Iron supplement makes me feel sick. Any suggestions?

Question

I have iron-deficiency anemia so I'm supposed to have an iron rich diet and take a supplement. But the iron pill makes me feel sick. Any suggestions or alternatives?

Answer 1

ALFAFA
I had low iron during my last pregnancy (below 10). When my midwife checked my iron shortly before my due date, it was over 13! This is how I did it.
NO caffeine.
ALFAFA-6 Tablets daily
BLACK STRAP MOLASSES- 1 Tablespoon on toast daily
I am currently giving my 15-month-old Alfalfa tea because her iron is low.
Those iron pills are terrible, but Alfalfa is natural. You can also get Alfalfa leaves and make it into a tea.
VITAMIN C does help the body absorb iron. Guess what? Alfalfa contains Vitamin C!

This goes hand-in-hand with your iron problems:
Do you drink a lot of caffeinated beverage or eat a lot of chocolate? Caffeine decreases your body's ability to absorb iron.

Midwives have strict rules about caffeine consumption when they are doing home births because they want the mother's iron to be exceptionally high. So I had absolutely NO caffeine during my last pregnancy.

I buy my Alfalfa tablets from Walmart
(300 count bottle for under $4)

Read more about Alfalfa here:
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/AHC

Answer 2

I assume since you know you have anemia, that you've gone to a doctor for the diagnosis. In that case, I'd call my doctor and tell him/her what supplement it is and see what he/she recommends (i.e. different brand, different amount, etc.). Even though you have anemia, you can still get too much iron at one time; especially if you're pairing a supplement with an already rich-in-iron diet. If your doctor says you should continue taking that supplement, I'd try to take it at night before going to bed. That way, you can sleep through the nausea/icky feeling.

Answer 3

You should always take it with a full meal. That will avoid most of the problem. In addition to that, drinking ginger tea (really an infusion -- you can buy it in bags or bulk from health food stores and also the health food area in major grocery stores) or keeping some crystalised ginger with you to nibble a little bite.

Ginger tea is more palatable IMO than the crystalised ginger. You may also find ginger bonbons to carry as long as you make sure the main ingredient is ginger and not an artificial flavouring. It's an old remedy that still works.

Hope you feel better!

Answer 4

I was taking the flintstone vitamins too because the regular prenatals made me feel bad, but at 30 weeks my doctor wanted me to switch and try to take prenatal vitamins again. When I first tried I felt the same way as you, sick to my stomach, headaches, and tired. My doctor suggested that I take it before I go to bed with a snack and this actually worked. I can take normal prenatal pills now and I don't get those side effects (or maybe I do in my sleep?) Since you already bought the prenatals it won't hurt to try this and see if it works.

Answer 5

try taking it with orange juice and at least with food. How low is your iron, is it really necessary to take the tabs if your truly eating excess iron in your diet? too much iron isnt good either. get your hemoglobin checked again, and if its not too low, ask your doctor if you can stop taking them. and is this the result of a pregnancy or childbirth, loss of blood? cause you wont have to take them for long if it is.

Answer 6

You might try a supplement called "Easy Iron" it is supposed to be gentler on your stomach. Also, make sure you don't take iron on an empty stomach. I hope this helps.

Answer 7

try some spinach. It's natural, full of iron, and tasty, also try some mineralwater wich is rich in Fe2+and Fe3+

Answer 8

you should go to the doctor.maybe even try just cutting back on them