Ferrimed is an iron supplement — iron polymaltose complex — used to treat and prevent iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. It comes as capsules, a chewable tablet, a syrup for children, and an injection given by a healthcare professional. Its main selling point is that it is gentler on the stomach than older iron salts.
What is Ferrimed?
The South African Medicine Price Registry lists several Ferrimed products, all containing iron (III)-hydroxide polymaltose complex:
| Product | Schedule | Elemental iron |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrimed capsule | S1 | 50 mg |
| Ferrimed syrup | S1 | 50 mg per 5 ml |
| Ferrimed DS chewable | S1 | 100 mg |
| Ferrimed Injection | S3 | 100 mg per 2 ml |
The figure that matters is elemental iron — the amount of actual iron, not the weight of the compound. Comparing iron products by anything else is comparing the wrong number.
Iron polymaltose is a different form from the older iron salts. In ferrous sulphate, iron is released quickly in the stomach — which is why it works well and why it so often causes nausea, cramping and constipation. In polymaltose, the iron sits inside a carbohydrate shell and is released more slowly.
The trade-off is real. Polymaltose is markedly better tolerated, which is its whole point — but studies comparing the two have generally found ferrous salts raise haemoglobin at least as fast. A gentler iron you keep taking beats a stronger one you abandon after a week, which is why polymaltose is prescribed so often. If your haemoglobin is not responding, though, tolerance is not the only thing that matters.
“DS” means double strength. The chewable contains twice the iron of the capsule.
The injection is different entirely. Schedule 3, given by a healthcare professional, used where oral iron cannot be absorbed or tolerated. Not something to take at home.
What is Ferrimed commonly used for?
- Iron deficiency anaemia — low iron has reduced haemoglobin, causing tiredness, breathlessness on exertion, pallor and poor concentration.
- Iron deficiency without anaemia, where stores are low but haemoglobin has not yet fallen. This causes fatigue on its own and is frequently missed.
- Pregnancy, where requirements rise substantially.
- Heavy menstrual periods, the commonest cause in women of reproductive age.
- Infants and young children, where the syrup is used.
- After significant blood loss, including surgery.
- Poor dietary intake or absorption — coeliac disease, after stomach surgery, or on long-term acid-suppressing medicines.
One point matters more than any other here: iron deficiency is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Iron is lost, not used up. In an adult — especially a man, or a woman past menopause — new deficiency needs the cause investigated, because slow bleeding from the gut is one explanation and can be the first sign of something that needs finding early.
Treatment takes months, not weeks. Haemoglobin usually starts recovering within two to four weeks, but refilling the body’s iron stores takes roughly three further months after that. Stopping as soon as you feel better is the commonest reason deficiency returns.
Who commonly looks for Ferrimed and why
Most people arrive at Ferrimed for one of a few reasons.
They have been told they are anaemic — from a routine blood test, a blood donation deferral, or an investigation into fatigue — and want to know what they have been given.
They are pregnant and iron has been added to their antenatal medicines, often alongside folic acid.
They have tried ferrous sulphate and could not tolerate it. This is a very common route to polymaltose — the nausea and constipation from standard iron tablets stop a great many people.
They are looking for a child’s iron syrup, often after a clinic visit.
They are exhausted and suspect low iron. Fatigue has many causes, and iron deficiency is a common and treatable one — but it should be confirmed with a blood test rather than assumed. Taking iron you do not need is not harmless, and it can mask a different cause of the same symptom.
What to check on the label before taking Ferrimed
- Elemental iron content. 50 mg for the capsule and per 5 ml of syrup, 100 mg for the DS chewable. This is the comparable figure.
- Which product you have. Syrup, capsule and chewable are dosed differently, and a child’s dose is not an adult’s.
- Whether it is plain iron or a combination. Some include folic acid, B12 or vitamin C — check you are not doubling up.
- The schedule. The oral products are S1; the injection is S3 and is administered professionally.
Store iron where children cannot reach it. Iron overdose is a leading cause of poisoning deaths in young children, and a small number of adult tablets can cause serious harm. Sweet syrups and chewable tablets are exactly what a child will happily take. This is not a routine caution.
If you search the price register yourself: general words return products whose names merely contain those letters — searching “iron” returns spironolactone. Disregard matches that clearly are not what you have.
Safety, interactions and when to seek professional advice
Take it on an empty stomach if you can tolerate it — about an hour before food — since food substantially reduces iron absorption. If that causes nausea, taking it with a little food is better than stopping. Vitamin C improves absorption; a glass of orange juice is a reasonable habit.
Space it away from these, by at least two hours:
- Tea, coffee and milk, which markedly reduce absorption.
- Calcium supplements and antacids.
- Proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole and pantoprazole, which reduce absorption by reducing stomach acid.
- Thyroid medicine (levothyroxine) — this interaction is clinically important and the two should be well separated.
- Some antibiotics — tetracyclines such as doxycycline, and quinolones such as ciprofloxacin. Iron binds them and stops both working.
- Bisphosphonates, methyldopa, levodopa and penicillamine.
Do not take iron without a confirmed need if you have haemochromatosis or any iron-overload condition, or if you receive regular blood transfusions. In these, extra iron is actively harmful.
Tell a pharmacist or doctor if you have inflammatory bowel disease, stomach ulcers or kidney disease, or already take another iron-containing supplement.
Expect dark or black stools. This is normal and harmless — it is unabsorbed iron. But it can also be a sign of bleeding in the gut, so if the stools are black and tarry with a strong smell, or you feel faint or unwell, do not assume it is the iron.
Common effects include nausea, stomach discomfort and constipation. Polymaltose causes less of all of this than ferrous salts; constipation usually responds to more fluid and fibre.
Seek advice promptly for: severe abdominal pain, vomiting, black tarry stools with feeling unwell, or a rash. Get emergency help for any suspected overdose, particularly in a child, even if they seem fine — take the packaging.
See a doctor if your fatigue does not improve after a few weeks, if a repeat blood test shows no response, or if the cause of the deficiency has not been investigated — particularly in men and post-menopausal women, who should be assessed rather than simply supplemented.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Ferrimed used for? Treating and preventing iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. It contains iron polymaltose complex.
What is Ferrimed capsules used for? The same purpose. Each capsule provides 50 mg of elemental iron.
How is it different from ferrous sulphate? The iron is held in a carbohydrate complex and released more slowly, so it causes less nausea and constipation. Ferrous salts may raise haemoglobin at least as quickly, but are less well tolerated.
How long do I take it? Usually several months. Haemoglobin recovers in weeks, but refilling iron stores takes around three months more. Stopping early is why deficiency returns.
Why are my stools black? Unabsorbed iron. This is normal. But black tarry stools with feeling unwell can indicate bleeding, so get that checked.
Can I take it with my thyroid tablet? Not at the same time. Separate them by at least two hours — iron significantly reduces levothyroxine absorption.
Can I take it with tea or coffee? Not at the same time. Both markedly reduce iron absorption. Vitamin C improves it.
Should I take iron if I am just tired? Get a blood test first. Fatigue has many causes, and taking iron you do not need is not harmless.