Therapy for iron deficiency

[Guest guest]

I was dx'd with iron deficiency anemia in early February. Given

ferrous sulfate 325 mg (containing 65 mg of elemental iron) and told

to take twice a day with orange juice, also a multivitamin, etc.

I've now been advised to take it three times a day, so my elemental

iron dosage would be 195 mg/day (or 975 mg of ferrous sulfate).

Someone recently told me they were prescribed Nifirex-150 four times

a day. I looked it up and from what I see it contains 150 mg of

elemental iron. That would make her daily dose 600 mg of elemental

iron.

Does anyone understand the different formulations? Why is Nifirex

all elemental iron and her dose so high, and my dosage ferrous sulate

(with a component of elemental iron) and dose apparently lower? Of

course we may have different iron needs, but this different?

I was out of anemic range less than a month after starting therapy,

but I remain iron deficient: ferritin rose from initial dx'd ferritin

of 6.8 to 14.4 in less than one month; over the course of the next

two months it slightly decreased to 13.0 (the normal range at my lab

for ferritin is 20-300).

Since ferritin=iron stores, does anyone know if having your blood

drawn while your are bleeding should influence the lab results in any

way? Also, if any of you are more informed about iron formulations

and my question above, I would appreciate that, too. Thanks!

Meg