I'm still trying to figure out iron supplements.
Slow Fe (what I'm supposed to be taking) lists ferrous sulfate as the main ingredient, but the box also says it as 45mg of elemental iron, and that 45mg of elemental iron is equal to 142mg of ferrous sulfate.
I had to purchase a store brand again because they were out of Slow Fe, and I started getting tired again, so I double checked the label. The store brand also claims to be 45mg of iron, and lists ferrous sulfate as the main ingredient, but it says nothing about elemental iron. I contacted the company that made it to see if one pill is really an exact match for Slow Fe and they won't tell me how the two compare.
To further confuse things, I found a third empty bottle from a different brand in my stash- one I don't remember having an issue with- and it also says it's 45mg, but mentions specifically that it's dried ferrous sulfate, which supposedly makes it more potent.
How are these different products all able to market themselves as being 45mg iron supplements when they're all made differently and may well have different levels of potency? Gah!
oral solution
oral liquid drops
tablet
tablet, delayed release
tablet, extended release