iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

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gsurpur
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Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:35 pm

iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by gsurpur »

Is it a good idea to take iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day , Nature Made brand ones.
I have RLS symptoms..

Rustsmith
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Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by Rustsmith »

gsurpur, welcome to the board.

It is possible to take too much iron and 65mg 3 times a day is quite a bit.

Do you know what your ferritin levels are? If not, you should talk with your doctor about getting it checked. Ferritin is not part of a normal blood test, your doctor has to request it specifically.

As for the iron tablets, I can only tell you that my ferritin levels were initially low. I took 65 mg two times a day with a vitamin C and on an empty stomach. My ferritin went from 40 to over 300 in six months. I now take one tablet a day and am maintaining between 150 and 200.

However, others do not find that they can increase the ferritin levels very much by taking iron pills.

As you will see as you look around, we are all quite different. What works well for some will be completely ineffective for others.
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

ViewsAskew
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Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by ViewsAskew »

Agree with Steve - do not take iron until you have your blood tests. The RLS Foundation recommends both a regular hemoglobin test as well as a serum ferritin. While many of us are deficient, some of us are not and taking excess iron can hurt a person. If it is low - and you already know it's low - 3 times a day is what is recommended by most RLS/WED specialists. As Steve mentioned - it doesn't mean it will automatically help, however, even if it is low.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

figflower

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by figflower »

Mr. G. Did you get relief from the iron? Are you taking any other meds for the RLS?

gsurpur
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Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:35 pm

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by gsurpur »

Yes I get complete relief from Iron, I am not taking any medicines for RLS.

figflower

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by figflower »

Thank you for your answer. I have one more question. Did the iron take a day or a week or a month(s) to stop your RLS?

gsurpur
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:35 pm

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by gsurpur »

Just after 20-30 min after taking iron pill my RLS symptoms disappeared..

figflower

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by figflower »

Nice to meet you by the way. I know lots of people who are helped by iron but you are one of the few, like myself, that get's relief basically instantly (45 to 60 minutes for me) with iron. Unlike you, however, the only type of iron that does the trick for me is iron bis-glycinate. I ran out one time and ended up with ferrous sulfate but it did not seem to do the trick. Plus I have to take the iron on an empty stomach. Finally, since my RLS is intermittent, I take the iron only as needed. I read that if your iron stores get too high your body won't let any be absorbed from the GI tract. My stores are around 100 and I do not want them going any higher because I always want that iron to be absorbed when I am having an attack. Do you find it strange that the RLS brain can't get seem to get the iron it needs from the bodily stores, that we have to take oral iron to relax our legs? Anyways, always glad to hear a success story!!!

gsurpur
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Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:35 pm

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by gsurpur »

Nice to hear from you, what is iron bis-glycinate..I do not know. Is that available over the counter? How much iron do you take everyday? I am vegetarian, no meat. Hence iron is less absorbed by my body.
It's very helpful to discuss these issues with you.

figflower

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by figflower »

Yes, it is available over the counter in US and usually called by the name of Easy Iron or Gentle Iron. It is supposedly already broken down so very easy for your body to absorb. I do not take iron everyday only when the RLS is bothering me, which is really only at night, maybe once a week. Were you anemic? Is that why you started the iron?

gsurpur
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Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by gsurpur »

I was anemic before, not right now. I have to take iron pill to maintain my iron levels.

ViewsAskew
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Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by ViewsAskew »

Anemia is a common cause of secondary RLS/WED. It makes sense that, because you are anemic, it would help you in a way it might not help others.

Figflower, you know your serum ferritin - have you ever been anemic? I just realized that my SIL has had issues with anemia - that could be why it works for her, too. My hemoglobin is always on the high side - never low. Could be why taking iron never helped me immediately.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

figflower

Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by figflower »

All true, except if you have RLS, are diagnosed with anemia, and then get relief from RLS with that very first iron pill. You're still anemic yet the RLS is gone, albeit temporarily, with that very first iron pill. I bet by now your SIL is no longer anemic but still gets attacks of RLS? To which one iron pill helps...until her next attack. I think at one point my iron stores were below normal (but not anemic) and my RLS was non-existent at that point. It was only when I was taking the RLS unfriendly substances that it became hideous. The vast majority of people with anemia will never develop symptoms of RLS. It seems it is only those genetically pre-disposed to RLS that will develop symptoms when they become anemic. And even after they get over their anemia, there may be other triggers. I believe that even after his anemia is gone, if something else happens to trigger Gsur's RLS, iron will help him, but will not cure him. This goes back to my disbelief in primary and secondary RLS. I do not think that Gsurpur will ever be cured of his genetic predisposition toward RLS. Once his anemia is gone he may never encounter another triggering event but I have known one too many people with RLS who found out they had anemia, took iron, thought they were cured of anemia and RLS, only to have the RLS return.

ViewsAskew
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Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by ViewsAskew »

I think about 30% of people with anemia get RLS. It's considered secondary, not primary. I know it's about 35% for celiacs who have active celiac, but goes down to normal percentages (5 to 10%) when the celiac is treated. It's about 80% for people with kidney failure.

I think you're right in that there must be a genetic proclivity - otherwise all people who are anemic would have it. But, there is a difference in that people with secondary always get better when their primary condition - anemia in this case - is better. The RLS/WED may be a signal from your body that your iron stores are starting to deplete. But, my guess is that if you took a test at that time, your iron would be lower than the minimum needed to keep you RLS/WED-free.

My SIL hasn't had any RLS/WED in ages. Years, really. She started taking iron daily. One tab, IIRC. She isn't anemic any longer. It was prior to taking it regularly that she would notice she could take it and it would stop the symptoms within a short period.

For me, that isn't the case. There isn't anything I can do that makes my symptoms stop. I have them every day. I've had the PLMs every night almost my whole life.
My best guess is that there are different genes that cause different "types" of RLS/WED/PLMs - we know there are 5 or 6. We know one of them is specifically related to PLMs. We also know that the more copies of these genes you have, the worse your symptoms are. So, maybe people with primary have, say a minimum of 3 of those genes and they get expressed no matter what else happens. But, people with secondary may have only 1 of them - and it's only when certain conditions are met that it's expressed. I'm speculating, clearly! But there definitely is a difference between them.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

debbluebird
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Re: iron of 65mg tablets 3 times a day is good or not?

Post by debbluebird »

My doctor has me taking ferrous sulfate, 325 mg. 65 mg elemental iron is equivalent to 325 mg of ferrous sulfate. So I take one tablet daily. He said taking more would not be absorbed. Plus like everyone said you need blood tests periodically to check levels.

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