Iron Tablets

gembob-50944

Aha - so now I know why I have been feeling so lathargic and suffering from lack of concentration, not to mention extreme tiredness... it's anaemia!!

Anyone else experienced this?

I have now been given iron tablets and 2 days in... yes; the side effects have started! Constipation... lots of lovely prunes for me tonight then!!

3-little-princesses

I take 'Blackstrap Molasses Iron' which is a gentle iron with vitamin c which increases the bodys ability to absorb & use iron (according to the label)

You get it in health shops & it was my midwife who advised getting this particular type as it doesnt constipate you.

Hilary x

Hollys_mummy

Gem Ive been put on iron 3 times a day and its making me feel worse! Im even more tired and its giving me really sore heads and I have a sore tummy and feel like Im in my first trimester again! I intend to go into health food shop tomorrow and see if they can suggest something different! Thanks for the name of that Hilary, I'll see if I can get some. Do you know what your iron levels were?
Amy xxx

Anged

Hi Gem,

I too have been told I'm anemic. I am opting to try the sachets which you can buy from health shops instead of iron tablets as my midwife said iron tablets can upset the tummy.

I havent bought any sachets yet but hopefully they will do the trick but will try iron tablets if they dont make any difference. I am trying to get more iron out of my diet too and drinking orange juice with meals instead of just water to see if that helps.

Good luck with the prunes!!

Ange

3-little-princesses

Hi Amy

I started taking the iron a week before they were due to be checked at the hospital so I'm not sure what they were before I took the iron. I was suffering from really bad tiredness & it was getting almost unbearable so I phoned my midwife who suggested taking the iron to see if it helped which it did.

I was talking to her yesterday about how many I should be taking as I'm only taking 1 a day & she told me that if I started to get really tired again there would be no harm upping it to 2 a day but to start taking 2 a day from 36 weeks if I'm not taking 2 a day by then.

I dont know if this has been any help or not to you but I'm sure your midwife would be able to tell you how mant you should be taking for your iron levels.

I took these same capsules through my last pregnancy & for a few months after it & never suffered from constipation once

Hilary x

Hollys_mummy

Hi Hilary,
Thanks for the advice! I stopped the iron tablets last night and feel so much better already, it was deffo them making me feel worse. Im heading into town later to get some of the iron you have suggested, fingers crossed it works. Thanks again for the advice!
Amy xxx

3-little-princesses

Hope they help you. I got mine in my local health shop but I'm sure you would get them in Holland & Barratts too.

Good Luck
Hilary x

Libragirl

I've taken pregnancare for my last two pregnancies because with my first had to take Iron tablets and they made me feel worse than being anaemic. Does take a couple of weeks to build up in system but I swear by them...Lisa

gembob-50944

I have been taking pregnacare all along but did you know they don't contain iron? xx

Libragirl

I've just checked box and each tablet contains 17mg of Iron, there are two different types of pregnare but both contain the same amount of iron but one contains more omega or something?!?!

gembob-50944

oops - sorry for the incorrect information... i read that on the internet. that begs the question; if I was getting 17mg a day taking pregnacare, how come my blood tests show that I am anaemic?!??! the tablets from the doctors are 200mg!

xx

3-little-princesses

Maybe you need to take an iron supplement as well as the pregnacare.

Hilary x

gembob-50944

Yes, I am doing that now - thank goodness and feeling less like a wet Sunday afternoon. I also decided to cut out the tea - apparently the tanin depletes your iron supply... I was drinking about 8 cups a day.

3-little-princesses

Sorry I was sort of stating the obvious there wasnt I!!

Cutting down tea will def help. I'm sure youre already doing this but I always take my iron supplements with a glass of orange juice.

Its awful when you feel really washhed out & drained. When are you due?

Hilary x