Yet, iron supplements can cause stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea in some people. You may need to take iron with a small amount of food to avoid this problem. Milk, calcium and antacids should not be taken at the same time as iron supplements.
In healthy people, taking high doses of iron supplements (especially on an empty stomach) can cause an upset stomach, constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Large amounts of iron might also cause more serious effects, including inflammation of the stomach lining and ulcers.
A: Iron is hard on the digestive tract. Constipation is the most common side effect, but iron supplements can also cause nausea, indigestion, gas and bloating.
Weight gain related to iron therapy is a common problem in female patients with iron deficiency anemia. Patients under iron therapy should be counseled in terms of weight gain complication and benefits of diet and followed up serum ferritin and Hgb levels to prevent prolonged iron therapy.
It can cause side effects such as stomach upset, nausea, and vomiting. Taking iron supplements with food seems to reduce side effects. But food can also reduce how well the body absorbs iron.
Excess iron is stored in your organs, especially your liver, heart and pancreas. Too much iron can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as liver disease, heart problems and diabetes.
Iron overload induces organ damage in liver, heart, pancreas, thyroid, and the central nervous system. The main cause of this organ damage is due to the overproduction of ROS in the presence of excess iron.
You may also find that low iron causes weight gain. There are a couple of reasons for this; firstly, your energy levels are low and so your exercise levels reduce; secondly, iron is essential for thyroid function, and an underactive thyroid will lead to weight gain.
Hemochromatosis may cause belly pain, weakness, tiredness, and weight loss. It also can scar the liver, cause joint pain, and darken the skin. In late stages, it can damage the heart and joints, and can cause diabetes.
However, iron tablets can upset your stomach, causing either constipation or diarrhoea, indigestion or stomach pain. If you experience these side effects, try taking your iron tablets with or after meals. You can also try taking them every other day.
Common side effects of oral iron supplementation include constipation, dark stools, and gastrointestinal irritation, often in the form of nausea. Iron pill gastritis is a documented complication of iron supplementation, but is rarely encountered. Recently, however, the topic has been garnering increasing attention.
Some signs that iron pills are working for iron deficiency anemia include increased energy, less weakness, and less shortness of breath or dizziness. However, since iron deficiency anemia does not always cause symptoms, people may not display any clear signs that iron pills are or are not working.
Poor quality supplements, nutrient interactions, and a loss of appetite are all potential side effects of taking iron supplements that can make you feel worse rather than better.
Iron pills can change the color of your stool to a greenish or grayish black. This is normal, but because internal bleeding can also cause dark stool, be sure to mention any color changes to your doctor.
The other thing is that iron deficient patients, especially those who are anemic, they often retain fluid. So anemia causes fluid retention. It's a big problem in patients with heart problems or kidney problems because they retain more fluid than would otherwise.
One of the main ways iron deficiency depletes energy is by affecting the thyroid gland. Your thyroid governs your body's metabolic processes, so when it isn't working properly, your metabolism rate falls, severely hampering weight loss efforts.
Low iron means low energy, potentially leading to burning fewer calories and therefore forcing you to continue to lower your calorie intake to lose weight. That would be the primary way low iron effects fat/weight loss.
As we've mentioned, low iron can impact your thyroid hormone and metabolism, so when you start absorbing more iron, these processes improve and your body's ability to burn calories will resume.
The body needs iron for healthy growth, development, and metabolism. Iron is also vital for correct cell functioning and the creation of some hormones.
Iron is an essential element for almost all living organisms as it participates in a wide variety of metabolic processes, including oxygen transport, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, and electron transport.
– It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of taking regular iron supplements before your symptoms start to improve. – You may need to keep taking iron for several months to build up your iron reserves and keep your anemia from returning. Take your pills for as long as your doctor recommends, even if your symptoms have improved.
Complications of iron overload include liver damage, liver cirrhosis, pancreatic islet cell damage, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and hypogonadism.
Abstract. Iron deficiency impairs skeletal muscle metabolism. The underlying mechanisms are incompletely characterised, but animal and human experiments suggest the involvement of signalling pathways co-dependent upon oxygen and iron availability, including the pathway associated with hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF).