Started 325mg Ferrous Sulphate(Iron) tbs

Medications
1

I started on this high dose of iron from the chemist over the counter. Normally the max iron

supplement is sold at 14-20mg.

I felt tired all the time so thought to give it a try.

There are some side effects I have noticed eg black stools, constipation.

At present it is having an affect on anxiety but it is too early to tell for sure.

Any takers?

Regards

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2

Did you have your iron checked before starting it?

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3

I hope you informed your doctor before taking iron. Iron toxicity caused by over-ingestion of iron supplements is the number one cause of death by poisoning in children, and it is still very dangerous for adults.

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4

Dude you are poisoning yourself. This is a major red flag to stop.

5

I had a full blood count done which was normal but I was taking multi-vitamins/minerals prior to that.

I don’t know if that is the same way to check iron levels.

Thanks

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No, they need to specifically check iron levels. You could be doing damage taking it if you don’t need it. Definitely let your doctor know and ask for a level check.

8

If you want more iron in your diet, consider eating spinach or steak. Iron supplements can kill you and appear to already be starting to.

9

Now you’ve scared me.

Will try to get a GP appointment but they are like gold dust in this pandemic

10

I wouldn’t consider the black stools and constipation a necessarily bad thing. That is completely common with iron supplements even if you really do need them.

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The amount of iron ingested may give a clue to potential toxicity. The therapeutic dose for iron deficiency anemia is 3–6 mg/kg/day. Toxic effects begin to occur at doses above 10–20 mg/kg of elemental iron. Ingestions of more than 50 mg/kg of elemental iron are associated with severe toxicity.[9]

  • A 325-mg tablet of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate has 65 mg (20%) of elemental iron
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12

Thanks for that info Ninjastar

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I’m severely anemic and take 350mg/day. I can’t imagine not even needing it and taking more than that.

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I was told that was a reason to stop the supplements. My family all have a blood disorder that makes us unable to absorb iron properly, and we have taken iron supplements before when we had a doctor who was not well versed in our disorder. The problem with our type of anemia is that we still get the proper amount of iron in our blood, but it does not absorb into the red blood cells so it just floats freely in our system. This means we are more likely to die of iron toxicity if we take supplements, since the iron doesn’t go anywhere.

15

Do they test for anemia via a full blood count?

Thanks

16

Do you have access to your blood test in your online chart? It should say if it tested for iron in the results.

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Well, I’ve been told every time I’ve been given them for my anemia to expect that and not to let it worry me.

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I have looked at the results, nothing mentioned about iron

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Then they probably didn’t check your iron. I think you should ask your doctor about your iron if you are concerned, rather than trying to fix a problem you might not have on your own. Some foods high in iron are spinach, steak, and broccoli. Eating more of those foods might be all you need.

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I have seem online you can purchase iron level detector test for £7.00.

Probably a waste of money?