What iron do you take and where do you buy it?

It is purely anecdotal however I find my distal RNY patients do better on FeraMAX than Proferrin.  Proximal RNY can use either Proferrin or FeraMAX.  It is believed that while both preparations are absorbed lower in the small intestine retrospective study suggest that proferrin is absorbed at a point higher than FeraMAX and that this section may be partially or totally bypassed in the distal RNY.

Again this is purely observational data, research has yet to be completed.

Thanks everyone

I switched to this form about 2 years post-surgery on the suggestion of the local chemist who is very familiar with RNY

http://www.nutrichem.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a rticle&id=77:ferrotrate-ironfrequently-asked-questions&catid =18&Itemid=91

Iron exists in 2 chemical states: ferric and ferrous. Humans absorb ferrous iron on average about 5 times better than ferric iron. Ferrotrate contains ferrous iron, as a ferrous citrate chelate. While several forms of ferrous iron supplements are available, Ferrotrate has 3 advantages:

*Up to 30% of a ferrous citrate supplement can be absorbed

*Ferrotrate is less likely to cause constipation, like other forms of iron

*Ferrotrate contains vitamin C, which enhances the absorption of iron

Ferrotrate is a well-absorbed form of supplemental iron, with fewer side effects.
 

This is a true fact.

If you remember high school chemistry Iron has 2 possible valence FE+2 or FE+3.  Ferrous is FE+2 and Ferric FE+3.  Our body has to convert the FE+2 iron to FE+3 before it can be absorbed.  Most of it has traveled past the absorption surface before it is converted and so is "eliminated" as the black tarry stool related to taking iron salts (that we all know and love)

Kinda technical but is the pharmacology behind iron supplements.

I have tried ferrous gluconate...constipation
ferrous succinate....constipation
proferrin....constipation

I now take daily ferrous sulfate (which my surgeon told me is the best for absorption)  I take one 300 mg tablet in the morning.  It isn't enough to make me not anemic.  But I can't take anymore than that because, you guessed it....constipation.  I also take a daily dose of lax-a-day (which is the same as miralax or restoralax) otherwise this one pill per day constipates me.

I purchased a chewable iron off of the Bariatric Fusion website called Ferronyl which I am embarrassed to admit I haven't taken on a regular basis to see if it would help the anemia.  However the website says it doesn't cause stomach upset or GI problems and it is more readily absorbed in the best form possible and it is combined with vit C in the same pill to also help absorption. 

I take my multivitamins daily and my iron supplement in the morning with my other meds and by evening I completely forget to take the chewable iron.  I will though because I have to see if it will help and not cause constipation (I am so afraid of that because it is soooo awful).  Once I've been taking it regularly for a couple of months I will be able to see if it helped my iron levels.