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Iron Supplements

JulieB71JulieB71Member
Does anyone have knowledge of or experience with iron supplements encouraging infections, especially in the gut?? I have only had two occurrences of pouchitis since takedown. The most recent one came on about 2-3 weeks after starting high dose iron supplements prescribed by my doctor. The Flagyl took care of the pouchitis initially but after a week off of antibiotic the pouchitis returned. The entire time I had continued taking the iron supplement. I started a second round of Flagyl at a higher dose but seemed to not quite be doing the trick five days in. About that time I ran across information in the book Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet that stated not to take iron supplements as it encourages infection especially in the gut. So I stopped taking the iron and so far 4 days post antibiotics I am feeling good.
I have also started following the SCD Diet and am feeling good. The only thing I have noticed is my bowel movements are almost pure liquid. So far frequency seems to have improved and pouch seems less sensitive to urgency but I am concerned about the consistency of bowel movement. Should I be?? Has anyone else had this issue with the SCD Diet??
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R Rebe0505Member
interested because i have been on iron supplements for a few months now for different issue and it has not caused any issues for me or cause pouchitis..and interesting breaking vicious cycle recommends not taking it i am on low carb diet as per scd...

maybe it is certain foods within scd..that cause your looser b.ms..i know that too much almond flour will cause issues for me or too much honey or too much almond butter and so on..review diet see if you are eating anything in excess or too often...might be your problem..not sure its anything to worry about if overall you are better but be more observant of what on diet you eat..just because its there does not mean it might not cause you loose bms or gas etc..
R Rebe0505Member
holy moly maybe there is something to the connection between iron supplements and pouchitis after all..i may stand corrected!!

i just realized i have indeed had some set backs in my success with dcd diet..first three months worked great but since then i keep having breakdowns from time to time and they have been getting more frequently with me popping an antibiotic..hubby noted it has gotten more frequent and he is right..i just thought it something i am eating but i only made a day before i had an incident now actually pretty unhinging..took vicodin for pain this morning plus antibiotic and started to feel dizzy there after..before i knew it i passed out in my hubbys office..banged head on desk pretty badly..anyway taking care of that but it hit me hey i have been on iron supplements too for two months for unrelated problem which might indeed correlate to my frequent setbacks..yikes!not pouchitis but it might be upsetting the balance of bacteria(i have sibo...so stay tuned there may indeed be correlation for you and me!!!
N nicole450Member
Yes, iron supplements are extremely tough on
the gut and not recommended on SCD. I actually
take liver pills (Radiant Life) which are legal
and gives you lots of iron.

Rebecca, your flare could be a combo of the 3-month
flare (also explained in BTVC) and your iron supp.
I would go back to intro diet for a bit to
settle your pouch down.

To whomever started this thread (sorry! can't see your
name currently!) having diarrhea in the beginning of the
diet is totally normal. As your gut bacteria starts changing,
you'll have die off, and in a week or so, may go more towards
constipation. Everybody is different.

Just remember that this diet takes months and years, not days
and weeks to experience real healing - esp if you've been sick
for a long time. Btw, many people have to take meds while
on SCD, it's not frowned upon at all. Sometimes they are needed
to keep inflammation down while SCD helps the gut heal. I've
had to do flagyl when a flare didn't stop. We have to protect our
pouches! - they're all we have left.

There is a huge learning curve with SCD! I'm happy to help if you have
questions.
R Rebe0505Member
thanks nicole..concentrating on diet but have overlooked supplement aspect..duh!

do you take a multi and other supplements if so would love to know scd..safe ones..i am know checking what i take to see if any other offenders but for sure my iron taking more or less correlates with my ups and downs ..first three months pretty good i think on diet got me completely off antibiotics then it was up and lots more downs....certainly worth a try..plan to stop today and thanks for hint on substitute..liver pills?
R Rebe0505Member
icole if we are using dcd..safe supplements whats the theory behind stopping all exceptssboulardii

since writing have already found the sites you suggested except for radiant life..thank..(will use that if doc still thinks i need iron)got on internet found scd ..so my new multi and calcium supplements on their way..some of my others were ok..but i am really hoping the elimination of iron pills explains my ups and downs these last few months..was not on them my first three months on diet so there could be a correlation..thanks for that!
N nicole450Member
The theory on stopping supplements when flaring
is that:

1) you're most likely not absorbing them (when
having diarrhea) - supplements are expensive so
why waste them;

2) it could be the supplement itself causing or
contributing to the flare. When the flare calms,
then it's best to introduce them one at a time
to make sure you tolerate each one.

If it turns out you are not tolerating something,
take it out of the lineup and then reintroduce
when you have more healing under your belt.

good luck and hope you start feeling better soon!
N nicole450Member
Hi Rebecca,
I haven't been taking them recently because my iron levels are fine
now. The SCD list that I'm on suggests eating liver, which I have
a hard time doing, if you're having iron problems. Food is always
the first choice in getting nutrients the body needs because it is
recognized by the body differently than supplements and is the most
bioavailable. Any chance you can eat liver? Many people are able
to raise their iron levels significantly by just eating liver
regularly.

On the other hand, if your food is moving too fast through your system,
you are probably not absorbing the nutrients from it (or any supps,
including liver pills) so first try to slow your system down. I use
boulardii - you can take up to 9 a day - on an empty stomach. Maybe
you've done this?

If this doesn't work, you can also ask your dr for an iron infusion -
which would be logical if you can't take iron, and you're not absorbing
your nutrients well. Just a thought!

Oh, also, I didn't have any problem tolerating the liver pills. I think I
was taking 2 / 3x a day with food.
JulieB71JulieB71Member
Rebecca, The iron supplement information I did not find in the b.t.v.c. book but on the website. It had list of legal and illegal foods. And why. You might find it very interesting.

http://www.breakingtheviciousc....info/legal/listing/

Thanks for all the input. I have currently stopped taking the iron supplement and have started today another round of antibiotics. This time Cipro at 500mg 2x a day. Had also started taking VSL#3 a couple of days ago. Should I discontinue use of VSL#3 while on antibiotic? I seem see differing opinions on this.
Hoping and praying to get some long term relief soon.

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