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Iron Supplements - Ferrous Sulphate

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/9/2009 9:48 AM (GMT 0)
I have been asked to take these twice a day to improve my Haemoglobin after severe blood loss from a duedonal ulcer. It says to be "careful if you have IBD" - anyone else had problems with iron supplements causing flares?
Posted 5/9/2009 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think they can cause flare (?) but more or less cause abdominal pain and/or constipation. I do know that some iron supplements can cause looser stool but I think that Ferrous Sulfate is one that is usually recommended by the GI's most frequently. I had to use this several years ago due to anemia and I don't recall having any issues with it.
Posted 5/9/2009 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
I belive oral iron supplements,were responsible for my UC progressing rapidily from mild to very servere,I took them for three months,untill hospitalized due too extreme blood loss,no one at any point mentioned it could be due to iron supplements,but as soon as I stopped taking them my symptoms eased,I had heavy blood loss,pain, cramping,stomachpain.Apparently UC patients can be intolerant to iron but its not that common,now it I get anemic I get transfusions thus by passing the stomach and bowel I think the main problem with oral iron is bad absorbtion,so most passes straight through, and my case certainly would irritate the colon and cause me to flare,be carefull ifyou think the iron is affecting you adversly you can easily have venefor infusions instead,also iron is much better absorbed by foodstuffs such as spinach,liver,redmeat,and iron rich water such as spa tone,don't worry to much about your blood count mine has regularly dropped to 7.1 7.2 once it gets below 7 its a bit dangerous.
Posted 5/9/2009 9:06 PM (GMT 0)
Iron irritates my gut, too. Try SLO-FE, it's time-released and lots easier on the gut.
I also got B-12 shots, they are supposed to help you get your iron levels up, make the supplements work better or something.
Posted 5/10/2009 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
I use flora dix liquid iron supplement and it's great! it's all natural and ive never had any problems with it.
Posted 5/10/2009 9:53 PM (GMT 0)

 My Iron is way low - as a suggestion, my GI subscribed an outpatient INFUSION of Ferriecit ( brand name) it's liquid Iron.  I completed one drip-bag Fri. have three more visits.  I've been pretty weak, so was happy to take this most 'direct' route. No side effects from it, for me.

You may want to check that out.

With all due respect for the poster who casually mentions getting transfusions - I'd exert extreme caution. No blood therapy and even Bloodless surgeries are becoming the new 'gold standard' in many medical fields where surgery is needed.  There can be so many complications from transfusions  skull  .  I'd throw up the red flag if my doctor casually mentioned getting blood when I was at 8 or even 7.  I've been to a RBC of 6 and came back.  A well respected Physician & friend said never go for transfusions unless you are around 5 or even 4 red blood cell count.  That's her philosophy and she said she has it in a medical directive.  Coming from a professional, I listened.

Posted 5/11/2009 8:47 AM (GMT 0)
Oh when I said that I was meaning the veneflor iron insfusions,of course they never do blood transfusions unless absolutley necessary Anna
Posted 5/11/2009 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
Annelise,
I see. It's just that one GI I had was eager to push TRANSFUSIONS, and with so many possible complications from some of the strong meds we are all on, the last thing I want is possible life-threatening complications from blood transfusions. A good article in the Wall Street Journal points out some info, we should all know as patients who can experience severe blood loss - in some instances.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122523396064077821.html
Posted 5/12/2009 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
I was hospitalized with anemia in the early early 1990's and they wouldn't even give me a transfusion of my mother's blood! Well, I knew from working in health care that "directed" donations are actually the most unsafe. But they did not do transfusion unless Absolutely Necessary. The "rules" are looser now that testing is better, but we can still expect other treatments.
Posted 5/13/2009 2:25 AM (GMT 0)
In the 90's - the article I mention from the WSJ touches on it - there was still the HIV scare - and much news questioning how safe the nations blood supplies was - especially in the early 90's.

I'm not in the Health profession - but anyone can and should do their research on blood transfusions - complications and serious reactions are not uncommon.

Now with drugs readily used to increase RBC production and volume expanders for blood - transfusions are more and more for last ditch emergencies. Nordic countries and European countries are making huge strides in no-blood treatments. There are hospitals that entirely specialize in no-blood treatment and surgeries.
A blood transfusion by a doctor because a patient is moderately anemic is going out with the dinasaurs.
Posted 5/15/2009 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, my son has run into trouble with his UC while taking slow-fe. When he takes iron his symptoms get worse and when he stops they improve...I guess that says it all...at least for him. His hemoglobin is in the mid/high 70's and his docs are not overly concerned as long as he is not bleeding much. They say his hemo will rise as soon as the inflammation is improved. We have been through three rounds of this and it always does improve as soon as he is feeling better and is eating more.

If however, your hemoglobin is low and you are still bleeding, obviously something needs to be done. As a side note...he tried Floradix the first time that his hemo fell to 75 and it did not cause problems but it did absolutely nothing to help raise his hemoglobin levels or his iron stores....and it was very expensive. Our GI said that has been her experience as well
Posted 5/15/2009 8:09 AM (GMT 0)
Is floradix an iron infusion,if so they can take a few weeks to metabolize,for the iron in the bloodstream to be taken up by the red blood cells,so its it builds up slowly,I had a 6-8 infusions over 8-10 weeks before I really started to feel better.
Posted 5/15/2009 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
floradix is a vitamin solution that you buy at a health food store. It is made of kelp etc, etc and is high in iron and supposed to be much more gentle on your intestines/colon.....however, for my son it did absolutely nothing. As soon as he switched to Slow-FE this iron levels started to raise, but his UC symptoms became much worse. Our doc says the best thing for him is to eat lots and lots of steak.
Posted 5/18/2009 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
Iron can usually irritate the gut. Depending on what type you take. I also took Ferrous Sulphate and was told by my doctor to take the 60mg pill a day back when I was having constant bleeding and it would cause me to go to the bathroom right after I took it. I talked later with a nutritionist who recommended a Hematinic Formula that is all vegetarian. Sugar and starch free. It's made by Solgar and has iron and B12 and a few other vitamins that are all very helpful. It's just a vitamin supplement but makes me feel a lot better than just straight iron did, and has given me much better results.
Posted 5/18/2009 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
That sounds like good stuff.
I wish this forum had a function to store certain posts with the tidbits that I know I'll need someday! I'll have to just copy it somewhere.
Posted 5/18/2009 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
How about iron injections? Do those still affect the GI tract the same way?
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