Iron supplements in Australia: every product graded by a pharmacist

Written by Cassie, registered pharmacist
Founder of Clean Green Safe

If you’ve been told your iron is low, or you’re feeling run down and wondering whether iron might be part of it, the supplement aisle can be a confusing place to start. Some tablets have 5 mg of iron, others have 100 mg, and the packs don’t always make it easy to see which is which.

I’m a registered pharmacist, and I’ve graded every iron supplement in our database so you can compare them side by side. For each one I’ve checked the label against the TGA register and worked out how much iron you actually get a day at the dose on the pack.

Before you buy: check whether you need iron

Iron is one of the few supplements where more isn’t better. Your body has no easy way to get rid of extra iron, so taking it when your levels are already fine can cause problems over time. The kindest thing you can do for yourself is ask your GP for a blood test first. It usually includes ferritin, which shows how much iron your body has stored.

Iron is also one of the most common causes of accidental poisoning in young children. Please keep every iron product, including gummies, well out of reach.

How much iron do you need a day?

The upper limit is the most you can take every day, from food and supplements together, without a likely risk of harm. It’s a ceiling for everyday use, not a goal.

How we graded these products

• Every grade is based on the brand’s recommended daily dose on the label. Where the directions give a range, we use the highest dose.
• Each product is checked against its listing on the TGA register (ARTG).
• Grades look at five things: label clarity, dose against Australian daily targets and upper limits, TGA register status, ingredient quality and manufacturing.
• Extra vitamins count too. A product can lose points if it adds, say, vitamin B6 at many times the daily target, even when the iron itself is spot on.
• Price never affects a grade. No brand pays to be rated or listed.

The top-graded everyday iron supplements

These are designed to be taken every day to top up your intake, and they all stay under the 45 mg upper limit. Most give you between 20 and 24 mg of iron a day, which covers the 18 mg daily target for women.

Every everyday iron supplement we’ve graded

Treatment-strength iron: Maltofer, Ferro-tab and Ferro-Grad C

Some iron products are made to treat iron deficiency rather than top up your diet. These contain between 65 and 105 mg of iron a tablet, which is deliberately above the 45 mg upper limit. They’re meant to be taken for a set time, on advice from your GP or pharmacist, with a blood test to check how you’re going.

Because these doses are high by design, we don’t grade them against everyday daily targets or the upper limit. Their grades cover the label, TGA registration, ingredient quality and manufacturing, and each one carries a treatment-strength note so it’s clear how they’re meant to be used.

If your GP has recommended one of these, it’s worth asking how long to take it for and when to have your levels checked again. Once your iron is back in range, many people move to a lower everyday dose or stop altogether.

Does the form of iron matter?

You’ll see a few different names on iron labels: ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate, iron polymaltose, and iron glycinate (sometimes called iron amino acid chelate or bisglycinate). What matters most for comparing products is the amount of actual iron, which the label usually shows as “equivalent to iron”. Ferro-Grad C, for example, contains 325 mg of ferrous sulfate, which is equivalent to 105 mg of iron.

Some people find certain forms easier on the stomach than others. If one iron product hasn’t agreed with you, your pharmacist can help you find a different form or dose that suits you better.

Getting the most from your iron

How and when you take iron can make a real difference to how much your body absorbs. Newer evidence suggests two simple changes help.

• Every second day. When you take iron, your body briefly slows how much more it lets in. Taking it every second day, rather than every day, gives your body time to reset, so you can absorb more from each dose. Check with your GP or pharmacist whether this suits you, especially if you’ve been prescribed a treatment-strength iron.
• Away from food. Iron is absorbed best on an empty stomach, so for most people the easiest time is just before bed. A gentle tip: keep your iron beside your toothbrush, so brushing your teeth at night becomes your reminder.
• Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, which is why many products include it. A small glass of orange juice with your tablet does a similar job.
• Tea, coffee, calcium supplements and dairy can reduce how much iron you absorb. Try to leave about two hours between them and your iron.
• Iron can cause constipation, an upset stomach or dark stools. If taking it on an empty stomach doesn’t agree with you, a small snack can help, though you’ll absorb a little less. Your pharmacist can also suggest a gentler form.
• Iron can interact with some medicines, including thyroid medicine and some antibiotics. Check with your pharmacist if you take anything else regularly.

Our grades are based on the daily dose on each label, so they compare products fairly. If you take your iron every second day, you’ll take less over a week than the label dose, and that’s expected.

Questions people often ask

This article is general information and isn’t a substitute for advice from your own GP or pharmacist, who can take your health history and blood results into account.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cassie, registered pharmacist

Cassie is a registered pharmacist, a parent and the founder of Clean Green Safe. With a background in Australian supplement regulation across the TGA, FSANZ and NHMRC, she built Clean Green Safe to help people understand what’s really in their supplements, and how it all adds up across everything they take.