Question:
Iron pills upset stomach what else can i take

Dr said i was low on iron put me on sulfate ferrol pills and they make me sick even when i take with food, is there anything out there that is more better for me to take.    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on May 19, 2010)

May 19, 2010
I take Gentle Iron from Vitalady. It is the carbonyl form of iron. All others upset my stomach and/or constipate me. You can probably find carbonyl iron at any drugstore too but I found her pricing to be competitive when compared with container quantity. You can get a larger volume thru her. Plus, they're chewable and don't taste like metal at all.
   — Arkin10

May 19, 2010
Dorothy you haven't updated your profile so I don't know how long ago you had your surgery. I'm assuming it was recently since you opened your account Mar 23, 2010 and at that time you were "hoping to have surgery". The process to get approval sure was fast for you...you're lucky. Most people wait 6 months or more and you were under 2 mos. Now back to your question. When I was first out I also had problems taking my iron. They tasted nasty and upset my stomach. I also tried taking them with "food". Of course early out my "food" was liquids. My upset stomach problems began getting better once I was on mushy foods and continued to get better once I was on solids. It wasn't until I was out almost a year before I had no problems taking my iron. I still need to eat when I take it. Occasionally when I cannot get to food and I take my iron it still bothers me. If the pain in your stomach is so bad that you are throwing up your food please speak to your surgeon or doctor. He/she knows more about you than we will ever know so your doctor is the one to help you out.
   — Caribou ME

May 19, 2010
Iron should be taken with vitamin C to help with the absorbtion and on an empty stomach. I suggest that you take it just before going to bed. Also try taking one of the prohibitors like Pepcid AC 20mgs. with it
   — marymazilla

May 19, 2010
Most iron supplements have iron salts, these cause upset stomachs and constipation..this is the main reason many people hate taking iron.. also Ferrous iron is not the best iron for us to take.. we will not absorb the right amount of iron from it.. many doctors still advise taking it as they do not seem to ask advice form the long term patients.. the WLS patients who are 4 to 5 or more years out have found out the hard way that it is not a good iron.. Carbonyl iron does not have these salts.. it is a very gently iron and will not cause stomach upset or contipation.. it is a very good iron and one of the easiest to absorb properly.. I recently found this out the hard way.. I was taking ferrous iron and my iron levels are down to 29 and for RNY patients need to be above 80.. So a good veteran (Andrea U. 5 1/2 years out) told me about Carbonyl iron.. I have since researched it and found it to be a great iron.. I looked everywhere to buy it over the counter but found the prices to be way too high.. or could not find it at all.. so I too went to Vita Lady's website and she had it.. at a good price too.. remember that for every 30mg of iron you need to take at least 200mg Vit C with it. I was told to take 60mg so I need 400mg Vit C ... she has one that has the iron and C combined.. I have ordered it and am looking forward to increasing my iron without all the stomach upset and constipation and low blood levels.. I would suggest you call your doctor and tell them the ferrous is upsetting you stomach and tell them you want to start taking Carbonyl iron and ask what amounts you need to be taking.. if you are not already iron deficient you may not need to take as much as I am taking.. Good Luck to you..
   — Teresa S.

May 19, 2010
Don't try to get your iron just from food. We don't absorb well enough for that. I used ferrous gluconate. The previous posters suggestion was good. Just be careful to take all of the suppliements your doctor ordered. It doesn't have to be ferrous sulfate. You can type 'iron suppliement' into the Search box at the top of the page. If you can find Andrea on this site, she is the diva of nutritional info.
   — MargaretHM