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Posted 1/23/2014 5:49 AM (GMT 0)
Those of you with low iron how do you boost your iron? Diet? Supplements?
Posted 1/23/2014 6:20 AM (GMT 0)
I'm really interested in ways people handle this as well, especially with restrictive diets. I try and eat red meat (hard on my digestive system) and I take two 65mg iron pills daily. What else is pretty easy on the digestive system that's high in iron?
Posted 1/23/2014 12:09 PM (GMT 0)
What kind of restrictive diet are you on, and what bothers your digestive system?

Fortified noodles, cereals, spinach, beans, nuts and seeds are non-meat sources. Shellfish is another animal source that isn't red meat.
Posted 1/23/2014 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
I had a 6.2 hemoglobin level and took off the shelf iron pills from Walgreens which brought it back up quickly. Not sure on the exact Mg.
Posted 1/23/2014 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
High dose iron pills, though they can be rough on the tummy.

Fortified cereals is another source I used a lot. My anemia was greatly helped by my bleeding stopping. once the blood got under control, a few diet/supplement tweaks and it got better pretty quick! :)
Posted 1/23/2014 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
I took iron supplements for about 6 months to get my ferritin back up to normal and my hg in the ok zone. That worked, but once I stopped the oral iron my hg started to slide again.

It is hard for me to tell you what was causing my anemia. I had been borderline anemic for all of my adult life, and in my late 40s it got worse. DRs are apt to blame menstruation, and yes, I was having more frequent cycles, but shorter bleeding time.

What stopped the slide was adopting a gluten free diet. I do believe that part of my anemia was poor nutritional absorption due to gluten intolerance. I was still menstruating when I changed my diet, but even that has stopped now. My hg and ferritin have been in the normal range since I went GF and I haven't taken any iron in years.
Posted 1/23/2014 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
I was able to get my iron up with OTC iron as well. I don't take it anymore but I probably should.
Posted 1/24/2014 5:49 AM (GMT 0)
I've had low iron for many years and stopped taking iron pulls while I was flaring then continued to not take them while on 6MP for a year. Now I think I'm hitting a wall. I need to have my blood work done, but I've had headaches everyday for the past two weeks. Now I'm having some nausea. I went and bought a bottle of iron pills last night. They're only 28 mg tablets. I took two last night and three tonight. I know it will take time...what other symptoms do you all experience when your iron gets too low?
Posted 1/26/2014 5:26 AM (GMT 0)
How many milligrams of iron should I take per day?
Posted 1/26/2014 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
Prescription iron with a b12 component helped. Not as much constipation as the OTC, and covered by most insurers. Sorry, forgot the name of it.
Posted 1/26/2014 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
Blackstrap molasses, tastes like crud but does the trick. Secondly, guava juice and red bell pepper. It boosts up your palates and give you a kick start for your blood!

Red meat isn't digested well especially those who flare from UC. It rots more in your system than anything else really.

Another thing you can do is, blend a few cups of spinach in water, strain it and drink that. You'll be getting more vitamins from it that way and less fiber, than from eating all those cups.
Posted 1/26/2014 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
the pills i have are 27 mg a piece and i'd take one in the am and pm.

this was after i had gotten the iron infusions. you aren't supposed to take oral iron when you are also getting the infusions.
Posted 1/26/2014 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
I get iron infusions too, usually once a year or more frequently, depending on labwork. I tried oral iron, took it for about 4 months with very little change in my ferritin levels. So the hematologist I see for the anemia went straight to infusions. They're awesome, you feel like Wonder Woman right afterwards. I'm due for another in March I believe. I really think if you're anemic due to bleeding, it's nearly impossible to get your levels up based on food or supplements. I don't eat red meat, but do eat a fair amount of beans & spinach.
Posted 1/27/2014 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
My hematologist years ago told me to eat red meat for the most easily absorbed iron. He told me spinach and black beans were not going to give me the boost I needed. I'm not a huge red meat eater...I mainly eat chicken or turkey. I've been trying the past few days to include red meat into my meals. I popped three 28mg iron pills the other night in desperation. Too much I guess...lol.
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