Too much Iron?

Question

I know my Iron levels aren't very high. I dont eat red meat. When I donate blood my levels are always at the minimum inwhich they will take. So about once a week i'll take an Iron suppliment which is about 65mg. Today, I didnt realize that I took a multivitamin and my iron suppliment. Thats about 450% DV of iron. Im slightly worried because I know too much iron is rather bad for you. Now, I did just have my period so i know for a fact I lost some Iron in my blood. Need I be worried?? How many mg is a dose that will make you sick?

I know that Iron stays in your blood and is not excreted :x

Answer 1

Hi Cyanideki. Be very careful about the medical advice you get on this site. The info. Candace gave you is absolutely incorrect.

Do not worry about your single high dose of iron. Percentage absorption of most metals (e.g. iron) decreases as the dose increases. Even if you absorbed all of the iron, this is a single incident and not likely to be harmful. Longterm (months) of high dose iron supplementation can be harmful.

It is true that many vitamins can be taken at very high doses without any apparent harm, however, some vitamins and most minerals can be toxic when taken at high doses for long periods. Vitamin A and Vitamin B6 are examples.

I am most concerned about your chronic, borderline anemia. Anemias have many causes, not just iron deficiency. Nutrients 'work in harmony' so iron deficiency anemia can result from other factors like vitamin C deficiency or copper deficiency. 50% of Americans do not consume the RDA for Vitamin C.

Vitamin C in the same meal improves the absorption of iron. Copper is needed for proper iron utilization in the body. High doses of other minerals (e.g. calcium) can compete with iron for absorption and result in chronic, low iron levels. These are just a few possibilities, so you can see this can be a complex issue. Other issues include the possibility of heavy metal toxicities such as lead or mercury.

Other problems can cause chronic low blood counts, including malabsorption syndromes, Celiac Disease (gluten sensitive enteropathy), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and medications (common 'acid inhibitors' like Nexium and Pepcid inhibit iron and other mineral absorption, and also cause SIBO).

It may be appropriate for you to find a good nutritionist (Certified Clinical Nutritionist - CCN), Natrupathic Physician, Chiropractor or Medical Doctor (who specializes in nutrition - which is rare) to help you find the underlying source(s) of your problem.

I hope this hasn't been to complicated to be helpful for you.

Best wishes and good luck.

Answer 2

Well, typical iron pills that are prescribed for anemia come as 325 mg. This is equal to 65mg of elemental iron (perhaps what you are taking over the counter?)

But really, too much iron in the BLOOD can be bad for you, yes. But to TAKE too much iron by mouth to cause this problem is pretty rare...

Basically, your body can only absorb so much Iron that you take by mouth...and the rest goes out with your poop.

You could take 65mg of elemental Iron a day and be completely fine.

The only problem is...if you take too much, you will get constipated! (and possibly have nausea and a mild stomach ache)

For iron deficiency, it is not completely uncommon for doctors to prescribe as much as 300 mg 4 times a day!

So, I wouldn't worry too much with the doses you are taking...

Answer 3

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Answer 4

usually with vit/min you can take as much as you want....and your body will take what it needs to be healthy and then excrete the rest through your stool and urine. Unless you have some kind of disorder to where your body doesn't realize when it has what it needs and will hang on to more of it...which doesn't sound like the case with you.....So don't worry....just correct your error