Anemia and Iron Supplements

[mustangsally65]

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Does anyone else suffer from anemia? I have for about three years off and on, and it is such a pain. I take iron supplements once a month for about a week, but hate feeling so run down and also minor stuff like having my tongue swell up.

Which foods have a lot of iron in them? I've never been told by my doctor which foods to eat, but I'm a picky eater and am not a big fan of meat.

For those of you who have also had anemia, what do you do to have more energy? I am not trying to substitute for a doctor visit, and I know that advice on internet forums isn't medical advice. I'm just wondering if anyone has any success stories. Thanks!

 

[DrBuzzLightYear]

is there any particular reason you don't like taking supplements?

 

[mustangsally65]

Yeah, I guess. It's just another pill I have to swallow every day, and I worry about getting too much iron from a supplement. Also, some of the supplements I've taken are hard on your stomach. They're also extra money I have to factor into the budget, whereas if I could get most of the iron I need from my diet when I'm eating anyway, then I'd save some money. But mostly, I hate taking pills and take several every day anyway, and don't want to be dependent on pills for the rest of my life!

I know that's probably being too dramatic, but it's bad enough being at the mercy of your hormones from BCPs, especially when it's added in with being worn out.

As an aside, I hate that I can't ever give blood anymore. I feel so useless!

Thanks for your reply, by the way, Buzz.

 

[DrBuzzLightYear]

I worry about getting too much iron from a supplement.

i know there's a psychological component to medicine, and i can understand if that makes you cringe at taking pills. but on a biochemical level, its just iron in, iron out. Fe++ is Fe++ is Fe++. From a steak, from a pill, from a leafy green, when that atom gets in touch with its tranporter, it doesn't know where it came from.

They're also extra money I have to factor into the budget, whereas if I could get most of the iron I need from my diet when I'm eating anyway, then I'd save some money.

that may not be so cut and dry, as with many nutritional issues, the cost of buying meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, is often prohibitive. pound for pound meat is your best bet for iron, and it usually doesnt come cheap.

but it's bad enough being at the mercy of your hormones from BCPs, especially when it's added in with being worn out.

since you're mentioning that you're on OCPs... or as you call them, "BCPs"... how often are you taking the placebos? (ie, how often are you menstruating?) theres several things to consider with that. first off, are you in fact taking the placebo-pills? sometimes manufacturers include iron in the placebos, anticipating iron loss through menstruation (that may save you a pill). second, if you're getting your period every month, maybe you could give yourself a break and just get it every three months (don't take the placebos, just move on to the next pack). if you're chronically anemic you could certainly do without the monthly blood lettings.

lastly, you've had blood test to confirm that you're anemic?? they're lots of reasons to be fatigued, hopefully you havent just self diagnosed.

hope this helped

 

[mustangsally65]

since you're mentioning that you're on OCPs how often are you taking the placebos? (ie, how often are you menstruating?) theres several things to consider with that. first off, are you in fact taking the placebo-pills? sometimes manufacturers include iron in the placebos, anticipating iron loss through menstruation (that may save you a pill). second, if you're getting your period every month, maybe you could give yourself a break and just get it every three months (don't take the placebos, just move on to the next pack). if you're chronically anemic you could certainly do without the monthly blood lettings.

lastly, you've had blood test to confirm that you're anemic?? they're lots of reasons to be fatigued, hopefully you havent just self diagnosed.

hope this helped

I'm taking Micronor, which is progestin only, and is the same dose for all 4 weeks. No placebos. Usually I menstruate every month, but sometimes it's every two months, and once I went for three. I used to take both estrogen and progestin combo pills, but was switched about a year and a half ago to prevent estrogen-induced migraines. I am on OCPs for a tentative diagnosis of endometriosis (since 02), but haven't had a lap yet to confirm.

And yes, I have had several blood tests over the years where I've been diagnosed as anemic by my doc. My doc told me once that I have "**** for genes," and I basically see her a lot for many chronic problems. Haven't had a blood test in the past year or so, though.

Thanks for your info!

 

[oldbearprofessor]

I'm taking Micronor, which is progestin only, and is the same dose for all 4 weeks. No placebos. Usually I menstruate every month, but sometimes it's every two months, and once I went for three. I used to take both estrogen and progestin combo pills, but was switched about a year and a half ago to prevent estrogen-induced migraines. I am on OCPs for a tentative diagnosis of endometriosis (since 02), but haven't had a lap yet to confirm.

And yes, I have had several blood tests over the years where I've been diagnosed as anemic by my doc. My doc told me once that I have "**** for genes," and I basically see her a lot for many chronic problems. Haven't had a blood test in the past year or so, though.

Thanks for your info!

I hate to wander too far from my usual pedi side of the world, but saw the title of the thread and wanted to comment from a nutritional perspective.

For those who have problems tolerating iron supplements, there are several alternative approaches.

1. Take your iron supplement every week (or twice a week) rather than daily or one week/month. This is because iron absorption regulation is such that this method allows for iron receptors in the gut to be optimized with the least overall iron dose. This approach is better for prevention of anemia than treatment, but can be helpful. Viteri FE, J Nutr 1999;129:2013-20 will get you started on this topic.

2. Make sure your ascorbic acid intake is at least 50 mg/d. Take a careful look at any table of enhancers and inhibitors of iron absorption - these can make a huge difference.

3. Consider using a heme iron supplement (Proferrin) as this is potentially better absorbed. This is more expensive, but the difference in absorption may also be considerable and worth the cost. Alternately, increase your intake of red meat. Heme iron is absorbed via a different mechanism than hon-heme iron and therefore you can benefit from increased heme iron while taking an iron supplement.

Regards

OBP

 

[DrBuzzLightYear]

Usually I menstruate every month, but sometimes it's every two months, and once I went for three. I am on OCPs for a tentative diagnosis of endometriosis (since 02), but haven't had a lap yet to confirm.

if you're taking OCPs for endometriosis, and you know you can tolerate skipping placebos, then you should really consider regularly going three months w/o menstruating. in terms of your anemia, and in terms of your future fertility, the less you menstruate the better. endometriosis is a huge cause of infertility, and if you already know that you have it, the less often you menstruate the better.

as for nutrition, it sounds like oldbearprofessor has some good things to say

 

[DrMom]

Buzz-

You don't have that kind of control with Micronor. There are no placebo pills. You just have a period when you have a period.

 

[DrBuzzLightYear]

Buzz-

You don't have that kind of control with Micronor. There are no placebo pills. You just have a period when you have a period.

i thought that she was saying that she was stopping every 28 days to get a period, which didnt make sense to me. all the better if she's just moving on the next pack

 

[mustangsally65]

i thought that she was saying that she was stopping every 28 days to get a period, which didnt make sense to me. all the better if she's just moving on the next pack

No, it's kind of weird. I take the same dose of the same hormone every single day, and never take placebo pills. It's just random when you get a period. Everyone responds differently to Micronor, like some people have break through bleeding a lot or spotting, while others have no periods at all, and some get on their own particular schedules. In the wintertime I'm about every 4-5 weeks, but in the summers I've noticed that sometimes I"ll skip a month or two. But even before I was on OCPs I was pretty regular, so that might have something to do with it.

I have heard that about fertility, and probably should investigate something like Seasonale, but I don't want to get back on the estrogen, because it gives me migraines, probably because you're on different doses/the same dose of hormones, and then stop abruptly for placebos. I was on the patch before I switched to the progestin only pills, but my migraines got worse the longer I was on it, so my doc tried out the Micronor, and it's worked fairly well for me.

Note that I am not currently using the pills for contraception, so it doesn't really matter to me which form I use.

This has changed a lot from the anemia question, hasn't it? 😉 I really appreciate the discussion, though. Probably gonna get a diag laparoscopy done sometime this fall, and will go from there with what hormones I'm taking. Thanks, you guys!

One more question: is anemia common among those with possible endometriosis? I'm not exactly thin like most people who become anemic.