Iron Help Needed!

Ferrous sulfate can be hard on the stomach (gastrointestinal irritant) but ferrous gluconate or fumerate would be better.  Remember that a 325 mg of iron is not really 325 mg of iron.  That mg includes "binder" which is the sulfate part of the name.  Most pills provide about 25-66 mg of elemental iron (iron itself).  I was taking gluconate (Vitron C - OTC bought at Costco or CVS) but my numbers dropped a bit.  I was taking 2 which is 132 mg of elemental iron.  I switched to Vitalady (bought on Vitalady.com) Tender Iron which is carbonyl iron.  They are soft enough to chew though aren't named chewables.  I chew 'em with a vitamin C for absorption.  I'm currently doing 8 pills (come in bottles of 400 pills for about $20) which at 25 mg each is 200 mg of iron.  My labs at 2.5 years post-op are very good. Kathy

Thanks for the info - its awesome!

Vitron C is what my surgeon recommended - its OTC ferrous fumarate with vitamin C included to help with absorption.  Each pill is 200mg ferrous fumarate and I like 350 vitamin C.  I take one every night and my iron levels are returning to normal. 

Are you able to take pills?  My doc prescribed me Repliva and it got my levels right up within the first three months following.