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Tiredness/fatigue in adults - Management
Iron preparations

Age from 18 years onwards
Ferrous sulphate tablets: 200mg (65mg iron) twice a day
Ferrous sulphate 200mg tablets
Take one tablet twice a day.
Supply 56 tablets.
Age: from 18 years onwards
NHS cost: £2.40
OTC cost: £4.20
Licensed use: no - off-label indication
Patient information: These tablets are usually well tolerated but may sometimes upset your stomach, causing sickness, heartburn, and possibly diarrhoea or constipation. These side effects should settle down with time, but if they are very troublesome at first you may reduce the dose to just one tablet each day. After 4 or 5 days, try increasing the number of tablets taken back up to twice a day. Taking the tablets with or after some food will also help reduce the side effects. This medicine may also colour your stools black. Keep these tablets out of the reach of children.
Ferrous fumarate tablets: 210mg (68mg iron) twice a day
Ferrous fumarate 210mg tablets
Take one tablet twice a day.
Supply 56 tablets.
Age: from 18 years onwards
NHS cost: £0.80
OTC cost: £1.42
Licensed use: no - off-label indication
Patient information: These tablets are usually well tolerated but may sometimes upset your stomach, causing sickness, heartburn, and possibly diarrhoea or constipation. These side effects should settle down with time, but if they are very troublesome try taking the tablets with or after some food to help reduce the side effects. Trying an alternative iron salt is another option. This medicine may also colour your stools black. Keep these tablets out of the reach of children.
Ferrous fumarate capsules: 305mg (100mg iron) once a day
Ferrous fumarate 305mg capsules
Take one capsule once a day.
Supply 28 capsules.
Age: from 18 years onwards
NHS cost: £0.50
OTC cost: £0.89
Licensed use: no - off-label indication
Patient information: These capsules are usually well tolerated but may sometimes upset your stomach, causing sickness, heartburn, and possibly diarrhoea or constipation. These side effects should settle down with time, but if they are very troublesome try taking the capsules with or after some food to help reduce the side effects. Trying an alternative iron salt is another option. This medicine may also colour your stools black. Keep these capsules out of the reach of children.
Ferrous fumarate tablets: 322mg (100mg iron) once a day
Ferrous fumarate 322mg tablets
Take one tablet once a day.
Supply 28 tablets.
Age: from 18 years onwards
NHS cost: £0.79
OTC cost: £1.39
Licensed use: no - off-label indication
Patient information: These tablets are usually well tolerated but may sometimes upset your stomach, causing sickness, heartburn, and possibly diarrhoea or constipation. These side effects should settle down with time, but if they are very troublesome try taking the tablets with or after some food to help reduce the side effects. Trying an alternative iron salt is another option. This medicine may also colour your stools black. Keep these tablets out of the reach of children.
Ferrous gluconate tablets: 300mg (35mg iron) three times a day
Ferrous gluconate 300mg tablets
Take one tablet three times a day.
Supply 84 tablets.
Age: from 18 years onwards
NHS cost: £2.10
OTC cost: £2.50
Licensed use: no - off-label indication
Patient information: These tablets are usually well tolerated but may sometimes upset your stomach, causing sickness, heartburn, and possibly diarrhoea or constipation. These side effects should settle down with time, but if they are very troublesome at first you may reduce the number of tablets you take each day to just one or two. After 4 or 5 days, try increasing the number of tablets taken back up to three a day. Taking the tablets with or after some food will also help reduce the side effects. This medicine may also colour your stools black. Keep these tablets out of the reach of children.

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