Iron - who takes PRESCRIPTION Iron?

I've been on the Iron prescription FERROUS SULFATE for 6 months now.  My iron is still low.  So my GI gave me an Rx for TANDEM, a brand name prescription iron drug.  Let me put this into simple context:

FERROUS SULFATE = $3.59/month

TANDEM = $40/month

Which one would you rather be on?!

But what I'm really wanting to know is who here is taking a PREscriptION Iron pill and what is it's name?  How much do you pay for it?  Does anyone know if some prescription Iron pills are more "potent" than the next?  I asked my GI that about Tandem and instead of answering my question, he simply said with Tandem I only had to take 1 pill a day whereas with the Ferrous Sulfate I have to take 2 pills a day.  Ummmm...yeah....but there's like a $36/month difference in cost.  If Tandem isn't going to make my iron levels any HIGHER than Ferrous Sulfate, why the heck would I spend that much more money for nothing?!

I WAS a bit frustrated when I left my GI the other day...he tried putting me on ANOTHER brand new, brand name medication besides Tandem just for the purpose of me not having to take so many pills a day...but I didn't believe that.  I'm a horribly skeptical person!  When a doctor tries to put me on a "new drug" for no other purpose than to cut down on the amount of pills I have to take a day then all I can think about is the pretty drug rep who offered him a round of golf somewhere or a trip if he would JUST hand out her prescription drug samples...    SHAME ON ME!

There is no e on the end of that B-12 sorry the words are so small on the package I read.lol gail

Cyanocobalamin is not iron, but (being vitamin B12) is required for the body to use iron.

Iron supplements should contain the cofactors used to facilitate absorption and use- B12, vitamin C, folate, etc. One good OTC supplement is "Advanced Ferrochel" by Source Naturals; it is very important that the iron be chelated, and not just a simple source as with iron sulfate. Chelates are "recognized" by the body and absorbed more readily. Iron salts usually find their way back out very quickly, and in the process end up feeding undesirable gut flora. I have two papers, each of which cites how organisms (MAP as well as Klebsiella pneumoniae) both do better in the presence of iron. In fact, the anemia so many of us face is probably due to how the body hoards iron in order to shut down the infection. I have references for this assertion if anyone is interested.

As such, dietary iron is probably best; the most convenient form for iron absorption is the one in which your body uses it- iron as hemoglobin, or heme iron. Liver, beef (have a hamburger!), and other animal products that contain iron are most desirable. They will do a poor job at feeding your intestinal flora while providing you with the iron you need.

Also note that as documented by Lutz in "Life Without Bread," iron values increase markedly after 6-8 months of carbohydrate restriction in the management of Crohn's disease- in the absence of drugs. I have yet to find all my old blood panels, but I'll be scanning them in and posting them to the web for anyone who wants to view them.

Hello, I am new here and this thread caught my eye as I am dealing with this so often. I used to take Tandem but now can't find it in any of the stores. So I am looking for a new supplement. So far I have avoided an iron infusion that my Dr wants me to do. I am just chicken to try it.

Patientspiders...May I ask what does LDN mean?