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Does Iron Supplement Increase Hunger And Weight ?
Question: Hi, I have been diagnosed with iron deficiency 2 months ago, was taking 600 mg or iron daily and after 2 months the iron level is even lower. I am getting hungry 15 minutes after I have a big meal... Could it possibly be insulin related? 50% of women in my family have type 1 diabetes and I am seriously overweight and recently gaining weight even more... Thanks
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query. Firstly, if you have been diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and you're not responding to iron therapy, then there needs to be a diligent search to look for any source of bleeding in the body.
In females, the commonest cause of such bleeding/iron loss is menstrual bleeding. If you've any excessive menstrual bleeding or you have prolonged menstrual periods or you pass clots during the menses, then the causes of the same need to be looked into.
Causes of menorrhagia are Hypothyroidism, Endometrial proliferation or hyperplasia like ovarian tumor and polycystic ovarian disease,endometrial polyps and neoplasia,endometriosis,fibroids and uterine sarcomas.
In my opinion you need to get your pelvic examination done from your gynecologist along with investigations like complete blood count,thyroid function tests,PAP smear and ultrasound uterus.Once cause of menorrhagia is identified,treatment can be planned.
The second common source of bleeding is the gastrointestinal tract. To look for that, a stool for occult blood is done. This is a microscopic test to look for any red blood cells in stools.
If the stool for occult blood is positive, further investigations like a colonoscopy or upper GI endoscopy is planned.
Usually, in type 1 diabetes, the patients are thin and not overweight/obese. If you're gaining weight, then a possibility of Type 2 diabetes is more likely than the type 1 diabetes.
Please get your fasting and post meal blood sugar done along with glycosylated hemoglobin (this gives us a good idea about the average sugar levels of past 3 months).
In view of you getting hungry within 15 min of eating, there's a possibility of you suffering dumping syndrome or rapid gastric emptying syndrome.
This occurs when occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach are transported or "dumped" into your small intestine too rapidly.
People with this syndrome often suffer from low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, because the rapid "dumping" of food triggers the pancreas to release excessive amounts of insulin into the bloodstream. This type of hypoglycemia is referred to as "alimentary hypoglycemia".
Dumping syndrome often improves on its own without medical treatment or after adjusting your diet.
People who have gastric dumping syndrome need to eat several small meals a day that are low in carbohydrates, avoiding simple sugars, and should drink liquids between meals, not with them.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Thanks for posting your query. Firstly, if you have been diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and you're not responding to iron therapy, then there needs to be a diligent search to look for any source of bleeding in the body.
In females, the commonest cause of such bleeding/iron loss is menstrual bleeding. If you've any excessive menstrual bleeding or you have prolonged menstrual periods or you pass clots during the menses, then the causes of the same need to be looked into.
Causes of menorrhagia are Hypothyroidism, Endometrial proliferation or hyperplasia like ovarian tumor and polycystic ovarian disease,endometrial polyps and neoplasia,endometriosis,fibroids and uterine sarcomas.
In my opinion you need to get your pelvic examination done from your gynecologist along with investigations like complete blood count,thyroid function tests,PAP smear and ultrasound uterus.Once cause of menorrhagia is identified,treatment can be planned.
The second common source of bleeding is the gastrointestinal tract. To look for that, a stool for occult blood is done. This is a microscopic test to look for any red blood cells in stools.
If the stool for occult blood is positive, further investigations like a colonoscopy or upper GI endoscopy is planned.
Usually, in type 1 diabetes, the patients are thin and not overweight/obese. If you're gaining weight, then a possibility of Type 2 diabetes is more likely than the type 1 diabetes.
Please get your fasting and post meal blood sugar done along with glycosylated hemoglobin (this gives us a good idea about the average sugar levels of past 3 months).
In view of you getting hungry within 15 min of eating, there's a possibility of you suffering dumping syndrome or rapid gastric emptying syndrome.
This occurs when occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach are transported or "dumped" into your small intestine too rapidly.
People with this syndrome often suffer from low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, because the rapid "dumping" of food triggers the pancreas to release excessive amounts of insulin into the bloodstream. This type of hypoglycemia is referred to as "alimentary hypoglycemia".
Dumping syndrome often improves on its own without medical treatment or after adjusting your diet.
People who have gastric dumping syndrome need to eat several small meals a day that are low in carbohydrates, avoiding simple sugars, and should drink liquids between meals, not with them.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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