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Posted 1/10/2009 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
hey everyone sorry ot been here in a while, the christmas rush and four kids kept me going for a while. Wondering if anyone had any experience with iron pills etc..... i am 19 weeks pregnant, been told i have really low iron, and yesterday my ferritin results came back at 7.1 been told that is very low too. So i started iron pills yesterday and was up most of the night in pain. Thankfully i still got a bm but pain was unbelievably bad. Forgot what it was like to be in so much pain. any ideas what is best suited for ppl with only a small bowel. I am meant to get a prescription for liquid iron, i didnt even know there was such a thing. But any ideas if the liquid iron agrees with us etc...... any help advice etc.... is greatly appreciated. i also have to get my b12 and folate levels checked, if that makes any sense to you guys xx
Posted 1/10/2009 12:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Amanda,

I once got iron through IV (intravenous), which boosted my level quickly. I would also get weekly B-12 shots when those levels were low. Hope you feel better soon!

Cecilia

Posted 1/10/2009 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
hi cecilia, how are you? what are the b12 levels anyway. sorry sounds naive just dont know anything about this. and if it is caused by pregnancy or lack of large bowel. Pain is starting to subside but my husband is away out getting me my prescription for liquid iron. you could say im a bit nervous of it causing pain also. xx

Posted 1/10/2009 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
iron and b-12 are parts of your red blood cells...and can be a factor with anemia. ferritin helps store iron. If the levels are too low you will become anemic...I cannot help you with the iron supplement questions but I do get a b-12 shot to keep my levels up.

Iron does cause constipation so you may want to double check with your doc so you don't have issues with your gut...
Posted 1/10/2009 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
Iron, even in multi vitamin form, causes me to have horrible pain in my abdomen. So, I don't take it as a supplement but fortunately, my levels have been ok. I do, however, still have to give myself biweekly b-12 injections. The portion of the bowel, where the large and small connect, is the area that absorbs the b-12, so I have been told, and I no longer have that portion.

Be sure to check with your dr about the constipation issue ...
Posted 1/10/2009 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
I ALWAYS have trouble taking iron. Which we were worried about during pregnancy b/c I was still actively bleeding (of course, I did still have a colon then). The only prenatal vitamins I could even tolerate are called Vinate or natelle prefer. At first the OB gave me samples of different ones to try. That brand seem to be gentler on my stomach. They are prescription though. I took them at night and that helped too.
Also, I take vit. B 12 shots once a month.
Posted 1/10/2009 3:39 PM (GMT 0)

When I was anemic I tried iron pills and they made me ill so a health store employee geared me toward the liquid iron and I never had problems with that.  As I recall it was a German brand but I don't remember the name.  If you have a reputable health food store in your area you might consult with them.

Sue

Posted 1/10/2009 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
When I had my surgery in Sept/08 I lost alot of blood and had to have a transfusion.  I was anaemic prior to surgery so this sure didn't boost my levels of iron!!  Post surgery I had to go on iron supplements.  I took 300 mg of ferrous gluconate 3 times daily for about 2 months.  I got extremely nauseated and had to start them slowly..ie one per day, and work my way up to 3. After awhile they didn't make me feel ill.Even at that, I had to experiment.  I took them on empty stomach, full stomach, etc..to find what worked best for me.  I love milk but couldnt drink it around the time I took the iron as I read that calcium interferes with the absorbtion of the iron.  I sure feel alot better now.  I only take one per day now and will stop when the bottle is empty.  I am much less tired and feel almost human again!!  Good luck.....Cheryl :-)
Posted 1/10/2009 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
thank you everyone very much for your replys. Well yesterday i ended up in agony but that was about 10 hours after taking ferrous fumerate. Today i started on Sytron(sodium feredetate) elixir. I took 10 mls just over 3 hours ago, then managed to have a good nap. So far the pain has not come back with a vengeance so heres hoping im ok during the night. anyone have any idea what the nrmal reading for ferritin is? xx

Posted 1/11/2009 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

whether it is liquid iron or tablet iron, they both cause horrible constipation troubles. Are you on anything already? Colace, miralax, senokott? May have to adjust those while on the iron. I am not sure if the IV iron has the same constipating effects as oral does or not.

Good Luck with evertyhing!

Amy

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