Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

I have been taking 325 mg ferrous sulfate (65 mg iron) supplement for a few years now under a doctor's supervision. I always took it just before bed on an empty stomach with 500 mg vitamin C to acidify the stomach and allow better iron absorption. As expected, my stool has always been dark (tarry looking).

Three weeks ago I switched to taking the two supplements with my breakfast. My stool is now a normal color.

This seem strange to me. Does anyone know why this happened?

Is is the same supplement?

I found that when I switched to a supplement that was better absorbed, I noticed that I didn't see so much of the iron coming out the other end, so to speak.

Chipmunk wrote:Is is the same supplement?

I found that when I switched to a supplement that was better absorbed, I noticed that I didn't see so much of the iron coming out the other end, so to speak.

That makes sense - if you absorb it, less will pass through.

I think I've had mine change based on when I took them and what I took them with. Taking them with an acid, such as orange juice and on an empty stomach helps increase absorption. Could it be you've changed how you are taking them?

" Could it be you've changed how you are taking them?"

What??? I did explain in the OP that I changed how I am taking them. Read it.

"Is is the same supplement?"

I guess you have to ask the obvious. Yes, it is the same supplement. If I had switched to a different supplement, I certainly would have first suspected the supplement change and asked about that.

But thanks anyway for the replies.

T Zone wrote:" Could it be you've changed how you are taking them?"

What??? I did explain in the OP that I changed how I am taking them. Read it.

"Is is the same supplement?"

I guess you have to ask the obvious. Yes, it is the same supplement. If I had switched to a different supplement, I certainly would have first suspected the supplement change and asked about that.

But thanks anyway for the replies.

Yes, you have to ask the obvious. We can't know what you'd ask, say, or not include. And, we're all sleep deprived, so we don't always comprehend things as well as we'd like to. Mostly? Communication is hard stuff, lol! I didn't understand from your post if you changed the vitamin C part - I got the amount and time of day part.

I didn't understand from your post if you changed the vitamin C part - I got the amount and time of day part.

This was in the OP:

I switched to taking the two supplements with my breakfast.

"The two supplements" meaning iron and vit C.

T Zone, you might want to take a look at the information at this website:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/275693-does-taking-iron-supplements-turn-your-stool-black/

They indicate that the return to normal color is an indicator that the iron is not getting adsorbed. This would probably be a result of the change from taking the iron on an empty stomach to taking it with breakfast. The recommendations for iron generally call for it to be taken on an empty stomach unless it causes too much stomach upset.

Rustsmith wrote:T Zone, you might want to take a look at the information at this website:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/275693-does-taking-iron-supplements-turn-your-stool-black/

They indicate that the return to normal color is an indicator that the iron is not getting adsorbed. This would probably be a result of the change from taking the iron on an empty stomach to taking it with breakfast. The recommendations for iron generally call for it to be taken on an empty stomach unless it causes too much stomach upset.

Thank you Rustsmith!

That might be what is happening. Taking it with a meal is blocking the absorption.

I was concerned not only because the stool returned to a normal color, but also because I had begun to have some leg pain. My RLS was accompanied by bad leg pain when my iron was low.

I will switch today to my previous practice of supplementing on an empty stomach at bedtime.

Rust knows his iron?

T Zone wrote:

I didn't understand from your post if you changed the vitamin C part - I got the amount and time of day part.

This was in the OP:

I switched to taking the two supplements with my breakfast.

"The two supplements" meaning iron and vit C.

I'm chuckling - that wasn't clear to me. .

I took that to mean he wanted you to take TWO iron supplements in the morning. Now, you can think whatever you want....but I hope that you think, "Wow, communication can be hard and I, too, can sometimes not be as clear as I meant to be."

"I took that to mean he wanted you to take TWO iron supplements in the morning."

You conveniently overlooked that I used the article "the" before "two supplements". Articles do matter in the English language.

But I think Rustsmith has nicely put me on the right track.

At least one of us understood what you said.

Clearly, not what you thought, T Zone. Glad you found your answer, though, and hope that you are more generous in the future with the rest of us less-than-perfect extremely tired, sometimes cranky (as I am now) sleep-deprived souls.