How do you get your iron?

I really have a hard time with any chewable iron supplement.  Does anyone use a swallowable pill that is okay'ed by your surgeon?

hi Belle -
I take a perscription iron pill everyday, my surgeon refills the rx every three months for me. It is not a huge pill, normal size. 
Marta

See, my doc will not prescribe one.  She says that they are not absorbed fast enough in my system and that I HAVE to take a chewable children's complete vitamin, chewable Centrum Compete, or Bariatric Advantage Iron chewable.  I have tried all of them and I just cannot hack them, so I haven't been taking iron at all lately.

I bought some OTC iron pills and have been taking them.  I figure some iron is better than none!

Hey Bel - long time no talk. I was just told to take any iron supplement pill 2 times a week. I usually get the genercic brand and don't have a hard time swalowwing them.

Hi Janie!   

REALLY?!   Twice a week?  I cannot impress upon you what a big deal they make about the iron and calcium at my clinic!  These 2 posts make me feel better about NOT taking it as often as they tell me, or in the form they tell me. 

What do you do for your calcium supplement?

Belle -
I was told to take the iron w/ vitamin C and it helps w/ absorption better. I don't drink orange juice but I do take it with chewable 500 mg vitamin c - everyday. I have no iron problems as of yet.
As for calcium..... that is another story. Calcium is the only vitamin i'm very lazy with. i hardly ever take it.....and i don't know why i always forget. I think it is because you cannot take it with the iron pill, therefore i have to wait and then i always forget it. As for the calcium , the citrate ones are the ones we are supposed to take - however they are really horse pills. I think that there are some chewable ones from a bariatric company. My dr. said to take viactiv or caltrate  - even if it is not the right ones, some calcium is better than nothing.
hopefully i can increase my calcium in the new year.
marta
 

Hey Belle:

I also take a prescription iron pill and I take it once a day.....my absorbtion of them must be okay becuase my iron levels increased once I started to take them.  The generic name of them is Hemocyte F tablets.  , they have 324 mg ferrous fumarate and 1 mg of folic acid in them.  I agree that the chewables one don't taste so great! lol

Hey, Belle...I just take OTC iron, 18 mg ferrous fumerate, twice per week. But, my iron has always been WNR, so nothing more is really needed for me.

~Suz

My iron has always been low, I was anemic before surgery and they warned me it'd be worse after. I have never been able to get my numbers within normal range even now with my Dr having me take 2 multi vites a day and Fergon once a day with OJ to help absorb it. My previous Dr wanted me to take an OTC iron pill 3x a day, but my Dr now says that just is too much.

I was really anemic after getting my surgery, so much so that I needed iron infusions for almost 3 months (once a week) to get my numbers high enough for plastic surgery!

I found out I was taking it wrong and that's probably why my iron was so darn low, that plus an IUD that gave me long heavy periods. I used to take my iron with my other viatimins and calcium with breakfast in the morning, which was usually eggs, toast with butter and coffee with cream. Then I learned!!!

Now I take my iron on an empty stomach or with some orange juice or fruit, plus some vitamin C, and copper (2mg), wait an hour or two THEN have my breakfast!

You can't take any calcium or dairy, eggs, whole grains and caffine when you take iron. Calcium  competes for absortption with the iron and NEITHER gets absorbed!!!

I take Vitron C, it's over the counter, in the morning and before bed and my numbers are now in the normal range. I also got rid of the IUD, which probably helped too.