XP August 2012: Iron Supplements??? OTC or Prescription.

mswood1977 · May 2012

For those of you who's OB's have told you to take an Iron Supplement did they give you a perscription or are you taking an OTC iron? Do you have any side effects from the iron supplement? I have heard that it can cause stomach and/or constipation issues.

I am asking because my OB gave me a sample of Bifera RX, it is a new prescription Iron Supplement that is suppose to be easier to absorb and isn't suppose to cause the stomach/constipation issues. I have taken this for 5 days (all that was in the sample) and now I have to decide if I want to continue on this or switch to a OTC iron supplement. I have not had any problems so far on this iron supplement.

My co-pay for the prescription is $45, and I know the OTC iron is way less than this. I am trying to figure out how bad the side effects of other forms of iron are so I can try to figure out if the extra cost is worth it or not for the prescription. My DH thinks I should get the precsription, he said I can be cranky enough without being constipated.

Jinnifah · May 2012

I've been taking an OTC supplement at my OB's direction. I haven't had any issues with constipation but I'm also only taking a small amount - 28mg every other day.

talk to your pharmacist about other OTC options that are not too hard on your bowels. And if you do make the switch just make sure to keep hydrated and eat lots of high fiber food to keep things moving.