Your iron dosage?

[Guest guest]

I have been prescribed the following:

120 Ferrous sulphate tabs 200 MG

Take twice a day

(My iron levels showed up as low after a blood test and at the

time the test was taken I was feeling more run down than I would

be normally.

______

I am currently half way through the container. Because I have

been feeling down and teary lately. I took this to be perfectly

understandable frustration about still having the fibroid

symptoms half a year after an abdominal myomectomy. Out of

curiosity, I looked this up on the internet to see if the tablets

might influence moods. It seems that this is a high dosage

prescription, which has got me worried today.

Note, I didn't have a transfusion with my operation and bleeding

problems have never been one of my fibroid symptoms.

I've been trying not to have tea with meals and the tablets and eat

iron rich foods too. I sometimes take these tablets with fruit juice.

I'd much rather be eating iron rich foods than popping pills.

What do you think? Should I drop down to one tablet a day or

stop taking them? Can anyone reassure me about the high

dosage for someone that doesn't bleed heavily?

[Guest guest]

Catriona-

A lot depends on just how anemic you are to begin with, and how much

it's interfering with your life.

I lost a fair amount of blood during my myo; I came in with iron

level at 32 (kind of low) and after surgery it was 21. My doctor gave

me the chice of transfusion or gradually building it up myself. At

that level (21) I was feeling lightheaded, short-of-breath, and my

heart was racing. No way could I have lived like that!

After the transfusion my level was 29. I'm attempting to bring it up

more through diet, as I've never yet found an iron supplement I can

tolerate (become completely constipated) I may try Floradix;

undecided at this point.

What is your iron level; what anemia symprtoms are you experiencing?

At least if, as you say, you don't bleed heavily, you're not stuck in

an endless cycle of catch-up ; once you build your iron level up, it

should pretty much stay stable.

I'm very sorry to hear you're feeling blue; I can understand you must

feel discouraged. Hang in there! -Mindy

uterinefibroids , " aztek002003 "

wrote:

>

> What do you think? Should I drop down to one tablet a day or

> stop taking them? Can anyone reassure me about the high

> dosage for someone that doesn't bleed heavily?

[Guest guest]

Mindy - Just curious how long it takes to build up? My levels are

very low and I am three weeks away from surgery. I eat meat like

crazy only because I read a flyer given to me by Dr. Northrup's

office your body absorps animal iron better and faster than plant

iron. Also remember to take Vit C, Vit K, and B- vitamins with iron

supplement to assist your body in absorption.

If you have a good pharmacist near by - speak with them about dosage.

I finally did and was given some high dose iron tablets and good

advice. I hate to say what I use only because I was cautioned it is

very individual.

After the transfusion my level was 29. I'm attempting to bring it

up more through diet, as I've never yet found an iron supplement I can

tolerate (become completely constipated) I may try Floradix;

undecided at this point.

[Guest guest]

Thank you Mindy!

I simply don't know what my low iron level statistic was. This is

the first time a doctor has said my iron is low. That didn't happen

last year with the blood tests before the operation. I do have my

blood statistics for Spring last year, but I'm not up on the tech-

speak.

It didn't surprise me, my mother, or mother in law that I could get

anaemic as I have always been pale and washed out (tall & fair

colouring) and felt the cold. Actually I don't know if a low iron level

is the same as having anaemia.

The blood test was done to see if it would shed light on peculiar

cold shivering bouts I sometimes get (even in very warm

environments). I've read that anaemia sufferers can be prone to

the cold, but whether the two things are connected, I don't know.

Lots of women with fibroids must have anaemia and weird cold

shivering isn't a typical topic. (Except from me :-)

I may have been warmer since taking the iron, but it's hard to tell

as I have the heating on a lot!

Symptoms: I couldn't say for certain whether things are due to

iron deficiency or just the way I am. I think I may have been

slightly breathless last year and this year, but I may just be unfit

and anxious. I definitely have cold proneness. Concentration...it's

hard to say.

When I have these shivering bouts my heart rate seems to

change and I'm only interested in getting warm ASAP. I might

iron, hoover and have a hot drink to stave it off and if I didn't feel

up to that, just bury myself under a duvet or two wearing jumpers.

It might be linked to meals. It's a bit like descriptions of mountain

exposure where I get cold at the extremities and it feels

somehow different to normal cold weather coldness. I will start

to shiver (like twitching) until I start warming up.

should pretty much stay stable.>

I'm hoping that's the case and I'm a meat-eater and will eat most

things. Iron rich foods seem to be nice things.

The Iron Maiden

[Guest guest]

Hi

I don't really know how long it takes to build up iron levels. Since

I'm currently only using food sources, it'll probably take a long

time, but the symptoms aren't bothering me right now, so I'm not in a

hurry. Since you're taking a supplement, I'm sure the process will be

much faster for you. As long as you can tolerate them, go for it! -

the higher they are when you go into surgery, the better.

Good luck! -Mindy

> Mindy - Just curious how long it takes to build up? My levels are

> very low and I am three weeks away from surgery. I eat meat like

> crazy only because I read a flyer given to me by Dr. Northrup's

> office your body absorps animal iron better and faster than plant

> iron. Also remember to take Vit C, Vit K, and B- vitamins with iron

> supplement to assist your body in absorption.

>

> If you have a good pharmacist near by - speak with them about

dosage.

> I finally did and was given some high dose iron tablets and good

> advice. I hate to say what I use only because I was cautioned it is

> very individual.

[Guest guest]

You might want to have you thyroid checked as well. I read you

symptoms - I had very similar symptoms. I was freezing in very warm

weather, tired all the time. Turns out I have a hypothyroid.

Unfortunately, finding a good endocronoligist (sp) is probably worth

another list serve. ;-)

debbie

-- In uterinefibroids , " aztek002003 "

wrote:

> Thank you Mindy!

>

> I simply don't know what my low iron level statistic was. This is

> the first time a doctor has said my iron is low. That didn't happen

> last year with the blood tests before the operation. I do have my

> blood statistics for Spring last year, but I'm not up on the tech-

> speak.

>

> It didn't surprise me, my mother, or mother in law that I could get

> anaemic as I have always been pale and washed out (tall & fair

> colouring) and felt the cold. Actually I don't know if a low iron

level

> is the same as having anaemia.

>

> The blood test was done to see if it would shed light on peculiar

> cold shivering bouts I sometimes get (even in very warm

> environments). I've read that anaemia sufferers can be prone to

> the cold, but whether the two things are connected, I don't know.

> Lots of women with fibroids must have anaemia and weird cold

> shivering isn't a typical topic. (Except from me :-)

>

> I may have been warmer since taking the iron, but it's hard to tell

> as I have the heating on a lot!

>

> Symptoms: I couldn't say for certain whether things are due to

> iron deficiency or just the way I am. I think I may have been

> slightly breathless last year and this year, but I may just be

unfit

> and anxious. I definitely have cold proneness. Concentration...it's

> hard to say.

>

> When I have these shivering bouts my heart rate seems to

> change and I'm only interested in getting warm ASAP. I might

> iron, hoover and have a hot drink to stave it off and if I didn't

feel

> up to that, just bury myself under a duvet or two wearing jumpers.

> It might be linked to meals. It's a bit like descriptions of

mountain

> exposure where I get cold at the extremities and it feels

> somehow different to normal cold weather coldness. I will start

> to shiver (like twitching) until I start warming up.

>

>

> should pretty much stay stable.>

>

> I'm hoping that's the case and I'm a meat-eater and will eat most

> things. Iron rich foods seem to be nice things.

>

>

> The Iron Maiden

[Guest guest]

Mindy,

I was extremely anemic also before my surgery, and it turned out that by

the time of my surgery, I did not need a blood transfusion. For snacks,

try tried fruit such as raisin, tried apricots. If you are brave, liver

is the best source of iron. I learned to cook liver with plenty of

garlic and onion. No one in my family tried it though.

Jackie

[Guest guest]

Debbie

Thanks for that. I've been wondering about hypo-thyroid and

trying to look into it.

What did the doctors do? Are you on some treatment for it?

Incidentally, I noticed info and links relating to subjects like

thyroid and diabetes on the 'soul cysters' (A PCOS) site. That

may be of interest to some posters.

Az

> You might want to have you thyroid checked as well. I read you

> symptoms - I had very similar symptoms. I was freezing in very

warm

> weather, tired all the time. Turns out I have a hypothyroid.

> Unfortunately, finding a good endocronoligist (sp) is probably

worth

> another list serve. ;-)

>

> debbie