Iron Supplements???

My Surgeon says I need to take an iron supplement in the amount of 325mg daily in the crushed or liquid form. I cannot find a supplement that will give me that amount. Does anyone have any suggestions for an iron supplement that meets these requirements? Thanks, Robin

I don't have any specific recommendations, but can you cut one in half or quarters? Or call him and ask for a recommendation on brand....my nut. always had 2-3 recommendations for what she told me to take. Christina S

Hi Christine, The problem is that none of them have enough mg of iron in them. The most I can find is about 18mg per serving. At that rate I'd be drinking or tkaing hte whole bottle in a couple days. How much iron do you have to take? Thanks, Robin

Robin- I take 1-200mg tablet twice a day. My nut. recommended Vitron-C. I can only find it at Giant grocery stores. Have you tried the Vitamin Shop? What about adding the iron from your Multivitamin(if you take one with iron)? Christina S

Adding in the iron from my multivitamin is a good idea. Thanks! I am gonna check with the nut on Tuesday at my all day education class to see if this amount is correct. I think I would be constipated for the rest of my life if I took that much iron everyday . Thanks again Robin

Robin- Looks like you got some great info. from Kathy and Jackie too. They're further out than I am so we both learned something! Christina S

Usually the 325 mg of ferrous sulfate tablets have 65 mg of elemental iron. But be careful with ferrous sulfate (most common iron out there) - they can be rough on the digestive tract. Ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumerate, carbonyl iron and polysacchride iron are easier on the stomach. Elemental iron is the amount of iron without the binder (gluconate, sulfate, fumerate) attached to it. So the 325 mg of what your doctor said is actually 65 mg of iron and 260 mg of binder (sulfate). I started with chewable irons and then switched to Vitron C after a couple of months. I was taking 2 a day so that's actually 132 mg of elemental iron since each Vitron C tablet (I got them at CVS) is 66 mg of elemental iron. One of these would be what your doc is recommending you take. I watched my iron go down on the 2 Vitron Cs so I knew I needed to increase it but I didn't want to increase by another 66 mg at a time. So I switched to Tender Iron from vitalady.com - each pill is 25 mg of elemental carbonyl iron so I could work my way up based on labs. I switched from the 2 Vitron Cs to 6 carbonyl irons which is 150 mg. Labs improved a bit but then I took it up to 8 a day (200 mg of elemental iron total) and my labs made a great improvement. The Tender Iron tablets are fairly soft and are not horrible tasting so they can be chewed with a Vitamin C tablet. So I chew mine rather than swallow them. Kathy

Wow - that is some good info! Thanks so much! I can tell you have been doing this a while. You are one of the reasons that I am soooo grateful to have this board to come to ask questions! Thanks again! BTW, how are you doing? I hope all is well! Take CAre, Robin

Here is info on iron... go down to the header on Oral Iron Supplements... http://www.venofer.com/VenoferHCP/Venofer_managingIron.asp Kathy

I do the same as Kathy - I take 6 Tender Irons and one orange Vit C from Vitalady.com every night before i go to bed - they are chewable and not unpleasent. My iron readings now are better than pre-surgery.... they are not rough on the stomach either although cause a little constipation but not too much. Jackie