So I'm anemic

[Monterey Jack]

Iron sulfate tablets three times a day "forever" according to the doc.

[Mental_Mouse]

Hey, if that fixes it, you're getting off easy. Some kinds of anemia can be pretty nasty, or a symptom of something worse.

[csquared]

If it is a choice between iron Sulfate tablets or liver, I'll add the tablets to the 10 other pills I am taking. Although, it looks like liver is no longer the preferred choice any more (per my Google-fu). I also see several recommendation for taking your pill with orange juice. Did you doctor mention that?

I am not a fan of taking pills for everything (I'm trying to get off of the 10 that I am currently taking). Read up. Ask questions of your doctor. Change your diet. If your blood work starts coming back better, maybe you can reduce or eliminate the pills.

Hope you feel better and good luck!

[Luna Baby]

As Csquared mentioned (the orange juice), vitamin C helps to absorb the iron in the tablets. When I was trying to build up my levels to donate blood, I took a vitamin C gummy alongside my iron tablet.

[Monterey Jack]

I take a vitamin C tablet every morning before I hop in the shower.

[PastryGal]

My doc also recommends taking them at night before bed. He said some people have tummy trouble taking them and taking them before sleeping means any irritation happens while sleeping and is usually unnoticed. I'm taking mine starting soon, only 1 a day though.

[Cia]

I take one pill twice a week to keep my iron levels up. My daughter was so anemic more than once that she was taking three iron pills a day plus a multi-vitamin w/ iron.

[dalesys]

Reminder: Chew the nails before spitting them.

[ladyjaneinmd]

I've been anemic for pretty much my whole life. Recently it got so bad, and the current iron pills weren't working, so I took my medical insurance in hand and went to a hematologist to find out what the heck was going on. He put me on another type of iron pill (oddly, only offered on amazon.com), and told me to take folic acid as well, and that seems to have dragged my iron levels up to above the danger level, although not quite high enough to donate blood. I feel better, at least.
I did learn, though, that calcium and iron pills do not play well together, so I take the calcium in the morning and the iron in the evenings, along with my other meds.
Ferrex 150. I highly recommend it. I take 2 a day.

[Blue Ginger]

I feel your pain. I was borderline anemic for about 3 years. I was taking high doses of iron tablets every day and levels would go up until the next month when levels would go way down again. (Funny how that works, still can't get fixed though. But that's a whole other rant and probably not relevant to you.)

A work colleague had similar issues and she found having at least a teaspoon of Spirulina powder in her fruit/veg juice helped. It is also available in capsules now. I have a teaspoon of Spirulina and a teaspoon of Cacao in my banana/berry smoothies nearly everyday. On the days I don't, I take a pharmacy grade iron tablet that includes vitamin C. I finally feel like I have energy and my iron levels are also sloooooooooowwwwlllllyyyy climbing.

But whatever you do, don't put the powder in orange juice. It tastes like dried mixed herbs and dirt if you do. Trust me, just don't do it. The tablets are fine to mix with OJ though.

[Monterey Jack]

The fact that I've been seeing blood in the bowl for the last week probably isn't helping. It's been happening to me off-and-on for the last 20 years, but it's never lasted this long, and I'm getting really sick of it.

[csquared]

Most likely hemorrhoids. However, you should get it checked out. If you are over 50, get your colonoscopy.

[Monterey Jack]

I had a colonoscopy done earlier this year (twice, because the first time my insides were so unexpectedly twisted they couldn't get down deep enough, so I had to go in a second time and be more heavily-sedated ), and, aside from a handful of polyps they removed, nothing alarming was discovered, and they said I didn't need another one for five years.

It's just frustrating, especially coming off a period where I had gone the better part of a month with easy bowel movements and no blood. It always happens when some combinations of foods makes me have to strain too much, or go too many times in less than 24 hours. It's always eventually gone back to normal, but it's still disturbing.

[Blue Ginger]

Sounds like it is time to keep a food and poop diary. Then hopefully you can start eliminating the food/s that are causing pooping issues.

Maybe also try a low dose of laxative each day or when you eat the 'naughty' foods that cause the most issues? Dried fruit can also help and I don't mean just prunes. Dried apricots, apples and pears can have a similar effect and taste better to me.

For example, you know that Food A, that you love, can cause issues the next day. So eat Food A, then for dessert eat some dried fruit. Or snack on the dried fruit during the day, then eat Food A for dinner. The dried fruit will hopefully help your body digest Food A without causing the usual issues.

And even if you do decide to try this, still do a food/poop diary. You might find that just changing around a few things will help or you might discover that something else is causing the issues.

[Blue Ginger]

Just had a thought as I hit post. When my doc told me to start taking high doses of iron tablets, she did warn me that they can bind some people up causing issues when pooping. I've not had that problem, but it might be what has affecting you since you starting taking the iron tablets.