How do you fit iron into your supplement/meal schedule?

Hi Gina.  Did you take it all at once?  

I did take the carbonyl iron all together but you have to add into your schedule slowly. I would take 1 capsule the first week, add a 2nd the the 2nd week and then start adding another and another every few days until you get to the full dose. I took 300mg a day of the carbonyl but it was Vitalady's tablets and not the capsules back then. Some folks have trouble with the capsules but not the tablets since they are buffered.

-gina

Carbonyl is supposed to be the easiest on your stomach of the non-heme irons. There should be no issues with any heme iron in that regard.  I never had more than an occasional issue with any type of iron so when I'm taking iron I tend to switch off with whatever I pick up but base my dosages on the elemental iron listed on the package.

I too took my iron with vit C right before bed. It just seemed easiest to me although I've seen people start their day with iron. I took the whole dose of non-heme iron at once - usually around 150mg elemental. If you want to do 2 doses I would do bed time and wake up, or if you have a tendency to get up in the middle of the night (I do :) ) you might just take your second dose of iron then.

While, on the whole, I am in favor of stretching out your vitamins the only real studies I've seen relate to calcium so it is hard to say if there is a max dosage for iron that you shouldn't exceed at any one time. If you find 2 doses hard to fit in I would go to one and see how your labs do.

Pete

Thank you, Pete.  As I'm just starting iron, I took one dose at bedtime for a couple of days, then added a second dose between meals at 4 pm.  After another week or so, I plan on adding an early morning dose.  Depending on my next labs, I may also add heme iron. 

I found iron issues pretty frustrating because progress seemed so slow but it soiunds liek you are doing everything I can think of and have a solid plan.  Feel better.

Pete

Honestly, Pete, I think my iron issues have been mishandled by my doctors all along.  Because I live so far from my bariatric surgeon's office, my PCP agreed to take on my follow-up care.  Early on (many years ago now), when my iron levels started to drop, he insisted on putting me on prescription iron.  Of course, it was the wrong type (ferrous sulfate) and did nothing for me.  In those days, he was pretty stubborn about implementing the types of supplementation I knew I needed.

After a few more years of falling iron levels, I developed anemia and my hematologist took over.  He was aware that the DS impairs iron absorption, so we tried carbonyl and Bifera with no success.   In fact, my hemoglobin actually dropped while taking one of these forms.  His advice to me (and my chronically anemic daughter who also had DS) was to forget taking iron because we simply did not have the anatomy to absorb it any longer.  He recommended monitoring H&H periodically and using infusions should they drop.  My daughter has since become severely anemic three times and required infusion.  I have been able to avoid infusion because my hemoglobin remains stable at low normal, but we both have very low ferritin and very high TIBC.  He says he's not concerned about that, as long as H&H is acceptable.

So, long story not so short, I have decided to take matters into my own hands and I'm trying ferrous bisglycinate chelate (Ferrochel) which I have read good things about.  If that doesn't do the trick, I'll be adding heme.  I've read that it's very difficult and slow to bring things back once iron levels have become severely deficient, but I feel I've got to do something.  My last set of lab results came back in "Alert!" status.  Listening to doctors' advice up to this point has only made matters worse.

~Vikki~

I just read yesterday on another DS board that many of the veterans there have turned to infusions because supplementing stopped working.  The one thing I do like about infusions is not having to take iron for a year... but do not like the cost or fighting with insurance to get it paid for.

I'm also going to start using other forms of iron as mentioned by Gina.  I've always used Profferin (expensive but can be taken with food/coffee/other vits and effective at raising iron numbers) and Vitalady Tender Iron.  I've mainly relied on Vitalady's iron.  It wasn't till I saw that Vitalady was selling her business that I started to think about other sources of iron and where to find it.

I'd be interested in reading that other DS board.  If it is allowed, would you let me know where to find it, please.  

I'm trying the ferrochel form of iron (ferrous bisglycinate chelate); starting low dose and building up to 150 mg daily if I can.  Three months after that point, I'll get my labs done and see if it helped.  If not, I'll probably add heme iron.  Even if progress is slow, I feel like it's worthwhile taking some iron, or at least trying.  

About infusions -- I'm not sure I like the idea of letting my body get totally depleted and then fully loaded in cycles.  But who knows, it may be the only alternative after so many years of iron deficiency.

Victoria,

Here is the web site, the thread, and the post where a DS vet made the comment.  I know a lot of the veterans on this forum are using infusions.

http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/vita-lady.2982/page-5

Thank you.