You might remember the scene from the movie The Matrix where Morpheus offers Neo (Keanu Reeves) two pills: A blue pill that would return him to his old life, and a red pill that would give him the answer to “What is the Matrix?” Neo takes the red pill, never sees his old life again and instead goes from one startling discovery to the next and ultimately goes on to lead the struggle against the machines.

If you’re diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and need to find a suitable iron supplement / iron vitamin the wide supply of iron supplements on the market may make the choice between Neo’s blue and red pill seem easy!

This article was written to help you make a better, more informed choice and hopefully you will feedback your experiences with your chosen iron supplement (iron vitamin) in our poll so in the end we can all benefit from each other’s experiences.

Why You Need an Iron Supplement

Eating an iron-rich diet and taking a multivitamin with iron may prevent iron deficiency anemia, but it is usually not enough to treat the anemia once it has developed. By this time your iron reserves are so low, you simply cannot restore them without the extra boost of an iron supplement or dedicated iron vitamin.

The iron supplement is needed to eliminate any low iron symptoms you may be experiencing and boost your levels of stored iron and hemoglobin. Once you have your iron levels restored you should be able to stop taking the iron supplement as long as you eat Iron Rich Foods and maximize iron absorption.

But that is where the good news ends as most iron supplements have severe side effects. Even dedicated iron vitamins can de difficult to digest.

These side effects range from nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, dark colored stools to severe abdominal distress. If you have to take that iron supplement for 3 or even 6 months those side effects can severely impact the quality of your life and in some cases they just become too much to bear.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are iron supplements out there that the majority of people can take without too many nasty side effects, especially if the supplements are taking in the right way, at the right time of the day and in combination with the right foods. That is where this article comes in.

We have it pretty much all covered.

As Dr. William Ershler, MD, a hematologist at the National Institutes of Health, explains it is extremely important for you and your doctor to determine why you have iron deficiency anemia as well as treat the symptoms. Your iron deficiency anemia may well be an early sign of another disease. Finding the cause of your anemia can mean catching a potentially serious disease before it gets worse.

So if your iron deficient and your doctor wants you to take an iron supplement, you will need to find the supplement that is best for you. Iron supplements usually do not need a prescription, and are commonly sold in drug stores, supermarkets and of course online. There are a large number of iron vitamins / iron supplements available with different amounts of iron, different iron salts, complexes, combinations, and dosing regimens.

It’s all pretty confusing to be honest.

To make it all worse, each and every one of these iron supplements is heavily advertised as the best ever. You know, the one with no side effects.

So which one do you choose?  Is there really a “best”? A one-size-fits-all approach?

Probably not.

Taking a trial and error approach is not recommended as many people find that they suffer pretty strong side effects when taking iron supplements for prolonged periods of time. The sooner you find an iron supplement that works for you the better. Your doctor usually hasn’t taken any of these supplements herself so in all honest she won’t be much help.

But together we can.

Some basic research, discussions with several doctors and getting both online and offline feedback from people taking these supplements has generated a short list of what are believed to be the very best iron supplements on the market. And we’ll list them later on in this article.

All right, before we go into the detailed review of the actual supplements let’s have a look at the science these supplements. Feel free to skip this section and just jump straight to the product recommendations.

 

Iron Supplements – The Chemistry in Your Body

There are two general types of iron supplements and they contain either the ferrous or ferric form of iron. Ferrous iron, which is the best absorbed form of iron, is a positively charged iron and is combined with a counter ion (negatively charged). Popular and common counter ions are sulfate, gluconate and fumarate.

Typically, the way these compounds are made is that pure iron, usually as iron filings, is dissolved in acid. Once all the iron is dissolved, the counter ion is slowly added and the pH is brought back to neutrality. As this happens the iron is no longer soluble so it binds to the counter-ion and drops out of solution. The slurry is then dehydrated and the remaining dry matter is the iron salt. The way these supplements are manufactured also gives us some insight into have they work in the body.

Once you swallow an supplement the acid in your stomach leads the iron salt to be dissolved and the elemental iron can then be absorbed by your body. If your on anti-acids or H2 blockers such as cimetidine (Tagamet), your stomach will have not be acid enough to dissolve iron salt and the supplement will be of no use to you.

As we said most available iron pills contain ferrous iron either as ferrous sulfate, ferrous fumarate, or ferrous gluconate. While all three usually come in the same 325mg tablet size, each one contains a different amount of the form of iron used by your body, called “elemental iron”.

When you choose an iron supplement, you need to look at the amount of “elemental iron” in each tablet, instead of the size of the tablet. Typical amounts of elemental iron are as follows:

• Ferrous fumarate: 33% of elemental iron which means each 325mg tablet contains about 107mg of elemental iron
• Ferrous sulfate: 20% of elemental iron which means each 325mg tablet contains about 65mg of elemental iron
• Ferrous gluconate: 12% of elemental iron which means each 325mg tablet contains about 33mg of elemental iron

Ok, enough of the high school chemistry.

 

Dosing of Iron Supplements

Adults will usually require a dose of 60-200 mg of elemental iron daily, depending on the severity of the anemia. But this is something you need to establish together with your doctor. What is important to know is that the amount of iron absorbed decreases as doses get larger. So you don’t want to take one large dose a day, but instead you should take your daily iron supplement in two or three equally spaced doses. For adults who are not pregnant, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) generally recommends taking 50-60 mg of oral elemental iron (which is pretty much the amount of elemental iron in one 325 mg tablet of ferrous sulfate) twice daily for three months for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. This is good guidance, but again, seek your doctor’s advice for your specific situation.

 

Tablets, Capsules or Liquid Iron Supplements

Iron supplements come as regular tablets and capsules, liquid, drops, and coated or extended release tablets and capsules. Regular tablets and capsules are basically the best absorbed and are usually also the most economical. Liquid and drop iron supplements are necessary for young children and people with problems swallowing pills, but may temporarily stain your teeth. Iron from coated or delayed-release preparations may have fewer side effects, but are not as well absorbed and not usually recommended.

If your need to take an iron supplement, consider the type of iron and pill, as well as the cost. Remember, you will be taking it everyday for 3-6 months so cost is indeed important, but in the end the side effects become the most important to most people.

Controlling the Side Effects of Iron Supplements

All iron supplements will cause your stool to become dark in color, and many people complain about an upset stomach and constipation as the result of taking an iron supplement. However for some the side effects are so sever it becomes hard or impossible to follow the recommended dosage.

Here are 6 tips to help you take your iron more comfortably and effectively:

1. Iron supplements can upset your stomach. Starting with half the recommended dose and gradually increasing to the full dose can often help minimize these side effects.
2. If iron makes you constipated, consider taking a stool softener such as docusate sodium along with your iron. Many products are available with this ingredient. Your pharmacist can help you choose the product that is best for you.
3. Liquid iron supplements tend to stain the teeth. You can drink them through a straw or mix each dose in water, fruit juice, or tomato juice. Or do both. If you do find your teeth develop iron stains these can often be removed by brushing with baking soda.
4. Milk, caffeine, antacids and calcium supplements can decrease iron absorption and should not be taken at the same time as iron supplements.
5. Iron supplements are absorbed better if taken an hour before meals. However your doctor may tell you to take your iron with food to reduce an upset stomach.
6. You can get the most benefit from iron pills if you take them with something high in vitamin C like citrus fruit, kiwis or just drink a glass of orange juice with it. Vitamin C is a iron absorption enhancer.

Once you are taking iron supplements, your doctor will monitor the effectiveness of the selected iron supplements by doing regular blood tests and tracking laboratory indices. If your anemic the levels of newly formed blood levels should increased after a few days of starting with the iron supplement. Hemoglobin typically increased within 2 to 3 weeks and after 3 months many people can stop taking the supplement and continue with an iron rich diet.

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children younger than 6 years. In children, death has occurred from ingesting 200 mg of iron. It is important to keep iron supplements tightly capped and away from children’s reach. Any time excessive iron intake is suspected, immediately call your physician or Poison Control Center, or visit your local emergency room.

 

The BEST Iron Supplements

 

 
 
 

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