Side Effects of Iron tablets

@lotsofpain
You might want to take it with food or just after eating.
Iron, at least iron sulfate, is better absorbed on an empty stomach and taken with a drink high in vitamin C. I take it with orange juice.
You might talk to your pharmacist about active iron or if there are other alternatives.
Good luck,
Jake

When I was taking iron supplements, I would divide them into smaller doses by splitting the tablets in quarters and taking it with food throughout the day. A neighbor prefers to take hers in one dose as an 'enteric-coated' tablet.
I tried an iron fumarate but it seemed to give me some appetite loss. I did better with an iron sulfate but some people have the opposite experience.
I'm not taking any iron at the moment. Now instead of taking iron, I take a very small dose of vitamin C with my meals because it helps with the absorption of the iron that is in the food.

Regular iron supplements are easy on the pocketbook; however, they can cause constipation. Everyone I know that needs a iron supplement uses Floradix. From Germany, it is an incredible iron supplement that does not cause constipation. There is the liquid form and pill form, with the former being more expensive. However, I would try a bottle of the liquid and see if it solves the problem. Then stick with it if it works or try the pill form. The iron is derived from plant extracts. It really makes a difference!

I had a lot of trouble with iron supplements until I tried Vitron-C on my GI dr's recommendation.

On the related issue of absorption, in addition to taking on an empty stomach if you can, a dietitian advised that I should separate iron and calcium supplemts by 2 hours. (Before I heard I should take iron at least 1 hr before and 2 hrs after.)

Another surprise was that high oxalates interfere with iron absorption (confirmed by the dietitian). I had included a daily spinach salad to my routine in addition to an iron supplement, and couldn't figure out why iron blood tests were going down. Spinach is very high in oxalates. Go figure.

Finally, when I talked to my PCP about it he said current thinking is that you get better absorption if you take iron supplements every other day in the morning (even if you are taking a double dose on recommendation of a dr).

I was checking everything out because I have a problem with iron deficiency anemia and was trying to avoid time consuming iron infusions. Implementing these recommendations has been working.

Pls I need help. I did a CT scan some months ago and there was a little growth close to my abdomen ever since, I noticed loose poo and sometimes when I eat some certain food or take carbonated drinks I see blood in my stool. This has been going on for months. I also noticed weight loss. I’m scared of eating cos I go to toilet frequently. Pls I need advice

@christopher2020
Welcome to Mayo Connect!
I understand how concerned you must be.
You didn’t mention why you had the CT scan in the past.
It’s difficult to guess why you are having these symptoms now. However, this is one of those times when you should visit your doctor who might order some tests to be able to give you an answer.
We would like to hear from you when you have done answers!

I drink milk with them that helps

Thank you very much for your response. Will reach out to a doctor and give my feedback.

I’ve had trouble with iron supplements in the past too. I’ve found a whole food iron supplement that doesn’t bother me. It’s called “Vitamin Code Raw Iron”, made by Garden of Life.

My doc told me to take vitamin C with iron, it helps your body absorb the iron. I take both twice a day. I also get the coated iron, it wears less on my stomach.