Iron Supplement?? but She's CONSTIPATED!!!

It is actually a very common thing to give children that age. Mine took it, but they were also anemic. It should be given with vitamin c, so a glass of orange juice to help with iron absorption, and avoid giving it with calcium (milk) b/c it inhibits iron absorption. Low levels of ferratin basically means, low level of iron, so she is suggesting the iron to get the ferratin level back up. Constipation is a common side effect, but neither of my children had constipation issues. There is Poly-vi-Sol without iron you know, that typically has the side effect of diarrhea. Poly -vi-Sol with iron, has lower iron levels than an iron supplement, which is why she is recommending that instead. Low ferritin can also be attributed to a vit-c deficiency, so taking the supplement with vit c should help if that is the case.

Go to your local nutrition store and ask for liquid iron supplement that is PLANT DERIVED. This stuff is great, no constipation issues. The only downside is that it can be a bit pricy but my guess is you will be willing to spend the extra money. My daughter has been on this for 6 months and has not had one issue.

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I would ignore the doctor's advice about the multivitamin and see if there are food sources that she can get it from.

If there isn't, if it is a grain bi product, I would look at some of the magazines for people with Celiac family members and see if there is a supplement specifically for that deficiency.

That and I know there is a form of that vitamin that does not contain iron so I don't like your doctor....

Yes Poly-Vi-Sol with Iron caused constipation in all the kids in my house that had to take it, my son included. You may want to check out a nutritionist about her diet since she has senstivity to gluten. They can tell you tons of things you never knew about. I hope she improves. Keep up the good but hard work in being her mom.

You should talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. He will know how to best manage your daughter's iron deficiency and constipation.

I would definitely avoid iron supplements if constipation is already a problem. Multivitamins with iron tend to have lower amounts of iron than pure supplements (for instance, I take an iron supplement that has 65 mg., while the multivitamin I used to take had only 16 mg.), so that sounds like a good option to me, but I'm also not a doctor. :)

Iron doesn't constipate every body. It gives me DIARRHEA (and did my mom too!) So I'd probably try it, but I'd start out with a half or quarter dose! And if that didn't bother her I'd work up, slowly!

But that Poly-vi-Sol stuff is NASTY, so you might not have much luck getting it down here anyway....

You might try her on Floradix- it's a vegetable based liquid supplement that's highly absorbable and non-constipating. I took it while I was pregnant and it actually helped get things moving.

I would try it and if it makes the constipation worse you can stop it. It sounds like this is a different form than a regular iron supplement I know there are many forms of iron and that some are easier on your system then others.

I would try the route of a plant-derived iron supplement that you can find at your local co-op store, a community pharamacy, or whatever other type health food store's in your area (if they don't carry it, they might be able to order it for you).

I know you are tight on money, but you might want to seriously think about finding a naturopathic doctor and taking your daughter to see him. They know about Celiac disease/gluten intolerance and about how the body needs to have supplementation because the body isn't/won't be getting it with the gluten-free foods out there (they aren't full of added supplements like foods found in a grocery store/non-gluten foods are). They can tell you what you should be supplementing and what foods/combinations will give you "complete nutrition" for your little one. I think I've said before that giving her a Vitamin B Complex supplement for little ones would be one of the best ways to make sure she is getting everything her body needs.

Severe constipation, if it's not taken care of, can devolve into other colon issues, some of them pretty bad and life-long. Does your daughter drink water all day long (I know you've stated before that she doesn't like any of the milk alternatives)? In order to keep the colon nicely moving, water is needed for lubrication.

Also, have you tried giving her CALM, a magnesium supplement that will gently force a bowel movement? You can buy it in different flavors and mix it in water or in juice for her to drink. Since she is so constipated, you might have to give it to her for a while. It is completely natural, and you can't "overtake" the product. It is also nonaddictive. My daughter uses it once in a while (we have gluten intolerance) and it works every time; she has a nice, normal, calm BM. Once in a while, she'll also get a fissure, depending on how long it's been since she was able to eliminate. Once you get a fissure, they don't usually ever go away. There's always the risk that whenever you have issues with constipation/straining again, they can reopen. I know; I have one. Am wrestling right now with a reopened fissure.

Since you're already giving your daughter lots of foods that are usually seen as foods that help get the bowels moving and eliminating, I would seriously urge you to take your daughter to a naturopathic doctor for a full check up in terms of other foods she might be allergic or intolerant to. The body usually reacts one of two ways to a food it doesn't like: diarrhea or constipation. Since this has been going on for so long already, I would seek a second opinion from someone who is NOT in the allopathic healthcare community.

I have a strong aversion to using pharma drugs and would try anything other than using them in someone so small. My daughter took lots and lots of pharma drugs when she was little for a variety of issues/problems (we didn't catch her gluten intolerance until she was 7 years old, and I didn't open my eyes to the dangers and damages of pharma drugs until then as well), and we're still working on fixing the damage all those drugs did to her body. I know it costs more to go the natural way, but the natural way is in better alignment with the way the body really works.

Good luck.