iron supplement - best way to take & avoid nausea?

kimoly

Hey all,

I am a little anemic, so my doctor prescribed an iron supplement. Only problem - I've found I burp up a bad taste for hours after taking it, and it makes me feel really nauseated. This was SO not fun after eating a delicious Thanksgiving meal yesterday! I know I have to take it or risk needing a transfusion, etc.etc., but any advice is much appreciated. Obviously, I've tried taking it in the middle of a meal and at the end of a meal to the same result. Also, I heard something on here about how it should be taken with OJ and not within an hour of any dairy? Is this true? Since I don't like OJ, would another citrus juice be ok?

EStar628

I take mine in the AM with a glass of OJ, but any citrus is fine according to my MW.  Avoiding dairy for an hour before and an hour after is something my MW also recommended. Adding lots of leafy, green veggies (spinach, kale) to your diet helps too. 

GL! 

blondy73

I take mine before bed, that way I sleep through the nausea and not feeling well. 

*Merry*

sometimes it depends on which supplement you are taking...  I found that the Slow Fe iron supplement gave me no issues where as one of the other brands bother me.  So maybe tr switching brands?  Aldo citrus is good to go with it, any citrus juice.  But avoid dairy for an hour or so before and after taking it, the inhibits the absorption of the iron.

K&D3

I take my iron supplement and prenatal at night before bed, because vitamins make me really sick if I take them in the morning or during the day.

ColieM

My MFM dr said not to take them with my prenatal vitamin - which I take at night. As said before - don't take with dairy and citrus is good. Can eat some crackers with it or fruit if it helps my stomach. But try not to take it with a huge meal. At least that was what I was told.....

monkey_pants

Did your dr write you a prescription or tell you to buy them OTC? I take Ferrosequels, which are OTC and don't bother my stomach at all. The other brand my dr suggested was SlowFE.

kimoly

Thanks, ladies! My ob prescribed something called Hemax, which interestingly contains Vit C, I guess to help with the absorption. I tried them last night at bedtime, with a few crackers, and didn't feel bad at all. Thanks for the advice, and let's hope that keeps working!