Possible issue with iron supplements

[autumn_rose]

Another question from yours truly. I have low iron, so my GI doc wanted me to take a daily iron supplement. After taking one for a while, he rechecked my blood work, and I was still low in iron, so he told me to up my dose from one pill to two. I take the slow release formula, which is supposed to be gentler on your system. Here's the issue: even when I'm not having cramps or liquid stools (I know, icky, but it must be mentioned- and actually I very rarely have thin or liquid bowel movements, more often than not I just get bad cramps), I feel like I need to have a bowel movement- often times, I do, but can only go a little at a time. It doesn't feel like constipation, but rather... hm... well, like I just have to have frequent small bowel movements. My question is- could the iron supplements be contributing or causing this issue? And what foods are highest in iron that I could maybe start eating more of, so that I could perhaps drop at least one of the pills I have to take, or can eating iron in regular food cause the same issue? I was under the impression that getting your iron through food intake doesn't wreck havoc on the digestive system like the supplements can. I feel a little embarrassed about mentioning all this stuff, but, I wanted info Thanks to anyone who stuck through reading it! Haha.

 

[shazamataz]

Hi Autumn,

I am no expert here but my understanding of iron supplements is that they can make you constipated.

What you describe about only doing little bits off poo sounds like constipation to me. I had this for about a month before ended up in hospital with my first flare - not to alarm you, this just seems to have been the way my disease has manifested as opposed to the D thing. Basically I had a constant feeling of needing to go and only managed little bits through out the day but that need-to-go feeling never went away. When they xrayed me I was totally backed up/constipated, so that may be what you are experiencing.

Lactulose syrup helped with that a lot.

As for iron rich foods, I always have a bag of frozen spinach in the freezer and add it to lots of things like casserole/soup, omelettes and so on. My iron is apparantly verging on the low side but Doc not concerned about it. I also get some soft steak in once a week or so.

Hope that helps!

 

[Kev]

Hey Autumn Rose.. I just came off iron supplements a few weeks ago, and they totally messed me up. (Fortunately, they did the job, and my iron is now fine).. It didn't work immediately, and my doc suggested upping my dosage. I tried that... 1st by simply doubling the pills I was taking. HUGE mistake. That one nearly did me in. Then I tried taking 1/2 them with morning meal, the 2nd 1/2 with evening meal. It still messed me up. I just tuffed it out at one a day till my bloodwork came back normal. however, I also increased my red meat consumption, (though I'm not crazy about it) and tried eating things hi in iron. (i used to eat a lot of spinach in salads, but can't tolerate it now - raw - so I tried adding it slightly cooked to an omelete.. ) Seems most of the veggies that are good sources of iron aren't easy on our digestive systems with crohns. And cooking does reduce a lot of nutrient value, but I don't think it changes iron.. but I could be v. wrong.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Hey Autumn - I definitely can't tolerate iron. I knew this before I had my Crohn's diagnosed. I couldn't even tak prenatal vitamins because it always made me super crampy and having diarrhea - totally Crohnsie feeling. They made me take Flinstone kid's vitamins when I was pregnant.

I can't remember who - but someone just had an open thread on this last night and we discussed full replacement iron through IV. I think it was nogutsnoglory - do a search and see. He is thinking about doing iron shots - but I only know of them measuring the amount of iron you are missing and replacing it all at once with an IV infusion. Lots of people on this site seem to have problems with iron......heck, I think people who don't even have Crohn's can have problems as well!

Well for mine I was thinking of getting it through injection at the doctor, not actually through IV at a hospital. I just figured an injection here and there at the GP and all should be ok hopefully.

As for poop, iron is constipating, although I am having diarreah but the iron is also not absorbing so i dont know if i can speak to that. depending on what you can eat chocolate, figs, red meat, fish, spinach are high in iron.

also when i stop flaring CLAMS have crazy amounts of iron. check labels but if you get pure wild caught clams they have super high amounts!!!

 

[imisspopcorn]

Take your iron with Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps you absorb iron. It can be expensive to experiment, but different brands sometimes say they are gentle on the stomach. Are you taking a multi vitamin with iron too? I take a multi with iron and one iron tablet . I think there is brand that says it's not as constipating. Check around.

 

[autumn_rose]

Hey, thanks for the replies, everyone!

shazamataz- Thanks for the info. I'm not alarmed about the possibility of being backed up, as this has been going on for quite some time, and I've managed. If I end up in the hospital, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I know spinach has iron, but I'm unsure of my tolerance for various veggies, in raw or cooked form, and to be honest, I'm scared, at times, to experiment with things, for fear of making things worse.

Kev- Yeah, I divide my dose as well, one with my first meal, and one with my second, then I take my calcium with my 3rd meal, in attempt to space it as far as possible from my iron, since calcium interferes with iron absorption, or the other way around. I thought if you had low iron you would always have to be on some sort of supplement? Like, if you were to stop taking it, you would go back to having low iron after a while? Does anyone know how that works?

Shantel- Yeah, I saw that threat after I made my post- oopsies. I suppose I wouldn't mind getting a shot or iv infusion; problem is that I don't have health coverage, I go to a free clinic, and I'm not sure they would approve me to get such a thing.

nogutsnoglory- Thanks for the info on clams, I never knew they were such a good source of iron. I don't know my tolerance for them, or liking of them, for that matter, as I have never really eaten them (when I could tolerate dairy before my crohn's days, I had some clam chowder, but that was the extent of it), but it's worth looking into! Thanks!

imisspopcorn- Yeah, I try to take my iron with some OJ- and the iron pills I have say they are supposed to be gentler, but claims are only claims, I suppose. It couldn't hurt to look for other products, too. Any yeah, I also take a multivitamin, and my iron was still low, so my doc still wanted me to increase to 2 pills. Blarg. Stupid iron!

 

[nogutsnoglory]

clam chowder can be very high in iron, just make sure to get wild as its the cleanest kind and also some of the cheaper stuff doesn't have the same iron content.

i got a wild can of clam chowder at whole foods and the iron content was 90% i believe. i saw another that said 120%.