Iron supplements every other day ‘trigger fewer GI side effects’ than daily dosing
Alternate-day dosing is 'the right way to go' to ensure long-term adherence in women with mild iron deficiency, says Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha.
Taking oral iron supplements every second day leads to fewer gastrointestinal side effects and is equally effective in reducing iron deficiency as daily dosing, Swiss researchers report.
They found that women assigned to daily 100mg iron tablets were 1.6 times more likely to experience nausea, diarrhoea and stomach pain — but not constipation — than those on alternate-day dosing.
“Alternate-day iron dosing may be better tolerated by many women, and this will likely increase compliance and efficacy,” they wrote in eClinicalMedicine.
This was echoed by Melbourne clinical haematologist Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha, who told AusDoc that reducing gastrointestinal side effects was crucial to ensuring long-term compliance.
