I am currently taking irons tablets although everytime i take them i have a loud and uncomfortable heartrate which is very fast. Has anyone else experienced this? Or know what it is? Thanks.
It's been awhile since you posted this but I've never heard of this side effect from tablets. Your body may be sensitive to something in the pill (the way they manufactured the pill). Tablets are known to have much more side effects than iron liquid. I'm personally sensitive to a lot of meds so my doctor told me taking iron liquid is best for me and I have no side effect from it and have been on it since Nov/Dec.
You can call your doctor and tell them your symptoms and they can lower the dose or try you on something else.
Hi
the fast heart beat is a symptom of anaemia ... Your blood doesn't have enough red blood cells so you don't carry enough oxygen your heart has to beat faster and faster to get enough oxygen to the brain and organs ... You may have a constant headache caused by not enough oxygen ... Itching skin , really disturbed sleep , extreme fatigue .. I got palpitations as well .. The iron tablets take 2-3 weeks to start reversing these symptoms ..
the iron tablets cause stomach problems as there main side effects ..
Hope u improve soon it's quite scary to lie in bed with your heart pounding to pump blood round you as if you were running ..
Hey, it just seems to be around 20 mins after i take the meds which seems odd to me 
Hey, yes possibly, although i have no idea on how i go about identifying which ingredient does not agree with me
Hi
I have always found pharmacists to be a wealth of info about drugs tablets etc far more knowledgable than a gp..
might be worth asking your pharmacist ?
Your not wrong Hun I had the same racing heart for hours an felt so I'll also turned my skin yellow I went docs they took me straight of them
I'm going to try a liquid one with diet I'm a little scared to try anything tbh lol xx
Sorry Sally that was meant for Chloe lol xx
I get this too, and it's driving me crazy. About half an hour after taking any iron, I don't care if it's a pill or if it's liquid, or if it's seriously a few drops of a big package of liquid, my muscles get tight, my neck / joints start cracking, my heart starts racing, and I get total anxiety and I feel like crying. What in the world is going on and why does nobody know what it is. Oddly enough, I get the exact same reaction from zinc. And I'm very deficient in both.
I get this too. I've been back to my doctor on and off for years about this. I got very anemic (7) and after taking 3 iron tablets throughout the day as prescribed I had to phone the emergency services for a fast heart rate. It eventually went down to 72 which was not my normal heart rate and the medic suggested that the anemia caused the increase.
Since then I stopped taking 3 iron tablets and only take 2. But if I stop taking the tablets for any length of time I have to start at 1 tablet and gradually increase to avoid the fast heart rate. Yesterday I started taking 2 iron tablets and got another episode during the night. My heart rate went up to 150 and after pacing around it went back down to 72 in about 20 - 30 minutes. It was so scary, like my heart was beating out of my chest. I also get the same symptoms if I eat anything high in iron like dark red meat or liver. It is horrible and frightening. But I'm anemic so I have to take them...
I'm having a hysterectomy soon so I'm really hoping my anemia will be solved then and I don't get these horrible symptoms.
When I first started taking the tablets years ago (when my anemia was at 7) I had heart racing at around 20 minutes during which time I was digesting the tablets. Now (when my anemia is at 11) I tend to get them only at night after several hours after taking the iron. I don't know why. It's weird. So I've stopped taking iron after 2pm so I don't get the symptoms. Any later than that and I get a fast heartrate later that day. It is not nice at all.
I've been to the doctor several times about this but they don't catch the episode on the ECG. Instead I manage it by gradually increasing iron intake rather than suddenly taking 2 in one day. I take half a tablet, then when I feel ok, I take a whole tablet gradually increasing in halves until I am at 2 a day, which keeps my anemia at bay. It means I have to suffer from anemia longer though.
I wish someone could explain what this is.
I had a similar reaction also.
I took a blood builder tablet with iron as the main ingredient and the first time I did not notice a difference. However, the second time I got fast heart rate that refused to come down for hours and palpitations while standing and sitting.
Wow! I wonder if anyone’s got this with iron injections? I had one 1 week ago and I had the worst racing heart about an hour after it was done. I had to pace around and get it to come down by drinking water and breathing... I then kept getting tachycardia episodes for a full week and it’s not let up so I decided to cancel my next injection.... It seems to have made my anxiety sky rocket and I’ve felt so ill since... Anyone else get this?
Yes, I had an iron infusion a month ago and had a reaction during the infusion - my heart rate went up quickly from about 60 - 138 beats so they stopped the infusion halfway through but my heart rate kept going up every now and then afterwards, even after the infusion. Since then, I still have Tachycardia several times a day and in the last week have been to emergency (once in an ambulance) because I felt so sick and nearly fainted with this ‘feeling’. It’s hard to describe but my chest tightens and my heart rate goes up quickly and I just don’t feel well at all. I’ve been to a cardiologist (yesterday) and he doesn’t think it’s my heart (after ECG’s, blood tests and a CT scan) but I suspect it’s somehow been caused by my iron infusion because the episodes feel the same. I stopped drinking strong tea and coffee yesterday which has helped but I had another episode tonight. I’m due to have an echocardiogram and wear a Holter monitor to rule out my heart but if that’s the case, I’ll try to convince the doctors that it could be the reaction to the infusion. Is anyone else having any trouble with this?
Can any one advise how long it takes with Anemia/low iron for the shortness of breath symptoms to go?
I read online it takes 1 weeks to build up the haemoglobin in the iron stores and 1 further week to circulate through the body. Should I be concerned after taking Ferrous sulphate 200mg twice a day for 5 days at this early stage the shortness of breath is still flaring up?
i’ve been of work for 3 weeks after fighting the symptoms over 4 months and am keen to get back to normal but I know these things take time
Any reassurance would help!
Hi
takes my symptoms 3-4weeks to improve ..you’ll suddenly realise that the heart pounding and breathlessness has eased .. and then your energy will start increasing and then you’ll realise how unwell you were 😬
hang in there .. it will work 👍
Thanks Sally that’s very reassuring!😇 do you think rest helps? I’ve been referred to a private respiratory specialist which looks like it may be quite expensive for the shortness of breath. Debating whether to go or not as if it is from the low iron/anemia it may just go in time with the iron tablets I’m on
I think rest is what your body is forcing you to do ..I find when my hb is low and ferritin is low too my heart races when I lay down quite scary .. your heart is having to beat fast to get enough oxygen round your body ... so having an afternoon nap was a necessity and just plodding .. was all I could manage .. you just know your heart is working hard .. but the iron tablets will improve your hb .. and then your ferritin ..you need to keep taking them for at least 6 months to get ferritin store levels up ...which then keeps your haemaglobin healthy .. liver is good to eat once a week .. fried is best ..very high in iron .. and steak ..and dark chocolate, walnuts, etc all help ...hope that helps ..
i was hb 8 ferritin 4 at one point ...irontablets soon lifted me up ..
hope that helps
Hi Louise, I hope you still read these boards and see this as I note you posted this months ago.
Reading you're post here it could have been me that posted it.
I get exactly the same!, do you also feel like you can't breathe? I don't mean like anemia breathlessness I mean in a different way as if you're breathing inside a steam room or sauna?.
hi andrew! i dont know if you still read these but i have the exact same issue, heart palpatations, i cannot breathe, i even get pins and needles in my face!
i think that's what is happening to me. i'm going to discontinue the iron and see what happens.