Cirrhosis Support Group
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease, most commonly caused by alcoholism and hepatitis C. Ascites is the most common complication of cirrhosis and is associated with a poor quality of life, increased risk of infections, and a poor long term outcome. Liver damage from cirrhosis cannot be reversed, but treatment can stop or delay further progression and...
My husband call his GI to ask if he could take iron pills. He was told to call his primary. She said he could take 325mg 2x a day. Is this ok?
He is constantly tired all the time. I thought anyone with cirrhosis could not take iron.
Thanks,
Denise
He is constantly tired all the time. I thought anyone with cirrhosis could not take iron.
Thanks,
Denise
That said, my doctor is against supplements as long the liver is still doing its job and you are not under any dietary restraints.
I personally would not take it just to see if it helps, as I understand it can have detrimental effects on some people.
I quote "The problem is that because of the chemical properties of iron, it cannot be broken down and eliminated from the body. Therefore this situation leads to iron overload in the body.
Many people believe that the body has a high requirement for dietary iron and think the more they eat the better their health will be. This is not so for everyone and is a very individual thing. Indeed the disease of iron overload is all too common and unfortunately remains grossly under diagnosed.
The abnormal regulation of iron absorption is believed to occur in the gut (duodenum). The excess iron accumulates over a long period of time. Early diagnosis is important as the iron excess is stored gradually over a lifetime, therefore the earlier detected the less chance of development of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The condition tends to occur more commonly in men this is likely to be due to the fact that women have monthly blood loss due to menstruation and lower intake of iron in the diet.
It is often a silent disorder that is commonly picked up in younger persons during routine blood work investigating other symptoms. However as iron slowly accumulates over the years other complaints may arise such as osteoarthritis and digestive complaints."
The full article can be found at:
http://livingwithliverdisease.ning.com/forum/topics/what-is-hemochromatosis
As everyone else has said - consult a doctor
Hope this helps.
Craig
Gool luck to you :)
The bottom line of his instructions was
"NO IRON SUPPLEMENTATION."
He even said to use Iron free vitamin pills.
The comment was that I get plenty of Iron in my daily diet (so long as I stay out of MacDs.)
I am not a doc, but Iron Deficiency Anemia is treated with Iron. Fatigue is associated with cirrhosis and there doesn't seem to be much one can do for it. I get it seldom, and coffee and Red Bull seem to do the trick. But I'm not very sick yet.
Here's the site:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118715716/abstract