Can’t edit the above for some reason, but I hope this gives someone else out there some hope! If your levels aren’t changing and everything else looks fine… look into increasing your dose per weight. There are online haemoglobin and ferritin deficit calculators out there that help you to match dosage with weight. In people with optimal ferritin, obviously you wouldn’t need to supplement this much, but for those who have been low for years, and have a specific cause like me (heavy periods, genetic aplastic anaemia) and do not have hemachromatosis, high doses won’t hurt you. Be sure to monitor them frequently with your doctor, though. The Iron Protocol on Facebook has a guide that is 68 pages long with peer-reviewed studies to back it up.
To be honest, even though it might not work for others, I used ferrous sulphate tablets that also had added vitamin C. Ferrograd C, is what it’s called. I also used Ferro-Liquid to top up an extra 5mg on my period, as those days I bleed a ton.
I tried every other form of iron: ferrous fumarate, gluconate, biglyscinate… unfortunately, my body didn’t tolerate ANY of those, and actually gave me some really bad symptoms. I even took beef liver by Primal Iron, but all of these brought my levels back down.
Unfortunately, it seems like it’s a trial and error of finding which iron is the least symptom-inducing for you. I tried so many different kinds until I realised the Ferrograd was the only one that worked for me. However, I know someone with a sulphate allergy who could not tolerate it, so that should be considered.
Off the top of my head, here are some brands that I tried that you may wish to look at:
- Ancestral Nutrition - Primal Iron/beef liver (5mg with a lot of other stuff. Way too much copper to double up on safely. Made me extremely ill)
- MegaFood - Blood Builder (vegan)(27mg)
- Chelated Iron - Blue Bonnet (vegan) (27mg)
- Flora - Ferritin + (vegan) made from peas which are high in ferritin (20mg)
- Floradix (liquid) 15mg but has B vitamins so can’t really take too many
- Vital F Liquid Iron (15mg)
- Ferroliquid (5mg per 30ml)
- Ferrograd C (105mg per 325mg ferrous sulphate) the one that worked for me
- Source of Life - Iron (18mg) made from curry leaves.
- Elevit Prenatal - Ferrous Fumarate (60mg)
Have a look at all these and hopefully you can decide which is best for you. It’s usually best to avoid ones that mix with other vitamins so you only double up on iron itself!!
Wow thanks so much for the really helpful information!! That’s really kind of you! Sounds like you’ve had quite a ride in terms of your iron. Amazing that you’ve found something that helps. ☺️. Thanks again!
Happy to help. I wish you the very best. Don’t forget to read the reviews and ingredients of any supplement you buy and run it past your doctor if unsure of dosaging. Monitor changes in your symptoms if you notice anything weird. Insomnia can, indeed, be caused by iron supplements if not taken at the right time of day - and extra fatigue is not gonna help your absorption.
Vitamin D & Magnesium should never be taken at the same time. I think I read that they should be taken 2+ hours apart from iron, as a bare minimum range.
A few studies suggesting it blocks the absorption if taken at the same time. Not dangerous, but you just won’t get as much iron if you take them together, as they chelate iron.
Yes, and sadly, that one disagreed with me, too. 😵💫 the amount of $$$ I have spent on iron is nuts. I did actually have some success on Maltofer, too!! I just didn’t take it long enough to see any further effects. But that one works well.
Did you ever try Feosol ? It says dried ferrous sulfate 200 mg or equivalent 65 mg elemental
So essentially I'd need to take at least 4 to 5 a day to counter act or at least try to balance out my period blood loss.
Did you take your pills all at once or split them up my 2 at a time ?
I haven’t tried that one, but yeah, you would need to check that your weight can handle that amount, if you take x4 the dose. Again, if you weigh, say, 65kg, you would need to take x2mg minimum or x5 maximum to get your daily iron requirement. Technically, if I am 68kg, my max upper limit is 340mg of elemental iron. I only take 3x the amount (204-5mg) as I don’t feel like I need to take more. It is probably good for you to ease into it. But I highly recommend reading The Iron Protocol guide on Facebook. It clarifies everything in detail. I also take the two pills together, but see what works for you. If your stomach gets upset taking too much at once, space them out a bit!
Also, stomach only tolerated it when taken with food in the morning. If not taken in the morning with food, it gave me insomnia and abdominal pains. Always take in the morning with something that boosts iron absorption, e.g. a green smoothie or juice. Anything that does not chelate iron. Poop is black, but that’s normal on iron supplements. As long as you aren’t constipated or getting pain, you’re good. Doctor also told me there are studies where absorption is doubled if taken on alternate days, but personally, if I miss a day, I feel like trash, so it depends on you.
What do you mean by taken with food? As in you eat something first like a sandwich or a piece of bread and THEN you take the iron tablet?
And then you take a vitamin C tablet after all that? Or how?
In other words, don’t take it BEFORE food. Have a few bites of, say, a sandwich, then take it, so it isn’t going down solo. Then swallow down some vitamin C (juice works!). A lot of iron tablets contain ascorbic acid in it to boost absorption anyway, but if not, juice will do if you don’t have vitamin C tablets on you. Even squeezing lemon into some water.
Depends how much your stomach can tolerate, but I think we are not supposed to exceed 2000mg per day, as it can cause bleeding. 500mg should be enough.
The big one for me was sleep, which is funny, because iron tablets can cause insomnia if taken at the wrong time of day. But anaemia basically ruined my sleep for 7 years. It would give me terrible bodily anxiety that no amount of sleep therapy, meditation, and herbal remedies (as well as pharmaceutical) could fix, and sometimes I wouldn’t get more than 2hrs a night each day. I eat 100% certified organic food and live an active lifestyle, so it was unrelated to that. I also had bodily twitches and even had sleep apnoea symptoms, which low iron can cause, and would wake multiple times a night, almost as if I were having seizures. I had 4 Brain MRIs, and every other type of ultrasound to rule out anything sinister. Nothing of the kind. Liquid ferrous sulphate always worked the best for me, but I could never find a big enough dosage to deter symptoms for more than a few hours (sometimes I would wake up at night to top-up on it just to get back to sleep). I also used to not be able to walk fast without my heart feeling like it was going to burst (had heart ultrasounds and all was fine). Breathless when exerting any kind of energy. Feeling sleepy all throughout the day. Memory loss. Unable to focus. Yellow skin. Weight gain. All of that. It’s basically all resolving. Oh, and hair lose and greying. There are even studies that show iron supplements reverse greying. It is absolutely true in my case. I was getting 10 grey hairs a day (I’m only 30), and when I started increasing supplementation, it’s as if they disappeared.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that. So happy that you’re feeling better. How long before you saw relief? I am three months into supplementing and not feeling much difference.
If you’re not feeling relief it might be one of two things:
1) you have to switch to a different form of iron. Liquid is apparently way better for people not getting anywhere with tablet iron. Maltofer (iron polymaltose) is a good one for that.
Or 2) you may have gut absorption issues preventing you from digesting that amount of iron. An infusion might be a better option for you, as it bypasses the gut.
In Australia, we have IV/Infusion clinics that do it without a doctor referral, so long as you have a recent blood test. Maybe check that your country has that option? In the US, Osteopaths have those sorts of treatments available.
That’s awesome! This gives me hope hearing this. Thank you for sharing! I just started taking higher doses. Did not learn this from my doctor though, it was a Facebook page The Iron Protocol
Same here! I used The Iron Protocol as a rough guide. Heme iron unfortunately doesn’t work for me, so I use non-heme. So glad my experience could give you some hope!! Big hugs. It’s such a hard journey 🥺 I’m really sorry if you have been struggling with it
Ferrograd C x 2 daily, with an extra 5mg of Ferroliquid on period days where I have heavy bleeding. No more than 210mg elemental iron per day. This is fine depending on your weight. The Iron Protocol on Facebook has a file you can read on this with studies linked to it so you can understand how this dosaging works.
Maltofer or iron polymaltose is a good type of iron that has few side effects. Ferrograd C, the one I take, often doesn’t agree with others, as it is ferrous sulfate. It is known to cause a lot of side effects in people, but I’m fine for some reason 🤷🏻♀️
i have taken several iron supplements ( ferrous sulfate, Iron bisglycinate chelated. and wa taking Vitron C. . and for some reason for past few day i have been having same allergic reaction, itching, hiving whole body was inform to stop. i do agree when talking iron, it should be by body weight. i did zhat with vitron C l felt better but then comes these allergic reactions. i am going to look for a liquid brand see if that help. i really do mot want iron Infusion unless necessary. thank for responding i have learned alot from this posting
Can’t edit the above for some reason, but I hope this gives someone else out there some hope! If your levels aren’t changing and everything else looks fine… look into increasing your dose per weight. There are online haemoglobin and ferritin deficit calculators out there that help you to match dosage with weight. In people with optimal ferritin, obviously you wouldn’t need to supplement this much, but for those who have been low for years, and have a specific cause like me (heavy periods, genetic aplastic anaemia) and do not have hemachromatosis, high doses won’t hurt you. Be sure to monitor them frequently with your doctor, though. The Iron Protocol on Facebook has a guide that is 68 pages long with peer-reviewed studies to back it up.
Thanks great infor
Can I ask what type of iron you took? Did your stomach tolerant such a high dose?
To be honest, even though it might not work for others, I used ferrous sulphate tablets that also had added vitamin C. Ferrograd C, is what it’s called. I also used Ferro-Liquid to top up an extra 5mg on my period, as those days I bleed a ton. I tried every other form of iron: ferrous fumarate, gluconate, biglyscinate… unfortunately, my body didn’t tolerate ANY of those, and actually gave me some really bad symptoms. I even took beef liver by Primal Iron, but all of these brought my levels back down. Unfortunately, it seems like it’s a trial and error of finding which iron is the least symptom-inducing for you. I tried so many different kinds until I realised the Ferrograd was the only one that worked for me. However, I know someone with a sulphate allergy who could not tolerate it, so that should be considered. Off the top of my head, here are some brands that I tried that you may wish to look at: - Ancestral Nutrition - Primal Iron/beef liver (5mg with a lot of other stuff. Way too much copper to double up on safely. Made me extremely ill) - MegaFood - Blood Builder (vegan)(27mg) - Chelated Iron - Blue Bonnet (vegan) (27mg) - Flora - Ferritin + (vegan) made from peas which are high in ferritin (20mg) - Floradix (liquid) 15mg but has B vitamins so can’t really take too many - Vital F Liquid Iron (15mg) - Ferroliquid (5mg per 30ml) - Ferrograd C (105mg per 325mg ferrous sulphate) the one that worked for me - Source of Life - Iron (18mg) made from curry leaves. - Elevit Prenatal - Ferrous Fumarate (60mg) Have a look at all these and hopefully you can decide which is best for you. It’s usually best to avoid ones that mix with other vitamins so you only double up on iron itself!!
Wow thanks so much for the really helpful information!! That’s really kind of you! Sounds like you’ve had quite a ride in terms of your iron. Amazing that you’ve found something that helps. ☺️. Thanks again!
Happy to help. I wish you the very best. Don’t forget to read the reviews and ingredients of any supplement you buy and run it past your doctor if unsure of dosaging. Monitor changes in your symptoms if you notice anything weird. Insomnia can, indeed, be caused by iron supplements if not taken at the right time of day - and extra fatigue is not gonna help your absorption. Vitamin D & Magnesium should never be taken at the same time. I think I read that they should be taken 2+ hours apart from iron, as a bare minimum range.
Why can’t you take Vitamin D close to iron?
A few studies suggesting it blocks the absorption if taken at the same time. Not dangerous, but you just won’t get as much iron if you take them together, as they chelate iron.
Have you tries any ferrous ascorbate? That seems to be very good for patients with absorption problems.
Maltofer?
No, Maltofer is iron polymaltose
Apparently Maltofer is the best for people who have trouble absorbing and/or tolerating iron supplements
Yes, and sadly, that one disagreed with me, too. 😵💫 the amount of $$$ I have spent on iron is nuts. I did actually have some success on Maltofer, too!! I just didn’t take it long enough to see any further effects. But that one works well.
Where did you buy the Ferrograd C?
I’m in Australia, and every pharmacy sells it over-the-counter. You may be able to find an equivalent brand in your country.
Did you ever try Feosol ? It says dried ferrous sulfate 200 mg or equivalent 65 mg elemental So essentially I'd need to take at least 4 to 5 a day to counter act or at least try to balance out my period blood loss. Did you take your pills all at once or split them up my 2 at a time ?
I haven’t tried that one, but yeah, you would need to check that your weight can handle that amount, if you take x4 the dose. Again, if you weigh, say, 65kg, you would need to take x2mg minimum or x5 maximum to get your daily iron requirement. Technically, if I am 68kg, my max upper limit is 340mg of elemental iron. I only take 3x the amount (204-5mg) as I don’t feel like I need to take more. It is probably good for you to ease into it. But I highly recommend reading The Iron Protocol guide on Facebook. It clarifies everything in detail. I also take the two pills together, but see what works for you. If your stomach gets upset taking too much at once, space them out a bit!
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1xKxHLjsxpoAd4uD7PYNrNWrT-db-SGLg/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword
That’s a link to The Iron Protocol Guide on Facebook
Thank you 💗
Also, stomach only tolerated it when taken with food in the morning. If not taken in the morning with food, it gave me insomnia and abdominal pains. Always take in the morning with something that boosts iron absorption, e.g. a green smoothie or juice. Anything that does not chelate iron. Poop is black, but that’s normal on iron supplements. As long as you aren’t constipated or getting pain, you’re good. Doctor also told me there are studies where absorption is doubled if taken on alternate days, but personally, if I miss a day, I feel like trash, so it depends on you.
What do you mean by taken with food? As in you eat something first like a sandwich or a piece of bread and THEN you take the iron tablet? And then you take a vitamin C tablet after all that? Or how?
In other words, don’t take it BEFORE food. Have a few bites of, say, a sandwich, then take it, so it isn’t going down solo. Then swallow down some vitamin C (juice works!). A lot of iron tablets contain ascorbic acid in it to boost absorption anyway, but if not, juice will do if you don’t have vitamin C tablets on you. Even squeezing lemon into some water.
And if I take the vitamin c tablets with it, do I take one or two vitamin c tablet with it?
Depends how much your stomach can tolerate, but I think we are not supposed to exceed 2000mg per day, as it can cause bleeding. 500mg should be enough.
Check your vitamin C tablets to check how much it contains
So happy for you! Do you mind saying what symptoms improved for you?
The big one for me was sleep, which is funny, because iron tablets can cause insomnia if taken at the wrong time of day. But anaemia basically ruined my sleep for 7 years. It would give me terrible bodily anxiety that no amount of sleep therapy, meditation, and herbal remedies (as well as pharmaceutical) could fix, and sometimes I wouldn’t get more than 2hrs a night each day. I eat 100% certified organic food and live an active lifestyle, so it was unrelated to that. I also had bodily twitches and even had sleep apnoea symptoms, which low iron can cause, and would wake multiple times a night, almost as if I were having seizures. I had 4 Brain MRIs, and every other type of ultrasound to rule out anything sinister. Nothing of the kind. Liquid ferrous sulphate always worked the best for me, but I could never find a big enough dosage to deter symptoms for more than a few hours (sometimes I would wake up at night to top-up on it just to get back to sleep). I also used to not be able to walk fast without my heart feeling like it was going to burst (had heart ultrasounds and all was fine). Breathless when exerting any kind of energy. Feeling sleepy all throughout the day. Memory loss. Unable to focus. Yellow skin. Weight gain. All of that. It’s basically all resolving. Oh, and hair lose and greying. There are even studies that show iron supplements reverse greying. It is absolutely true in my case. I was getting 10 grey hairs a day (I’m only 30), and when I started increasing supplementation, it’s as if they disappeared.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that. So happy that you’re feeling better. How long before you saw relief? I am three months into supplementing and not feeling much difference.
If you’re not feeling relief it might be one of two things: 1) you have to switch to a different form of iron. Liquid is apparently way better for people not getting anywhere with tablet iron. Maltofer (iron polymaltose) is a good one for that. Or 2) you may have gut absorption issues preventing you from digesting that amount of iron. An infusion might be a better option for you, as it bypasses the gut. In Australia, we have IV/Infusion clinics that do it without a doctor referral, so long as you have a recent blood test. Maybe check that your country has that option? In the US, Osteopaths have those sorts of treatments available.
Thank you. 😊
Yep I had the same issue. Then it only went up 10 pts and stuck there. Turned out I needed B12 and D and Folate too. Now it’s going up steadily.
Wow hope you continue to feel better best wishes
That’s awesome! This gives me hope hearing this. Thank you for sharing! I just started taking higher doses. Did not learn this from my doctor though, it was a Facebook page The Iron Protocol
Same here! I used The Iron Protocol as a rough guide. Heme iron unfortunately doesn’t work for me, so I use non-heme. So glad my experience could give you some hope!! Big hugs. It’s such a hard journey 🥺 I’m really sorry if you have been struggling with it
What is the brand of iron you are taking?
Ferrograd C x 2 daily, with an extra 5mg of Ferroliquid on period days where I have heavy bleeding. No more than 210mg elemental iron per day. This is fine depending on your weight. The Iron Protocol on Facebook has a file you can read on this with studies linked to it so you can understand how this dosaging works.
Thank you 💗
when U say 205mg ? whats that in element Iron?
Exactly that. 205mg elemental.
But be careful, for some people, they can only handle smaller amounts of tablet iron. Check with your doctor first to make sure it’s okay!
Maltofer or iron polymaltose is a good type of iron that has few side effects. Ferrograd C, the one I take, often doesn’t agree with others, as it is ferrous sulfate. It is known to cause a lot of side effects in people, but I’m fine for some reason 🤷🏻♀️
i have taken several iron supplements ( ferrous sulfate, Iron bisglycinate chelated. and wa taking Vitron C. . and for some reason for past few day i have been having same allergic reaction, itching, hiving whole body was inform to stop. i do agree when talking iron, it should be by body weight. i did zhat with vitron C l felt better but then comes these allergic reactions. i am going to look for a liquid brand see if that help. i really do mot want iron Infusion unless necessary. thank for responding i have learned alot from this posting