2024-07-18 16:52:25
How to distinguish?
Pharmacist G. Šimkė emphasizes that the symptoms can be similar both in the case of iron deficiency and overwork. A person who is not feeling well suffers from constant fatigue, distraction, headache and so-called “brain fog”.
Drowsiness or other sleep problems may also occur: difficulty falling asleep; awakenings at night; restless leg syndrome. The aforementioned health problems can contribute to irritability, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, even depression symptoms that do not go away even after quality rest.
According to her, if you feel not only weakness and frequent headaches, but also pale skin due to a decrease in red blood cells, there is a good chance that you are lacking iron.
A lack of this trace element can also be signaled by cold limbs due to impaired blood circulation, shortness of breath that began to torment due to lack of oxygen, or heart palpitations that occurred due to attempts to compensate for it. Cracking corners of the lips or various sores, cracks in the mouth, falling hair, very weak and breaking nails can warn about the problem.
“The best way to answer the question of whether a person who is not feeling well is overworked or if he still feels the symptoms of iron deficiency in the body can be doctors who have performed detailed blood tests. “When anemia is suspected, which is characterized by a too low level of erythrocytes or hemoglobin in the blood, the levels of the latter protein, hematocrit, ferritin reserves and red blood cells in the body are usually checked,” says the pharmacist.
Which food supplements to choose?
If iron deficiency is detected, it is necessary to consult a doctor about the most suitable form and dosage of food supplements or medicines containing this trace element. It is important not to experiment – an excessive amount of iron in the body can be as dangerous as its deficiency and damage the internal organs, especially the liver, heart and pancreas. The duration of taking iron preparations is also very individual: one person may need to take them for just a month, while another may need a year.
Liquid and animal-based heme (trivalent) iron is generally recommended and better absorbed. It dissolves faster, interacts more easily with other substances, and irritates the digestive tract less.
“There are more and more manufacturers supplying liposomal iron to the market, which differs in that it is encapsulated in small vesicles surrounded by a fatty layer, protecting the active substance from interaction with other drugs, food and reducing the risk of side effects.” Usually, I recommend preparations created on this basis to patients who want to replenish iron reserves in the body,” says pharmacist G. Šimkė.
Are we using it correctly?
Better absorption of iron is greatly influenced by the way iron preparations are used. For a few hours before and after taking the preparations, the specialist recommends avoiding caffeine, tannins in coffee and tea, broccoli, whole grain and calcium-containing products such as milk. On the other hand, taking vitamins C, B6 and B12 and folic acid actually improves iron absorption.
G. Šimkė warns that when using the above-mentioned iron food supplements or medicines, it is necessary to monitor one’s state of health, to monitor whether side effects occur: constipation or diarrhea, signaling a digestive tract disorder, and the taste of iron in the mouth.
In case of their occurrence, G. Šimkė recommends consulting a doctor or pharmacist – they will help you choose alternative iron preparations that the body will tolerate better. The pharmacist explains that each person tolerates iron food supplements or drugs differently, but the range of options allows you to find the preparation with the least side effects.
“In case of side effects, certain dietary adjustments can also always be tried. Perhaps if you experience stomach ache, nausea or nausea when taking an iron preparation without food, taking it after a meal will help prevent this, or vice versa – if unpleasant symptoms occur after taking iron after a meal, perhaps you should try to do it early in the morning, before you have eaten anything. I myself choose to use iron preparations in the evening, before going to bed, when the stomach is already empty.
Here, in case of constipation, it might be worth adding more fiber-rich foods, drinking more water, and vegetables to the diet. It is important to understand that what works best for one person may not work at all for another. Now, with a huge supply of iron preparations in pharmacies, even a person with the most sensitive body will surely find the most suitable one for him”, pharmacist G. Šimkė is convinced.
2024-07-18 16:52:25