption of the iron.

That got me wondering; is there another form of iron supplement or is the Ferrous Sulfate about it?  I see my OB on Friday so I can ask him then.  I am still on a prenatal and I eat salads and things daily.  I know its important to keep my iron count good as I get closer to delivery.  I'd just like to find a happy medium!  At least I haven't been needing antacids like I did with my DD!

What about using cast iron skillets?

It's true... cast iron utensils will give you iron, but it's a bit of a hit and miss dose!

I can't use them as I have Haemochromatosis, a disease where my body doesn't get rid of iron and it builds up in the system, causing major issues. 

Maybe I should drink more milk!

Sorry... I'm obviously not much help to you.

I'm only 15 weeks so I don't need iron yet but my last pregnancy I had to take it. Dr said it's best on an empty tummy but if it causes upset take with food. with all iron avoid dairy and caffine for 2 hours before and after.
I had to take with food or it made me sick unless I was sleeping. So I would take one pill after breakfast and the other when I got up in the night to pee.
Sorry I can't be of more help.

Mani said:

It's true... cast iron utensils will give you iron, but it's a bit of a hit and miss dose!

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It's really not any more hit or miss than getting iron naturally from food. The skillet way is usually well tolerated by those who have trouble taking iron supplements. 

In college, my cross country coach put our entire team on liquid ferrous sulfate since a lot of runners become anemic, and we were told by the team doctors to mix it with orange juice (more to disguise the taste than anything). The liquid iron gets absorbed much better than pills, so mixing it with calcium-rich orange juice was never a problem. You could ask your doctor about liquid iron and see if that is a possibility.

I was on iron pills when I was pregnant with my son because I was anemic. My OB said the vitamin D is what prevents the iron from being absorbed correctly and most milk (dairy) has added vitamin D to help you absorb the calcium. So vitamin D helps absorb calcium but hinders the absorption of iron. On the other hand, vitamin C helps the absorption of iron, that is probably why the above poster was indicated to have the liquid iron with orange juice

Thanks everyone!!  So much good info!  That's why i asked here instead of on the baby board I go on!

 

BBDOLL22 said:

I'm only 15 weeks so I don't need iron yet but my last pregnancy I had to take it. Dr said it's best on an empty tummy but if it causes upset take with food. with all iron avoid dairy and caffine for 2 hours before and after.
I had to take with food or it made me sick unless I was sleeping. So I would take one pill after breakfast and the other when I got up in the night to pee.
Sorry I can't be of more help.

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Actually that just might do the trick!  I tend to fall asleep on the couch every night anyway; so I can always just take my 2nd pill then before I head off to my actual bed!  In the morning it's not been too bad because I take it as soon as I get up and then shower and get DD going; so by the time I get around to feeding myself it's been a while; but I'm also turning into a hungry green eyed monster... lol

 

Quote:

rad65 said:

In college, my cross country coach put our entire team on liquid ferrous sulfate since a lot of runners become anemic, and we were told by the team doctors to mix it with orange juice (more to disguise the taste than anything). The liquid iron gets absorbed much better than pills, so mixing it with calcium-rich orange juice was never a problem. You could ask your doctor about liquid iron and see if that is a possibility.

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I might do that too!
 

blueorchid said:

I was on iron pills when I was pregnant with my son because I was anemic. My OB said the vitamin D is what prevents the iron from being absorbed correctly and most milk (dairy) has added vitamin D to help you absorb the calcium. So vitamin D helps absorb calcium but hinders the absorption of iron. On the other hand, vitamin C helps the absorption of iron, that is probably why the above poster was indicated to have the liquid iron with orange juice

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Great info!!  Thanks!

I've never heard of using a cast iron pan for that.  I might see if my Mom has one I can borrow for a bit!  Actually she might want to try that herself since shes had some troubles with anemia since she started with all the menopause things a few years ago.  I know she doesn't tolerate the supplaments well.

Hi, I was a buyer @ our natural food co-op here in town for yrs. I didn't buy for most supplements, but did work in the wellness dpt. (beauty & general merch.)

I don't know what brand you are taking, but whole food supplements are always better. They are good quality & you will absorb them for sure.  There is a liquid one that I will suggest. It is by Floradix. It even has a nice cherry flavor. Not to bad. I posted a link below, so you can check it out.

floradixliquidiron.com/

Another whole food line that is really good (my Fav. ) is Mega Food. It's whole, live food supplements.

www.megafood.com

Good luck! Hope this helped.

Thanks I'll look at those!  The one I have now is a prescription my OB gave me.  I will have to ask him if I can actually go for something non-prescription right now, now that I'm thinking about it.  I was asking about some teas earlier in this pregnancy and he was saying that the concern is just over things that aren't as regulated; because they can't say for sure what is in them.  I hope I don't have to stay on them for very long after baby comes; but if I do need them longer, I think something like this sounds like a good alternative!

Great, I hope you can. They should be pretty safe. Both are good companies & you can always call the 800 # & talk to someone in more detail.
 

MoochNNoodles said:

Thanks I'll look at those!  The one I have now is a prescription my OB gave me.  I will have to ask him if I can actually go for something non-prescription right now, now that I'm thinking about it.  I was asking about some teas earlier in this pregnancy and he was saying that the concern is just over things that aren't as regulated; because they can't say for sure what is in them.  I hope I don't have to stay on them for very long after baby comes; but if I do need them longer, I think something like this sounds like a good alternative!

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Never take any supplements without checking with your doctor first.  Unless you have a history of anemia, there should be no reason to supplement iron intake through the use of pills. Low or elevated iron levels have a medical reason behind it.  Go see your doctor if you suspect you are having problems with your iron levels.

I am not expecting a baby, but I do have problems with my iron being low.  The doctor wanted me to take supplements, but I didn't want to.  I read that iron can build up in your system.  So I tried doing it with food.  I researched and found many foods that are high in iron.  I ate fortified cereal for breakfast like Total.  It provides 100% of the RDA of iron.  I also ate lots of broccoli and turnip greens.  I kept a bottle of blackstrap molasses by my sink and took several tablespoons a day.  In doing that, my iron levels remain as they need to bo, no supplements.