Comparison of Iron Supplements for Gastric Bypass Patients

You may already know that gastric bypass patients need to take a number of vitamin and mineral supplements because they no longer absorb nutrients normally. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery recommends that menstruating women take 54-63 mg elemental iron daily and that others take 36 mg daily, unless their blood tests show they need more than that. According to the Mayo Clinic, those that fail to get sufficient iron may experience symptoms like severe fatigue, dizziness, restless leg syndrome, loss of appetite, headaches, inflammation of the tongue and a rapid heartbeat. Severe iron deficiency can lead to heart failure and death.

Celebrate Bariatric Supplements Iron + C Chewable

Celebrate Bariatric Supplements offers chewable iron supplements in three dosages: 18 mg, 30 mg and 60 mg. All supplements contain vitamin C to aid in the absorption of iron, although the amount of vitamin C may not be sufficient to make much difference in this regard; for instance, the 30 mg iron supplement only has 60 mg vitamin C. These supplements all contain ferrous fumerate as their source of iron.

Bariatric Advantage Chewable Iron

Bariatric Advantage also offers chewable iron supplements in three dosages: 18 mg, 29 mg and 60 mg. The 18 mg and 60 mg supplements contain carbonyl iron, which is known to be easily absorbed and gentle on the stomach; the 29 mg supplement contains a combination of ferrous fumerate and carbonyl iron. These supplements all contain low amounts of vitamin C; for instance, the 29 mg chewable tablet contains 60 mg vitamin C.

Sundown Perfect Iron

I like Sundown Perfect Iron myself because it's affordable, the tablets are small and easy to swallow, and it's carbonyl iron. Each tablet contains 25 mg iron. This supplement does not contain vitamin C so if you want to take some vitamin C to aid in the absorption of the iron, you'll need to purchase that separately. I take 500 mg vitamin C with 75 mg of this iron.

Feosol Carbonyl Iron

Feosol offers two types of iron supplements: carbonyl iron and ferrous sulfate. These are both tablets meant to be swallowed. I suggest the carbonyl because it's less likely to cause an upset stomach or constipation. Each tablet of Feosol carbonyl iron contains 45 mg iron; they contain no vitamin C, so that must be taken separately if you wish to increase the absorption of the iron.

Vitalady Tender Iron

Vitalady Tender Iron comes in 60 mg capsules. This supplement contains carbonyl iron and each capsule also contains 400 mg vitamin C, making it the only iron supplement I am aware of that actually contains enough vitamin C to aid in the absorption of the iron. The cost may be slightly higher than taking an equivalent amount of Sundown Perfect Iron and vitamin C, but you'll have fewer pills to take each day if you use Vitalady Tender Iron.

Sources:

Bariatric Nutrition. http://nutrition.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/file/0005/4784/BariatricNutritionReading.pdf. Suggestions for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient.

Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/iron-deficiency-anemia/DS00323/DSECTION=symptoms. Iron Deficiency Anemia Symptoms.

Celebrate Bariatric Supplements. https://www.celebratevitamins.com/shop/iron/iron-c-chewable.html. Iron + C Chewable.

Bariatric Advantage. https://www1.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/list/3/Iron. Iron.

Sundown Naturals. https://www.sundownnaturals.com/energy-metabolism/044719. Perfect Iron.

Feosol. http://feosol.com/about.php?i=3. Which Feosol is Right for You?

Vitalady. http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=1330X400. Vitalady Tender Iron (60 mg) with Vitamin C (400 mg) Capsules.