iron supplements

agt104

Hello ladies! I've been in and out for a while so I apologize. Doctor just told me blood work came back and I'm anemic.
I have to take my prenatals at night and an iron supplement in the morning. The iron supplement makes me puke!
 Any advice? Tia

kat81

I just got the same news. I passed my glucose test but they found I'm anemic when running my blood for that test. They didn't say I need to take a supplement but that I should have more iron-rich foods. I have heard that the supplements are REALLY gross. Some prenatals have iron in them. Does yours? You could also consider getting it as part of the prenatal pill, but it will probably just make the prenatal gross. So I'm not sure I have advice, but I'm following this for responses.

And I'm curious about everyone's advice for iron-rich foods. The midwife suggested some foods and I googled this as well, but I'm wondering what people's views are in terms of which ones might provide the most iron. Also, do those iron-fortified carb foods (like cereal) suffice? Or is that a cop-out that doesn't work and I should just suck it up and have some leafy greens? (Don't worry I'm on board with having red meat too.)

livin541

I was anemic my last pregnancy, and the liquid iron was the easiest on my stomach. I can't remember the exact name of what I took, but I got it at a Whole Foods type store. Good luck!

starphish18

My doctor suggested if I ended up needing to take an iron supplement, to take it with Vitamin C. Iron gets absorbed better if taken in conjunction with Vitamin C, so taking both pills at once is ideal. This also reduces side effects from the iron, which occur when it's not being absorbed properly.

In regards to iron rich foods, I battled with anemia a little bit while I was a vegetarian. Weirdly enough, I was fine for 8 years, and then became anemic after I donated blood a couple times. It's like I couldn't regenerate the iron that I lost. Anyways, some of my non-meat go-to's were spinach, dried apricots, and beans. @kat81 Iron-fortified cereals, breads, and pastas are also helpful, but might not be enough on their own. Again, with Vitamin C helping the absorption of iron, you may also want to slip an occasional banana in there.

mdlorenz

I've heard Slow-Fe and Gentle Iron (by Solgar? Can't remember) are both better tolerated than the typical formulations. Haven't tried either myself but I'm on the anemia train as well so depending on how I stomach the hospital-supplied iron tabs I might be checking these others out real soon.

agt104

These options sound better! Yes my prenatal also has iron in it. So I guess I should look into a gentile  iron supplement. Also looking into the diet change blah blah.  pregnancy is such a joy haha

kat81

agt104 said:

These options sound better! Yes my prenatal also has iron in it. So I guess I should look into a gentile  iron supplement. Also looking into the diet change blah blah.  pregnancy is such a joy haha

yeah don't you just want to have carbs and sweets all day? I do. Screw this balanced eating crap.

pshaortao

Mine was on the low end my first pregnancy and they just said to eat more iron rich food. I just started trying to eat spinach salads or throwing in spinach with a smoothie. We also ate more ground beef etc.

hp_momma

I was anemic with my first pregnancy and took an iron supplement. I don't remember it making me sick though. I do remember being told to take it with a glass of orange juice though like @starphish18 and to NOT take with any milk/calcium within two hours. 

If you are having to add an extra iron supplement don't forget your stool softener, the extra iron will make you very constipated! 

SparkySunDevil

I found out that I'm anemic as well, ever so slightly. My number was 10.8. They wanted at least 11.5. So I'm taking slow release iron in the morning. My doctor did tell me to take it with a meal. 

(My glucose number also came back a little high -140-. So now I get to carefully watch what I eat. The joys of pregnancy)

Kipperoo

Yeah, I've been running just below anemic this whole pregnancy, but was just told after my glucose test to start taking iron. I had to during my last pregnancy, too, but I don't remember it having any adverse side effects.

jayandaplus

Like others have said, take with vitamin c (or vitamin c foods) and avoid dairy/calcium. There are brands (like the SlowFe) that are supposed to be easier on tummies. I'd make sure your prenatal has iron in it (the only prenatal I'd liked has been Rainbow Light, no side effects for me). I think iron fortified anything is still a good source of iron, but agree it's probably not enough on it's own, especially if you're told you're anemic.

JenGrl8503

I've been anemic with all 4 pregnancies and, actually ended up super crazy anemic after my 2nd so I've taken a number of different iron supplements.  I recommend the slow FE if the regular is bothering you. I also recommend taking it after you eat or even part way through the meal...never on an empty stomach and also don't lay down for at least 30 minutes after taking it. 

Even when taking a super heavy duty iron supplement after my second, I never neeeed stool softeners as I made sure to eat a high fiber diet and never had any issues.  

chailife34

I've had anemia most of my life and have found great success with Floradix (liquid) or Hemaplex (capsule). Both are very gentle on the stomach so no stool softener needed. Definitely take with vitamin c (orange juice is my preferred method). Spinach/dark leafy greens is another easy way to incorporate extra iron. 

Yiggle09

Might as well pick up some colace with the iron. It's a prescription for worse constipation. I'm usually anemic but haven't been told to supplement yet but getting cbc next Monday would glucose test so we will see