Should I be taking iron tablets?

I lose so much blood every day, much more than when I had my period, so I am wondering if I should go on iron and how much?

Hi Joylu. Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear you're bleeding so much. When I was first diagnosed I was bleeding heavily...sometimes just seeing lots of blood come out and no stool like you. I thought for sure my iron levels would be low, but surprisingly they were normal.

I would call your doctor and tell them your situation before you start taking iron supplements. They can do a simple blood test to check your iron levels and then instruct you how much, if any, iron you should take daily. How long were you on the Asacol? Sometimes it can take several weeks to kick in. Have you tried rectal meds at all? Definitely call your doctor and let him/her know what's going on. Hope you feel better soon.

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24 years old
Diagnosed with UC March 2007; yet to go into remission
Asacol 4 tablets 3x/day

I would suggest getting a colonoscopy and check for UC. If so then get on the good ol Prednisone to reduce the inflammation. Could also be a bad case of inflammed hemorrhoids. Also if you have UC then i suggest probiotics, they have helped me with my UC tremendously. But really should let the doctor diagnose your symptoms before acting on it.

 

 

 

Post Edited (Bmshurt) : 2/7/2008 5:43:25 PM (GMT-7)

Sorry...I forgot to mention, I had a colonoscopy,(get them every 3 years due to colon cancer running my my family) and have been on asacol for over a year. I have had the suppositories, and enemas.
I refuse to go on pred, because my life isn't on hold due to this,(yet) and from what I saw my neighbor go through on Pred, I would have to get much much worse to go on that horrible med.
She cried all the time.

Joylu - There are other options besides going on pred. There are other 5-ASA meds, like Lialda and Colazal (sp?) that some people react better to than Asacol. There are also steroid liquid and foam enemas, where a very low percent of the steroid is absorbed into your system, thus less (or no) side effects. There are other meds, too. Please talk to you doctor about this. You don't have to suffer like this and lose so much blood. When were you diagnosed?

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24 years old
Diagnosed with UC March 2007; yet to go into remission
Asacol 4 tablets 3x/day

Iron therapy is the best thing I've ever done for my UC. I know that it has no direct effect on UC but by getting my iron levels back to normal it allowed my body to complete the healing process more quickly. I was in remission from UC for 3 months but I had no iron left to build myself up and was pretty weak. I've been on iron therpay for 2 months now and I've seen a dramatic improvement in energy, appetite, health etc. I feel great.

D

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800 mg Asacol a day