Question:
Does anyone have an Iron solution?

   — MEIRAFINDEL (posted on April 1, 2009)

April 1, 2009
YES YES YES! Carbonyl Iron...It is the safest, gentlest purest elemental iron out there! It saved me from blood transfusions and iron infusions last year! In studies it is proven to help raise the iron by 20% more than iron salts (in regular people with their full anatomy), which are highly toxic. Accidental iron overdose is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in children under 6 in the United States. What's worse is that our food in the US, mainly kids foods like cereal, breads, flours, cookies etc is fortified with iron salts! (ferrous sulfate)...Carbonyl iron is NON toxic in very high doses and produces little to no side effects making it safe even for CHILDREN! But it works better than ferrous sulfate according to studies and helped me as well! Most docs protocol is to treat with ferrous sulfate at approx. 60 mg for two months to try to bring up the iron and hemoglobin, hemocrit in the blood...But RNYers cannot easily, if at all, absorb Iron salts because of how and where iron is absorbed in the body. In fact most people (even Non-WLS) who do become anemic also do not absorb/recieve Iron salts well either! That's why the FDA fortifies our food in the first place!! I've read that carbonyl iron is being considered as iron replacement for food fortification! I hope so! As an RNYer we no longer have the parts to absorb Iron salts so it goes thru the body wreaking havoc on our bowels...and for NO GOOD REASON! Chew carbonyl iron with Vit C for best absorption. The carbonyl iron is a small purple/lavender pill that tastes mild but similar to garden soil! LOL And not metallic or bloody like Iron Salts or heme-iron which repeat on me til I want to be sick....When chewed with Vit C...it tastes like sweet tarts that fell in some peat moss! LOL Not bad at all! It's not something many have ever tasted before so it is weird, but not very unpleasant at all. You get used to the taste and it's really not bad at all...I even add a few drops of SF sweetener (Stevia is what I use) when I think about it for a change of flavor...I personally take 8 cabonyl iron daily (200mg) with 1000mg Vit C as ascorbic acid chewables along with 2 mg of copper capsules for best absorption now that I am no longer anemic. When I was anemic and had LOW: HGB, HCT, MCH, MHCH, MCV, iron and ferritin and HIGH: RDW,PLT CNT, TIBC an UIBC's...I chewed 325 mg of carbonyl (13 tablets) daily with 1000mg Vit C as ascorbic acid and brought all these blood and iron levels to low, but normal ranges in 2 MONTHS! The high levels were still high but normal as well for 6 months... Many told me I'd never do it without at least an iron infusion...I did it though as have many that tried it!...I get chewable Carbonyl Iron thru Vitalady.com It's called "Tender Iron"....You can also purchase Feosol in carbonyl form (check label CAREFULLY!!! as it comes in Ferrous sulfate as well) It's expensive because of it's "name"...The cheapest I have found is "Perfect Iron", by Sundown and it is not flavored...just it's normal dirt taste! I buy from Vitalady as it is flavored, comes in a large 400 tablet container and is just convenient for me because I need to take high doses...I don't have to run out or stock up on the small bottles sold in the stores. I know Baratric Advantage also changed their formula over to carbonyl last year as well...It is also flavored and quite pricy...I have not tried it...I spend so much on vitamins monthly that I learned which ones do not have to be pricy..carbonyl is one that can be cheap and work as well! That's my iron solution...
   — .Anita R.