Are You Overdosing your Iron Supplement? Dr Amit explains the correct iron supplementation for Anaemic patients.

So you have been diagnosed with anaemia. You go to your doctor, and he prescribes you iron supplements. You take one each day, waiting to get better.

But you don't. The supplements don't work as intended, and you are back to your doctor complaining about it after a week.

So what went wrong? the answer, Dr. Amit Modgil says, might be in the frequency of dosage.

Dr. Amit suggests that alternate-day oral iron is better than Daily Iron for most Iron deficiency Anaemic patients.

When you take an iron tablet, your body releases a hormone called Hepcidin. Hepcidin blocks iron absorption from the gut for about 24 hours. If you take iron every day, the hepcidin level stays high. Because of this, less iron is absorbed each day.

Taking iron on alternate days allows hepcidin to fall. When hepcidin is low, the intestine absorbs more iron from the next dose.

So, even with fewer tablets, total iron absorption is higher. Alternate-day dosing also causes less nausea, acidity, and constipation. Better tolerance means patients are more likely to continue treatment.

Therefore, for uncomplicated iron-deficiency anaemia, alternate-day oral iron is usually the best choice.

Dr Amit Modgil is Chief Cardio and Internal Medicine specialist at Suman Hospital since 2001. He has over 30 years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology. Click the button below to book an OPD consultation with him today.

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