Hello I Took An Iron Pill Today And Now I

Posted on Fri, 22 Mar 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : Hello I took an iron pill today and now I feel nauseous,and have diarrhea. It's been a few hours and I still feel bad. Is this normal?

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Yes it could be due to iron pills

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Ask A Doctor service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

Which type of pills are you taking-regular tablets or any other formulation? What is the salt and dose in it?

Yes, iron tablets can cause gastro-intestinal discomfort and can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarhea, dark stools, bloating etc.

I will suggest that you discontinue the tablet for few days and see if the symptoms abate. If the symptoms continue despite stopping pills, it could be a virus etc.
Otherwise, please change the formulation to enteric coated formulation. Check with your pharmacy about it.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Vaishalee Punj (10 hours later)

Good afternoon Dr. I feel much better today. I wont be taking those iron pill anymore. Nature's Bounty Iron 65mg (325mg Ferrous Sulfate) I will look into take different tablets.

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (15 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Yes you can try different formulation

Detailed Answer:
Hi again
Thanks for reverting back with details.

Yes you can try different formulation.. More suitable formulation will be the one that bypasses stomach e. g enteric coated preparation.

Hope this helps.
Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana