You may tire easily. You also may feel grumpy, have headaches, and have trouble concentrating. Most people begin to feel normal after a few weeks of taking iron pills. But you need to take the pills for several months to build up the iron supply in your body.
Oral iron supplements usually start working in about 3 to 7 days. But your hemoglobin levels could take up to 2 months to return to normal. Common side effects of iron include constipation, nausea, and stomach pain.
It can take 2-3 weeks of taking iron supplements before a noticeable difference is felt. Depending on your current iron levels, it may take up to 90 days to feel an increase in your energy. You may need to continue supplementing your dietary intake of iron to meet your body's daily iron needs.
The best way to determine whether iron pills are working is to check your ferritin levels via a blood test. A ferritin test will show how much iron your body stores.
While there's little scientific evidence backing this claim up, weight gain from iron pills does happen 6. One study found that individuals with iron deficiency anemia complained of weight gain during their treatment, even though oral preparations of iron aren't known to cause weight gain as a side effect.
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. You should wait at least 2 hours after having these foods before taking your iron supplements.
You may tire easily. You also may feel grumpy, have headaches, and have trouble concentrating. Most people begin to feel normal after a few weeks of taking iron pills. But you need to take the pills for several months to build up the iron supply in your body.
According to a specialist, you should take iron early in the morning to have a good effect, because at this time the body has just undergone a long sleep and this period is when the calcium and iron levels in the body are at a low level. best. Therefore, every day taking iron in the morning is what experts recommend.
Taking iron tablets can turn the stool a dark, almost black color (actually dark green). This is normal, and does not mean that the iron tablets are causing GI bleeding. Children are at particular risk of iron poisoning (overdose), making it very important to store iron tablets out of the reach of children.
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.
Although in vitro studies show that iron absorption can be inhibited by magnesium laxatives such as magnesium oxide, taking oral iron supplements with magnesium laxatives is not considered a clinical problem.
Iron stains on teeth can usually be removed by brushing with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or medicinal peroxide (hydrogen peroxide 3%).
Extrinsic discoloration that has been associated with iron salts in liquid form is thought to result from a chemical interaction between hydrogen sulfide producing micro-flora and iron. Through morphological studies, black extrinsic tooth stain has been determined to be a form of bacterial plaque.
To reduce the risk of reflux, the person should not lie down for 30 to 60 minutes after taking the iron supplement.
Common iron supplement side effects include constipation, diarrhea, dark stools, and a metallic taste in your mouth.
Specifically, iron plays an important role in how your body makes the neurotransmitters called serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine – all of them important in mental health. Research suggests a connection between low iron levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, Levin and Gattari write.
In this case, you can take iron supplements with food or immediately after eating your meal. Taking the supplement before bedtime also ensures increased iron absorption, as your stomach will most likely empty before bedtime. Eating your meal at least two hours earlier before sleep would help increase iron absorption.
The signs that iron pills are working vary from person to person. Some people may notice an improvement in energy and other anemia symptoms. People without noticeable anemia symptoms may see little change. People often begin responding to iron pills within 2 weeks .
No extensive studies have been done on whether iron supplementation can cause insomnia, but there is evidence to support the link between supplementing with iron and enjoying increased sleep.
Another reason why you might be feeling worse after taking iron supplements is that you might have chosen the wrong one. Certain kinds of iron, such as heme-iron polypeptide (HIP) are better suited for those who have difficulty digesting regular kinds of iron like ferrous sulfate or ferrous gluconate.
In general, patients with iron deficient anemia should manifest a response to iron with reticulocytosis in three to seven days, followed by an increase in hemoglobin in 2-4 weeks.
Iron supplements can cause side effects, usually stomach upset such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dark stools, or constipation. Pregnant women are especially susceptible to constipation. Adding extra fiber to your diet can help relieve this symptom.
They found that magnesium oxide can impair iron absorption by decreasing the pH and forming macromolecular polymers. But where interaction between other forms of magnesium and iron is concerned, there's little evidence suggesting it's unsafe or shouldn't be supplemented together.