Is there a special type of Iron we should take?
Wendy #1 is a genius.
That said, I have come to the conclusion that it would be beneficial for me to add an iron supplement since mine was on the low side... gosh, that would certainly explain part of why I get tired easily, ha ha!
I've looked back through about 6 months of posts on this board, but I can't find info on supplement types. I know Wendy #1 has told us in support meetings what kind she takes, but my memory is just not that good anymore. ;-)
I bought a cheapy bottle of the slow-release formula but it may not do me any good. Before I waste anymore money, I thought I'd best give y'all a shout-out.
That said, I have come to the conclusion that it would be beneficial for me to add an iron supplement since mine was on the low side... gosh, that would certainly explain part of why I get tired easily, ha ha!
I've looked back through about 6 months of posts on this board, but I can't find info on supplement types. I know Wendy #1 has told us in support meetings what kind she takes, but my memory is just not that good anymore. ;-)
I bought a cheapy bottle of the slow-release formula but it may not do me any good. Before I waste anymore money, I thought I'd best give y'all a shout-out.
I got impatient and went to Drug Emporium. I came back with TWO iron supplements, one is Feosol! I must be a mind-reader!!
The other one is by Nature's Plus, and it's a chewable with Vit C. I had one in the car on the way back to work and it tastes loads better than the chewable calcium and gluc/chondroitin I have. I figure whichever iron I don't use I'll force upon my teenager. She's been complaining for the longest time of headaches and fatigue... I have a feeling she's anemic or well on the way since she actively avoids red meat and most veggies.
The other one is by Nature's Plus, and it's a chewable with Vit C. I had one in the car on the way back to work and it tastes loads better than the chewable calcium and gluc/chondroitin I have. I figure whichever iron I don't use I'll force upon my teenager. She's been complaining for the longest time of headaches and fatigue... I have a feeling she's anemic or well on the way since she actively avoids red meat and most veggies.
When I took an iron supplement, I took Tandem (prescription iron). I had a small time frame where I was anemic and was able to stop it a few months back. (It was causing me to have trouble with insomnia. I got the okay from Addie to go off it for a few weeks then had my levels checked. My levels were okay, so I was able to stay off it from then on. I don't take any iron supplement now.)
I took Tandem because of the really low incidence of side effects (nausia, etc that I've had when taking iron supplements as a pre-op). It doesn't make you constipated or nausiated - so it's a great iron if you have or have had trouble with that.
I apologize ahead of time for the format (puncuation, spelling, run-ons the following will contain). I don't have time to make it pretty.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONSIDERING AN IRON SUPPLEMENT
1) There are 2 types of commonly used iron - ferrous and ferric. Ferrous is better absorbed - so obviously we want to take that.
2) Iron your body can actually use is ELEMENTAL iron. Most iron you buy will show mg of iron per dose. Some will some mg of ELEMENTAL iron per dose. Some will show BOTH. When considering your iron doses, look at how many mg of ELEMENTAL iron is in a dose. Elemental iron is the iron your body can actually use. Think of the rest of the iron as just "filler". (That's oversimplying, but it works for this post.)
3) There are 3 types of ferrous iron - fumarate, sulfate & gluconate (if memory serves). Fumarate typically has the highest concentration of ELEMENTAL iron (which remember is the iron mg you want to pay attention to). Does that mean you should always take fumarate? No. It just means that fumarate typically has less "filler" and more iron your body can actually use. You can still get in just as much elemental iron from sulfate or gluconate - it just may take you more pills than fumarate would to get the same mg of elemental iron.
4) Uncoated, regular (not extended release) pills are recommended. (Liquid iron supplements may blacken teeth over time.)
5) The more iron you consume, the less iron you absorb. (No, I'm not drinking. It's true.) Your body has sort of a built-in fail-safe when it comes to iron. (Do NOT take that to mean you can't go toxic on iron - you can. But your body WILL try to prevent that.) When you have enough iron in your system, your body tells you digestive track "Hey dudes... we've got enough iron in here - don't let anymore in, okay?" And the digestive track says, "Okay boss." Now, he TRIES to keep more iron from getting in. But hey... he's not perfect. Some more usually slips through. Now, not MUCH will slip through - but Mr. Digestive system is watching for Mr. Iron now and is turning him away at the door. But Mr. Iron is the coward (remember how his nickname is "i-run" because he runs scared when he sees certain other vitamins/minerals - namely calcium - trying to be absorbed. So sometimes he may show up in disquise - wearing a mustache or whatever - and Mr. Digestive system accidentally lets him through. (Hence you CAN go toxic on iron - so don't overdo it.) Now, by the same token, when your body is LOW in iron, it knows that too. And it rings Mr. Digestive track and says "Hey dudes... we're too low on iron in here - let every iron in you see, okay?" And the digestive track says, "Okay boss." Now, he TRIES to let every iron in he sees. BUT iron is the coward, nicknamed "i run". So if other vitamins/minerals - namely calcium - are in line to get into the club... he probably turned around and decided to come back another time when he wouldn't have to compete for entry. (Hence anemia being so much more common than toxicity.) That's also why people who get really anemic can end up on IV iron - because even when their body tells their digestive track to let every iron in they see it's still not enough. Just something to keep in mind when thinking about iron absorption. (I didn't dumb that down for YOU Wendy #2. I want even noobs to be able to understand that.)
6) Iron is better absorbed with vitamin C.
7) The tolerable upper intake level for ELEMENTAL iron is 45 mg. However, ANEMIC adults are routinely given 60 - 200 mg of ELEMENTAL iron daily, depending on the severity of the anemia. (This is the recommendation for NORMIES - not us.)
8) Iron supplementation will not work overnight. It typically takes about 2 - 3 weeks to be reflected in your blood work.
9) Women need more than twice as much iron as men. (This is especially true for female athletes and female distance runners. Now THAT was for you Wendy #2! Your running made me remember that! LOL)
10) Vitamins A, B & C actually HELP with iron absorption. Calcium, zinc and vitamin E hinder iron absorption.
Okay, I made it a nice even # 10 and I'm tired. Sorry for rambling. I've been smelling paint too long I guess. Hope some of that helped.
Wen
I took Tandem because of the really low incidence of side effects (nausia, etc that I've had when taking iron supplements as a pre-op). It doesn't make you constipated or nausiated - so it's a great iron if you have or have had trouble with that.
I apologize ahead of time for the format (puncuation, spelling, run-ons the following will contain). I don't have time to make it pretty.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONSIDERING AN IRON SUPPLEMENT
1) There are 2 types of commonly used iron - ferrous and ferric. Ferrous is better absorbed - so obviously we want to take that.
2) Iron your body can actually use is ELEMENTAL iron. Most iron you buy will show mg of iron per dose. Some will some mg of ELEMENTAL iron per dose. Some will show BOTH. When considering your iron doses, look at how many mg of ELEMENTAL iron is in a dose. Elemental iron is the iron your body can actually use. Think of the rest of the iron as just "filler". (That's oversimplying, but it works for this post.)
3) There are 3 types of ferrous iron - fumarate, sulfate & gluconate (if memory serves). Fumarate typically has the highest concentration of ELEMENTAL iron (which remember is the iron mg you want to pay attention to). Does that mean you should always take fumarate? No. It just means that fumarate typically has less "filler" and more iron your body can actually use. You can still get in just as much elemental iron from sulfate or gluconate - it just may take you more pills than fumarate would to get the same mg of elemental iron.
4) Uncoated, regular (not extended release) pills are recommended. (Liquid iron supplements may blacken teeth over time.)
5) The more iron you consume, the less iron you absorb. (No, I'm not drinking. It's true.) Your body has sort of a built-in fail-safe when it comes to iron. (Do NOT take that to mean you can't go toxic on iron - you can. But your body WILL try to prevent that.) When you have enough iron in your system, your body tells you digestive track "Hey dudes... we've got enough iron in here - don't let anymore in, okay?" And the digestive track says, "Okay boss." Now, he TRIES to keep more iron from getting in. But hey... he's not perfect. Some more usually slips through. Now, not MUCH will slip through - but Mr. Digestive system is watching for Mr. Iron now and is turning him away at the door. But Mr. Iron is the coward (remember how his nickname is "i-run" because he runs scared when he sees certain other vitamins/minerals - namely calcium - trying to be absorbed. So sometimes he may show up in disquise - wearing a mustache or whatever - and Mr. Digestive system accidentally lets him through. (Hence you CAN go toxic on iron - so don't overdo it.) Now, by the same token, when your body is LOW in iron, it knows that too. And it rings Mr. Digestive track and says "Hey dudes... we're too low on iron in here - let every iron in you see, okay?" And the digestive track says, "Okay boss." Now, he TRIES to let every iron in he sees. BUT iron is the coward, nicknamed "i run". So if other vitamins/minerals - namely calcium - are in line to get into the club... he probably turned around and decided to come back another time when he wouldn't have to compete for entry. (Hence anemia being so much more common than toxicity.) That's also why people who get really anemic can end up on IV iron - because even when their body tells their digestive track to let every iron in they see it's still not enough. Just something to keep in mind when thinking about iron absorption. (I didn't dumb that down for YOU Wendy #2. I want even noobs to be able to understand that.)
6) Iron is better absorbed with vitamin C.
7) The tolerable upper intake level for ELEMENTAL iron is 45 mg. However, ANEMIC adults are routinely given 60 - 200 mg of ELEMENTAL iron daily, depending on the severity of the anemia. (This is the recommendation for NORMIES - not us.)
8) Iron supplementation will not work overnight. It typically takes about 2 - 3 weeks to be reflected in your blood work.
9) Women need more than twice as much iron as men. (This is especially true for female athletes and female distance runners. Now THAT was for you Wendy #2! Your running made me remember that! LOL)
10) Vitamins A, B & C actually HELP with iron absorption. Calcium, zinc and vitamin E hinder iron absorption.
Okay, I made it a nice even # 10 and I'm tired. Sorry for rambling. I've been smelling paint too long I guess. Hope some of that helped.
Wen
This was immensely helpful, thanks!!! You are awesome for typing all that out for me/us.
I took a look at my 1 year labs vs. my 6 month labs, and my serum iron has fallen 50 points!!!! Now that you've broken it down for me, it explains a lot. My hematocrit is still passable, but I'm sure it wouldn't be for long...
Good luck with the remodeling!
ok girls, I have a ????? Its kinda embarassing, but its life and I really need to know... its the bad time of the month for me, and its bee very heavy... I got very nautios today and about passed out... Im losing a good amount of blood... Isthere a special type of IRON I should take for this particular problem??? I remember Dr. Baker saing something to me about Iron the last visit I jhad with him, I just dnt remember what he told me to taske... I want to say SLOW FE... Not sure... SAny ideas??? Thanks gals... Love you all
♥ Courtney Coleman †
Everything I've looked up so far says no to any extended-release product, and Slow Fe falls into that category. I don't know what type would be best, but I did find at Drug Emporium (yup, that place again) the Feosol that Jackie (jackntom) mentioned. It's the carbonyl iron, and a lot of people on OH seem to agree that it's better absorbed by us. So until we get prescriptions from Dr. B, something like that might be our best bet. ;)
Your issue wouldn't require anything beyond what any one of us would normally take, I'd think. Just a regular iron supplement. The fact that you're feeling bad is something to consider; you might want to shoot an email to Addie. Take care of yourself...
The tolerable upper intake level for ELEMENTAL iron is 45 mg. However, ANEMIC adults are routinely given 60 - 200 mg of ELEMENTAL iron daily, depending on the severity of the anemia. (This is the recommendation for NORMIES - not us.)
Okay so if that is for NORMIES, what is ok for us? I take Ferrous Sulfate, it only lists Iron 65mg (per 1 tablet) so I don't know if its elemental or not. Directions read for an adult to take one daily, but I have been taking 2 daily and I think Mr. Digestive decided to not let iron in anymore, because even though I was taking it, my restless legs syndrome had come back, but not full force, but enough to prevent me from sleeping straight through the night. This has been 4 days or so now, some nights I got to take a hot shower, but then I found the heating pad, but it has a shut off built into it, so my when my legs start to cool down, the RLS kicks back in and wakes me up. It's annoying to wake up every 30-90 minutes through out the night, I just want a whole night of sleep.
I have been eating a banana before bed, putting a bar of soap in my bed, and my Chiro gave me a magnesium drink powder to try 30 minutes before bed, it is marketed for calm, atleast thats what it says on the front, CALM in big letters. It tasted good to. But it only worked for like 20 minutes.
Okay so if that is for NORMIES, what is ok for us? I take Ferrous Sulfate, it only lists Iron 65mg (per 1 tablet) so I don't know if its elemental or not. Directions read for an adult to take one daily, but I have been taking 2 daily and I think Mr. Digestive decided to not let iron in anymore, because even though I was taking it, my restless legs syndrome had come back, but not full force, but enough to prevent me from sleeping straight through the night. This has been 4 days or so now, some nights I got to take a hot shower, but then I found the heating pad, but it has a shut off built into it, so my when my legs start to cool down, the RLS kicks back in and wakes me up. It's annoying to wake up every 30-90 minutes through out the night, I just want a whole night of sleep.
I have been eating a banana before bed, putting a bar of soap in my bed, and my Chiro gave me a magnesium drink powder to try 30 minutes before bed, it is marketed for calm, atleast thats what it says on the front, CALM in big letters. It tasted good to. But it only worked for like 20 minutes.
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Pre-Consult (7/05/07): 400.12 pounds -- 73.2 BMI
Surgery Day (8/15/07): 369.8 -- 67.6 BMI
Past Weight (09/30/08): 205.0 -- 37.5 BMI
Current Weight (01/08/09): 190.0 -- 34.7 BMI
Check Out My Profile for Pics & Blog
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