iron question

My sisiter who had RNY 7 yrs ago has been having some health issues. Dr said she is anemic & put her on Iron pills...I'm not sure of dosage but everytime she takes them her stomach hurts & makes her sick.

My question is should her iron pill be lower dose bc she has a smaller stomach than the average person?

Are all iron pills alike?

She does take a Vit C with the iron.

Thanks for any suggestions

I do not need iron any longer, but I took the BariActive Chewable Iron.  They did not bother my stomach, but I still got bad constipation - if I had to take iron, I would also have to take Benefiber or something like that everyday - or even twice a day.  Iron is constipating for most people and I hoped the chewable would not be, but they were.

The label of the BariActvice

Iron + Vit C

3 pills daily - they are not tiny pills, but on the smaller side.

all 3 pills together contain 54 mg iron (as carbonyl iron) and 90 mg Vit C

Why don't you need iron ? Just wondering..  

Post op RNY unless we supplement iron (even men) our iron stores gets depleted very fast.  Men, non mentruation women - 99% of us need to supplement iron.  

My labs are fine without it (I'm post-menspausal).  I guess I eat enough in my foods.  The only time I used it was when I had vein surgery done and I bled a bit.  We keep track of it and I take all of my other vits. 

Please do keep track of it. Make sure your doc tesrd your ferritin every time. 

App 2 years post op my ferritin dropped ... My iron was still fine..but with ferritin at 12 I felt like crap. 

I struggled to bring my ferritin up... Never did with oral iron.  Eventually needed iron infusions. Now I get infused when it dropps below 30..even if my other numbers are OK. 

I do take some iron now. It gives me more time between infusions.  

She actually needs more iron than I normal person.  

But - like her - my gut hates oral iron.   I still take some.  But when I get really low - I get iron infusions.  

The iron most docs prescribe are really hard on our gut. The best tolerated iron are  either carbonyl iron, or hema iron. 

what type of iron do you take and how much?

I make all of my meals at home. I use a cast iron skillet to cook almost everything I eat. It helps.

Carbonyl Iron is easier on the stomach and won't cause constipation.  The many varieties of ferrous iron supplements are the hardest on the digestive system.  She will have to take VERY large doses to get her anemia under control.  Remember that we have to take double doses of multi vitamins even though our stomachs are tiny.  The area where we normally absorb many vitamins has been bypassed.  I take triple the recommended dose of iron just to keep from tanking too soon.  I have Iron infusions every two years.

If Carbonyl iron is easier on the stomach why then do Dr's say to take Ferrous?   I guess I really don't understand the difference..so should she take  Carbonyl?  or maybe ask her Dr about infusions?