IRON QUESTION

Michelle ,
Which ones dont constipate that have 325 mg each pill as the ferrous sulfate I thik it is called do.
That is what he gave me ,,
Shirley
Yes i have my labs and the iron is down by 2 abd 1/2 points from last year .

It all constipates me.  Even the tender iron I bought from Vitalady constipates me terribly.  I just have had to add several stool softeners to my day in order to combat that.  The tender iron doesn't make me feel sick like other irons so that is a big plus. 

Melissa

How many and how are you taking your Tenders? I take 12 + C + copper, together, but with fruit, apart from all else for an hour.

As you know, I frequently post how I solved 11 yrs of chronic constipation. Should I do it again?

We didn't take iron at one point, against my better judgment, but we watch so closely that we were able to catch it when it started to fall again (freak thing--the high iron). But the addition back or subtraction out of iron made no difference to bowel issues for either of us.

The mag oxide I take is with one of the calcium groups. I ALSO take mag citrate (pills, not colon prep!) at the same times to combat leg/foot cramping.

Please do post in detail how you solved 11 years of chronic constipation.  I am only taking three of those tender irons per day with vitamin C and get very constipated unless I take something.  I drink water and I eat plenty of fruits and salads.  So, if there is something else that I can try please share with me.  You have always given very helpful advice in the past.  I trust you and am very glad you are so willing to share info with us on here.

Melissa

I had chronic constipation for 11 years. I tried: more fiber, less fiber, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, no fiber, both fibers, stool softeners, Smooth Moves & Correctol teas and Metamucil wafers, together, apart, more water, less water, cut out anything bu****er (and protein), senna, cascara sagrada, everything one could possibly try until I was basically dependent on enemas for 3 yrs.

Miralax helped the stool be passable. It was rx and finally became generic, so went from $80 for 3 months to $20 for 3 months. Now it is OTC, but is about $8 for 5-6 servings. If you can get the rx, it is much cheaper, safe, daily, for life, according to my GI doc.

The stool softeners are store brand equal to Colace, not PERI-colace.

Word was that magnesium citrate was such a great thing. This is pills, not the green bottle, so I tried it and nothing happened, and so I kept increasing it. What DID happen is that my foot and leg cramps ceased. So, I kept doing that and tried magnesium oxide. This is small, cheap, found anywhere, like drug stores. And finally, it worked. Mine are 500 mg and I take 2.

My final formula:
1 serving MiraLax (rx) *
4 stool softeners at night
1 mag ox with lunch, 1 with dinner

In the morning, hot beverage first thing on empty gut

This has worked for several years yrs now.

* MiraLax was rx only until the end of 2007, and is now generic by rx. The original name brand is available at drug stores at about $20 for a large bottle. You might want to try one first, taken daily, at about the same time. If it solves the problem, then ask your doc for rx. It is NOT a laxative. It is safe, daily, taken for life, per 4 doctors I've asked. It was a pediatrician who introduced me to it. My rx plan allows me to have 6 of those big bottles every 3 months for $20. Check with your doc and your insurance to see if it's beneficial to buy it by rx. BTW, my doc writes for 2 servings per day, because they might SAY there are 30 servings per bottle, but somebody can't count. Me or them? I use only one, but if I spill or get too much, I still have enough to last til next refill.

THank you, thank you.  I am going to give it a try.  My mother has sluggish colon and takes the prescription miralax.  It is the only thing that works for her, and she mentioned to me I may want to check into it. 

I take it about 6pm if I want results in the morning. If I take it sooner, results occur earlier. LOL

You can try a bottle for $20 from the store, but if you can get it written for you, your Rx plan might make it ultra cheap. I pay $20 for 6 BIG bottles on rx.

BUT alone, it still didn't do it. The final thing I added was the mag oxide and the hot drink before food in the morning.

Someone else mentioned the hot beverage first thing in the morning.  So, I swapped to drinking my coffee first off before breakfast instead of mid morning after breakfast, and I have seen a little improvement.  So, if I add more stool softener, the miralax, and mag oxide I should be all fixed up and able to add some more tender iron to my day without dying with constipation.  By the way, I am impressed with the tender iron so far as the flavor.  I chew them like you suggested and they really don't taste bad.  I am going to get my levels rechecked in about 4 more months so was wanting to get the constipation under control so I could add a few more tablets to my day and try to get some results before my next bloodwork.  My hemoglobin and hemocritit were both in the low normal range.  And my ferritin was extremely low.  But I am working on it.  

I bought some calcium citrate and some dry D from you a few months ago and those levels were both good in October when I had my bloodwork done.  And they had been low previously.  So, thanks for that tidbit on the D.   

Oddly, as I said, the constipation issue was life long, so my mom used to have me drink ho****er when I was a kid to get things awakened

My anemia showed up at year 4 (Ferritin was at 5 with several low blood counts and high blood platelets)...My PCP prescribed me ferrous sulfate which made me sooooo sick, constipated, severe cramping and stomach spasms and just plain miserable...I did a ton of frantic research and found that carbonyl iron has low toxicity even in children and in high doses...and is far better absorbed in the GB patient than iron salts (ferrous sulfate, most popular among docs because it's in the text books and easy to find)  Ferrous sulfate has the least chance of being absorbed by GB people because first it needs stomach acid (reason for Vit C as ascorbic acid)  and second it is mainly absorbed in the small intestines (BY PASSED with our surgery) What little absorption we do have is severely compromised from the bypass surgery.

I was told by so many anemics that I would never raise my ferritin and iron levels by supplement alone.  I was determined to NOT have iron infusions and/or blood transfusions...and so threw away my ferrous sulfate which was the most commonly prescribed and known to fail almost every time...and went for the iron that seemed to show the best numbers and with the least amount of side effects...and in two weeks I had warmth back in my fingers and toes...and after two months, the color came back in my white face...and my labs all came back in the normal ranges...LOW, but normal!  AND NO SIDE EFFECTS for me! In six months, my iron was nice and high, but was still working on the ferritin (bodies iron storage) which climbs back up much slower than the blood iron levels ...I am due for my 1 year since discovering anemia.  And have not had to look back since week two on Carbonyl Iron...

Vits to take with Iron are Vit C and Copper to aid in absorption.  Vit A if you are low at all will also aid in absorption...Folic acid and B-12 if you are low in those. 

I get my Iron from Vitalady...They are chewable and with several low dose Chewable Vit C's they taste like sweet tarts...and dirt...But mostly sweet tarts! LOL AND the best part...THEY WORK!