Iron Advice

Advice would be greatly appreciated to help me select my iron.  My surgical manual states that after surgery take 60 mg of iron ferrous fumarate daily (at bedtime).  My dietitian gave me a sample of the chewable Bariatric Advantage w/C (lemon-lime flavor).  However, this is a ferronyl carbonyl instead of a ferrous fumarate.  

I found that Celebrate has a chewable 60 mg+C ferrous fumerate.  I'm not sure why my manual says to take one kind but the dietitian gave a sample of something different.  Can someone give me guidance with this?

Also, has anyone tried both of these, if so, which did you prefer?  Or, does anyone take either brand, if so, is there a bitter or medicine taste?

I had had a hysterectomy and both ovaries removed fifteen years before weight loss surgery.  My iron levels were good and I did not take iron after surgery.  After five years the levels started to drop and I was started on Ferrous Gluconate Tablets, 324mg twice a day.

That keeps my levels normal.  After surgery it will be a trial and error to see what works best for your body.  Your labs will determine what is working for you.

Thank you for your reply and suggestion.

You will want to check further on this, but I think that iron can be just plain elemental iron or bonded to a protein or carb molecule(ferronyl carbonyl), which makes it easier to absorb with less side-effect constipation.  I think the ferronyl carbonyl is preferred by some bariatric doctors.  

Here is a video from a doctor (not mine, but I love this guys videos - I do not get  kick-back)

http://drmatthewweiner.com/vitamins-after-bariatric-surgery/

Thank you for your reply and suggestion.

Most vets here prefer carbonyl iron to ferrous gluconate or fumerate --  because it's absorbed better in a low acid environment.  After RNY, we do not have a lot of acid in our pouch.  Also, constipation is often a serious issue for the great majority, and it usually doesn't cause constipation like the ferrous salts can.

Ferrous gluconate is only 12% elemental iron, so if you take 300 mg a day, you're only actually getting 36 mg elemental iron. The ASMBS recommends 36 mg elemental iron a day for men and women that don't menstruate, but if you have periods, they recommend 54 to 63 mg elemental iron a day, so that would be even more pills for many people.

Carbonyl iron is all elemental iron, so if for instance you use Sundown Perfect Iron, which is 25 mg per pill, two of those would give you 50 mg elemental iron.

That said, thus far, I have not had iron level issues and I have NOT gone through menopause -- and I use Celebrate chewable iron with C.  I have my iron levels and my ferritin levels checked every six months, however.  As a previous vet advised, it is absolutely imperative to keep up with these checks as iron levels can suddenly and dramatically drop even after years of normal readings --  and require constant monitoring and adjusting when necessary.    

As far as the samples: they pass out the samples given to them by reps or that they sell through their offices.  

Thank you for your response.  You said something that really resonated with me.  I had a hysterectomy 11 years ago so it's possible I don't need my Center's recommended 60 mg daily.  I will call my Center tomorrow to discuss the type and recommended dosage.

Again, thank you so very much for mentioning this in your response!

You are welcome. 

Truthfully, you really won't know what your body needs until testing after surgery.  It is really crazy to me how different people's bodies have such different requirements for iron --- often nonsensically.  One lady in my real life support group is post-menopausal and should have much lower needs than me -- but she has to take very large doses to maintain her ferritin levels.

Good luck.

Oh my, well that just blew my idea right out of the water.  Thank you for telling me that.

I also had a total hysterectomy years before my WLS. Last year in spite of taking oral iron, I became do anemic I had to have a blood transfusion and two courses of ob iron. It is very individual iced and you have to stay on to of your labs