Why can't I absorb iron?!
Question: I've been on iron therapy for around 5-6 years. My dose has steadily increased to around 585mg daily. That's 9 (65mg) pills a day of Ferrous Sulfate and it's still not enough. I take it with orange juice (for the vitamin C). I eat plenty of lean red meats and dark greens. Maybe I should start cooking my foods in an iron skillet. What else can I do?
Answers: I've been on iron therapy for around 5-6 years. My dose has steadily increased to around 585mg daily. That's 9 (65mg) pills a day of Ferrous Sulfate and it's still not enough. I take it with orange juice (for the vitamin C). I eat plenty of lean red meats and dark greens. Maybe I should start cooking my foods in an iron skillet. What else can I do?
Perhaps you have a condition where you are losing iron. Your MD should order the tests to find out exactly what is going on.
Only after extreme blood loss or other conditions in which blood transfusions were never given and loss of ferritin (iron stores in bone marrow) does anemia take a long time to replace via supplements. And yes, under these circumstances it's almost ridiculous. I do believe transfusions should be given when medically indicated for anyone losing 1.5-2 pints of blood. Then follow up with supplemental iron.
try a nutritionist. try eating raw veggies you get more nutrients that way.
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Book...
Here is a web page with several suggestions, such as switching to ferrous gluconate, drinking orange juice with your supplement (supposed to double the absorption rate)..and apparently only cooking foods high in acidity will get extra iron from a skillet (like tomato sauce)
The problem may not be iron at all.
If you're not anemic don't worry.
If you're you need studies on RBC's to see why you'd be anemic.
Be careful! You can get overloaded with iron: Hemochromatosis.