What does iron supplementation treat?

Iron is needed to make haemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen. When iron stores are low, the body may produce fewer or smaller red blood cells. [Iron Deficiency Anaemia](/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/) can cause [Fatigue](/symptoms/fatigue/), reduced stamina, [Generalised Weakness](/symptoms/generalised-weakness/), pale skin, or [Cold Hands and Feet](/symptoms/cold-hands-and-feet/). Iron supplements do not treat every type of [Anaemia](/conditions/anaemia/), so testing is usually needed before treatment.

Take the prescribed preparation as instructed; [Oral Iron Salts](/materials/oral-iron-salts/) are one common form. Nausea, stomach discomfort, constipation, and darker stools can occur. Do not double a missed dose unless your clinician tells you to. Keep supplements away from children, and tell your clinician about other medicines or supplements because iron can affect absorption. Follow-up blood tests may be used to check whether iron stores and blood counts are improving, while the cause of the deficiency is investigated.

Contact a clinician if side effects make treatment difficult, symptoms continue, or you cannot take the preparation. Seek urgent help for vomiting blood, black tar-like stools with feeling unwell, severe abdominal pain, fainting, chest pain, or marked breathlessness. An unexplained fall in iron may need assessment for blood loss, absorption problems, diet-related factors, or another medical condition rather than supplements alone.

Ask whether your results show iron deficiency, how to take the prescribed preparation, what to do about side effects, when testing will be repeated, and what may have caused the low iron.