Cant take Iron pills :( IRON Deficiency is HARD

Kjst600

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(edited 3 months ago)

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Reply 1

Foxehh

Original post by Kjst600

Hey! So I have iron deficiency and im supposed to take 2-3 ferrous fumate pills a day.. I find it extremely difficult to take pills and especially when it comes to Iron pills, I cannot take the taste and also the fact that it gives me the worst nausea and stomach pains :frown:

. I was wondering if you guys think I can beat my iron deficiency with diet??? I try to eat spinach etc but I don’t think it helps much?! Are there any specific smoothies I can make to boost my iron levels? Or a meal plan that I could follow

Unfortunately the taste is just something you have to learn to deal with. Believe it or not after a few months of taking a medication it starts to get much better, you barely even notice a taste after a while.
For the nausea and stomach pains that sounds like something to talk to your GP about.
How long have you been taking them?

Reply 2

Kjst600

Original post by LovelyMrFox

Im so bad at being consistent with them. So I take it for a few weeks in a month and then stop and start a few months later :frown:

its bad I know! But I just cant take the taste and pain

Reply 3

Foxehh

Original post by Kjst600

Im so bad at being consistent with them. So I take it for a few weeks in a month and then stop and start a few months later :frown:

its bad I know! But I just cant take the taste and pain

Get a pill organizer and set an alarm on your phone. If you still arent being consistent after that then you're not even trying and need to start putting effort into taking care of yourself.
How long have you been on it?

Reply 4

Kjst600

Original post by LovelyMrFox

True thanks.. and 4-5 years now!

Reply 5

Foxehh

Original post by Kjst600

True thanks.. and 4-5 years now!

Definitely worth speaking to your GP about the stomach pain then.
Good luck :smile:

Reply 6

Joy L

Original post by Kjst600

i tried with diet and to be honest it really did not make much of a difference. I went real healthy for a whole year, ate rich iron foods such as apricots, spinach, protein etc however it didn't really make much of a difference sadly (turns out I have a problem with my red blood cells tho so absorbing things like iron and other nutrients in my blood is more difficult than for the average person, so this is perhaps why). My tablets are little brown disc shaped and don't taste of anything so perhaps you could ask for those at your GP as different pharmacutical companies create different shaped/coloured tabelets and some you'll find an after-taste and some dont.

Hope this helps

Reply 7

Joy L

Also, are you taking them on an empty stomach (i find if I take my pills on an empty stomach I get really bad stomach pain so i always try and eat something (even if it is small like a slice of toast, just to line my stomach before I take my ferrous fumarate)

Reply 8

username1148663

Original post by Kjst600

Some people in my family have a rare hereditary condition where they have excessive levels of iron in their blood and they have to be bleed a few pints every so often.
No relevance to your post but I thought you may find it interesting that there are some people with the opposite problem.
Before you ask I did ask the question can they use their blood for people with the opposite problem and apparently they can’t.

Reply 9

Kjst600

Original post by Joy L

Thanks so much for this information!! Do you know the name of the pills you take by any chance?

Reply 10

Kjst600

Original post by paul514

Wow well thats something i’ve never heard before 😳 interesting indeed!

Reply 11

Joy L

Original post by Kjst600

Thanks so much for this information!! Do you know the name of the pills you take by any chance?

mine are made by the phramcutical company CRESCENT PHARMA

(hope this helps, perhaps worth asking your doctor to prescribe the ferrous fumerate tabelts created by that company, however they may say no, depending on whether your local pharmacies stock that pharamacutical companies products)

Reply 12

username1148663

Original post by Kjst600

Wow well thats something i’ve never heard before 😳 interesting indeed!

Well it is super rare condition someone in our family is a doctor in Ireland and discovered the condition when they were helping a family member with their health.

Reply 13

Kjst600

Original post by Joy L

Thanks Joy!

Reply 14

Joy L

Original post by Kjst600

Thanks Joy!

np, hope you get it all sorted xx

Reply 15

nexttime

Original post by Kjst600

True thanks.. and 4-5 years now!

There are other options - see a doctor! Surely you haven't gone 5 years without highlighting this problem?! :eek:

Original post by paul514

Before you ask I did ask the question can they use their blood for people with the opposite problem and apparently they can’t.

I heard they were looking to change this (as in, let the blood taken be a blood donation for people who need a transfusion). Seems like such a waste to throw it away!

It wouldn't be a great treatment for iron deficiency though no.