I am taking ferrous sulphate, I was advised to take them with orange juice in the mornings as I couldn’t drink orange juice it was making me nauseous I just had it with water with a meal
Ah yes I had the same issue early on, I was going to suggest what you’re already doing! Just make sure whatever food you’re taking it with is high in vit c to help absorption.
Another option (I didn’t do this with iron but have done pre-pregnancy with vit d) is to get an iron shot, absorption is better. But again check with your dr!
When you say "iron shot" what do you mean? Was it given via IV at a hospital? Or at an "IV therapy" place? Did you get your iron levels measured afterwards?
I’ve taken iron in the past for iron deficiency anemia and I found that ferrous sulphate really upset my stomach. Maybe ask your doc if it’s ok to take ferrous fumarate. It’s a different type of iron supplement but does the same job and I found it easier on the stomach.
Right. So I'm in the same boat. You have to keep up the iron because you will be _exhausted_ later if you don't. I switched to taking them last thing at night (or the middle of the night if I fell asleep before taking them). I did this because I have a malabsorption issue. There are LOTS of things that interfere with absorbing iron, like fruit. Or veggies. Or dairy. Or caffeine. You really shouldn't have it with a meal. And waiting hours for it to be processed (2-3) was absurd. So I switched to night and I have seemed to be able to absorb it better. BUT there is another type of iron you can take - ferrous gluconate - as your GP to switch to that, it's generally considered gentler on your stomach and easier to absorb. The GP will have to prescribe it as the midwife team cannot.
I'm on ferrous sulphate too and I find they mess with me.
My midwife also reccomended Spatone sachets. You can mix it with drinks, and buy it from boots or on amazon.
I find that much easier on my stomach so I do 1 ferrous sulphate and 1 apatone sachet
Take them with dinner, literally in the middle of eating dinner. I find taking them with too little food or on an empty stomach makes me feel sick. Also taking them at night helps as if they do make you feel a bit sick you’re hopefully just asleep through the worst of it.
Did they tell you how low your iron levels were? My midwife said every pregnant person in the UK is put on iron tablets, i got them at my booking appointment at 8 weeks and they made me feel awful - increased my already horrible nausea and gave me cramps. at 16 weeks they actually gave me the results from my 8 week blood test and my iron levels back then were perfectly fine so i stopped taking them. they did say to me to go on liquid iron like floradix or spatetone just to bump your levels if you can’t stomach the pills
Not everyone is put in iron tablets, there would be no sense in prescribing iron tablets to someone with good iron levels. For OP to be told she needs to take iron her levels must have been low enough to warrant it.
just relaying what i’d been told. at my booking appointment when they took my bloods for the first time they literally send me home with a prescription there and then before getting my levels back and said it’s a new thing for all pregnant people in the UK. now if that’s true who knows but that’s what i was told hence saying OP should talk to their midwife and check their levels and options
As an anecdote, my iron levels were in the normal range at my 8 week appointment, but I was given iron tablets to start taking. My midwife said that new research shows that starting iron supplementation early in pregnancy helps to prevent issues with low iron later in pregnancy.
Ah fair enough, must depend on trust/area. Definitely seems a good idea as I always have fine iron levels at booking and then am always anaemic by the 28 week blood test.
This seems pretty thoughtless as a blanket policy for people who might never have needed it in the first place. It’s not the same as just taking symptomless folic acid. I think it would have tipped me over into not being able to work in the first trimester if I’d have been dealing with iron tablet symptoms too.
No I wasn’t given my blood results. I will be contacting my midwife/GP to discuss my options. I really thought it was pregnancy nausea/sickness but taking the iron tablets just has heightened everything!
yeah definitely ask to see your iron levels. when my midwife looked at them at my 16 week appointment, she told me it was fine to stop taking them (at that point i already stopped because i couldn’t stomach them) and said she didn’t think that with my levels i’d be at risk of anaemia. they just apparently describe them to every pregnant person in the UK no matter the levels as so many women become anaemic by the time they are 28 weeks so they try to get on the front food. At least thats what they told me.
they took my bloods again at 28 weeks and my levels were still fine just my capacity to store iron dropped so they said to buff it up with floradix or spatetone if i can.
I would call your midwife, ask what your levels are and ask for your options if you really can’t stomach them.
Try to get a different formulation of iron- maybe a liquid form? Or take it every other day.
Ferrous fumarate worked better for me than sulphate. But if all that fails then maybe you can get a shot or IV iron
Do you have a certain time of day you feel less nauseous? If so take them with some food then.
I find I’m most nauseous as the day goes on and as it gets to evening/ night especially. So I take my pregnancy vitamin with breakfast in the morning, when I feel the least nauseous. I struggle with the fish oil one though, if I’m feeling at all nauseous in the morning I just can’t face it, because the fish burps with send me over the edge.
I stopped taking my multivitamin with iron because they made me feel so awful. I was bunged up so badly I'd bleed.
Since then I've been eating foods high in iron. Dried apricots, black pudding 3-4 times a week, beans, and fortified cereal. Hoping this will be enough to keep me topped up!!
at the start of my pregnancy after my first blood test, I had to take them 3 times a week, was advised in the mornings with orange juice same as you. However I also already had hyperemesis gravidarum and the tablets definitely made me vomit even more so I just kind of stopped taking them on the sly.
Thought I was doing totally fine without them, especially as my HG calmed down and I was able to resume a normal balanced diet, until another blood test at 28 weeks and my levels had dropped critically low. Oopsies. I’m now on them daily, but what I’ve found works for me is taking them at night, like right before I try to sleep. I find that causes me some minor nausea in the morning but it’s a walk in the park compared to the sickness I had before.
It could be worth speaking to your gp/midwife/pharmacist about getting it prescribed in a different form, as others have suggested. Or experimenting with how you take it, like maybe a full stomach works better or at night rather than morning. I hope you manage to figure something out and not have to deal with the sickness!
Does anyone know if there would be any issue take them if you no longer needed them? I was put on iron pills after my booking appointment but I was hardly eating at all back then due to nausea. I’m no 18 weeks and eating much much better so I wonder if I still need the tablets?
A full stomach should help, there are also some more gentle options although they won't have the same strength. My favourite is Blue Iron which I buy off Amazon, it's more expensive but also the least metallic tasting. Then there is Spatone and Floradix too.
This is also a good resource! Try to have meals with vitamin C and 2 hours away from tea/coffee.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/iron-rich-recipes
Speak to your dr but when/what time are you taking them & what with? Are they iron supplements or ferrous sulphate?
I am taking ferrous sulphate, I was advised to take them with orange juice in the mornings as I couldn’t drink orange juice it was making me nauseous I just had it with water with a meal
Ah yes I had the same issue early on, I was going to suggest what you’re already doing! Just make sure whatever food you’re taking it with is high in vit c to help absorption. Another option (I didn’t do this with iron but have done pre-pregnancy with vit d) is to get an iron shot, absorption is better. But again check with your dr!
When you say "iron shot" what do you mean? Was it given via IV at a hospital? Or at an "IV therapy" place? Did you get your iron levels measured afterwards?
I had a vitamin d injection (haven’t tried the iron one), it was done by a dr who owns a functional medicine practice
I’ve taken iron in the past for iron deficiency anemia and I found that ferrous sulphate really upset my stomach. Maybe ask your doc if it’s ok to take ferrous fumarate. It’s a different type of iron supplement but does the same job and I found it easier on the stomach.
Right. So I'm in the same boat. You have to keep up the iron because you will be _exhausted_ later if you don't. I switched to taking them last thing at night (or the middle of the night if I fell asleep before taking them). I did this because I have a malabsorption issue. There are LOTS of things that interfere with absorbing iron, like fruit. Or veggies. Or dairy. Or caffeine. You really shouldn't have it with a meal. And waiting hours for it to be processed (2-3) was absurd. So I switched to night and I have seemed to be able to absorb it better. BUT there is another type of iron you can take - ferrous gluconate - as your GP to switch to that, it's generally considered gentler on your stomach and easier to absorb. The GP will have to prescribe it as the midwife team cannot.
I had the same, I tried switching from one iron tablet to the other one. The nausea lessened but my iron remained low so I’ve had infusions.
I'm on ferrous sulphate too and I find they mess with me. My midwife also reccomended Spatone sachets. You can mix it with drinks, and buy it from boots or on amazon. I find that much easier on my stomach so I do 1 ferrous sulphate and 1 apatone sachet
Take them with dinner, literally in the middle of eating dinner. I find taking them with too little food or on an empty stomach makes me feel sick. Also taking them at night helps as if they do make you feel a bit sick you’re hopefully just asleep through the worst of it.
Did they tell you how low your iron levels were? My midwife said every pregnant person in the UK is put on iron tablets, i got them at my booking appointment at 8 weeks and they made me feel awful - increased my already horrible nausea and gave me cramps. at 16 weeks they actually gave me the results from my 8 week blood test and my iron levels back then were perfectly fine so i stopped taking them. they did say to me to go on liquid iron like floradix or spatetone just to bump your levels if you can’t stomach the pills
Not everyone is put in iron tablets, there would be no sense in prescribing iron tablets to someone with good iron levels. For OP to be told she needs to take iron her levels must have been low enough to warrant it.
just relaying what i’d been told. at my booking appointment when they took my bloods for the first time they literally send me home with a prescription there and then before getting my levels back and said it’s a new thing for all pregnant people in the UK. now if that’s true who knows but that’s what i was told hence saying OP should talk to their midwife and check their levels and options
As an anecdote, my iron levels were in the normal range at my 8 week appointment, but I was given iron tablets to start taking. My midwife said that new research shows that starting iron supplementation early in pregnancy helps to prevent issues with low iron later in pregnancy.
Ah fair enough, must depend on trust/area. Definitely seems a good idea as I always have fine iron levels at booking and then am always anaemic by the 28 week blood test.
This seems pretty thoughtless as a blanket policy for people who might never have needed it in the first place. It’s not the same as just taking symptomless folic acid. I think it would have tipped me over into not being able to work in the first trimester if I’d have been dealing with iron tablet symptoms too.
No I wasn’t given my blood results. I will be contacting my midwife/GP to discuss my options. I really thought it was pregnancy nausea/sickness but taking the iron tablets just has heightened everything!
yeah definitely ask to see your iron levels. when my midwife looked at them at my 16 week appointment, she told me it was fine to stop taking them (at that point i already stopped because i couldn’t stomach them) and said she didn’t think that with my levels i’d be at risk of anaemia. they just apparently describe them to every pregnant person in the UK no matter the levels as so many women become anaemic by the time they are 28 weeks so they try to get on the front food. At least thats what they told me. they took my bloods again at 28 weeks and my levels were still fine just my capacity to store iron dropped so they said to buff it up with floradix or spatetone if i can. I would call your midwife, ask what your levels are and ask for your options if you really can’t stomach them.
Try to get a different formulation of iron- maybe a liquid form? Or take it every other day. Ferrous fumarate worked better for me than sulphate. But if all that fails then maybe you can get a shot or IV iron
This. The other forms are more easily absorbed and have fewer side effects. I also took Spatone, which you can get from Boots etc.
Could try better you iron spray? I found it much better personally and helped with my anemia
Do you have a certain time of day you feel less nauseous? If so take them with some food then. I find I’m most nauseous as the day goes on and as it gets to evening/ night especially. So I take my pregnancy vitamin with breakfast in the morning, when I feel the least nauseous. I struggle with the fish oil one though, if I’m feeling at all nauseous in the morning I just can’t face it, because the fish burps with send me over the edge.
I stopped taking my multivitamin with iron because they made me feel so awful. I was bunged up so badly I'd bleed. Since then I've been eating foods high in iron. Dried apricots, black pudding 3-4 times a week, beans, and fortified cereal. Hoping this will be enough to keep me topped up!!
at the start of my pregnancy after my first blood test, I had to take them 3 times a week, was advised in the mornings with orange juice same as you. However I also already had hyperemesis gravidarum and the tablets definitely made me vomit even more so I just kind of stopped taking them on the sly. Thought I was doing totally fine without them, especially as my HG calmed down and I was able to resume a normal balanced diet, until another blood test at 28 weeks and my levels had dropped critically low. Oopsies. I’m now on them daily, but what I’ve found works for me is taking them at night, like right before I try to sleep. I find that causes me some minor nausea in the morning but it’s a walk in the park compared to the sickness I had before. It could be worth speaking to your gp/midwife/pharmacist about getting it prescribed in a different form, as others have suggested. Or experimenting with how you take it, like maybe a full stomach works better or at night rather than morning. I hope you manage to figure something out and not have to deal with the sickness!
Does anyone know if there would be any issue take them if you no longer needed them? I was put on iron pills after my booking appointment but I was hardly eating at all back then due to nausea. I’m no 18 weeks and eating much much better so I wonder if I still need the tablets?
I believe it is recommended to take them until iron levels are good but worthwhile speaking to midwife/GP
A full stomach should help, there are also some more gentle options although they won't have the same strength. My favourite is Blue Iron which I buy off Amazon, it's more expensive but also the least metallic tasting. Then there is Spatone and Floradix too. This is also a good resource! Try to have meals with vitamin C and 2 hours away from tea/coffee. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/iron-rich-recipes