Iron FAQs
How much does Iron cost without insurance?
As a supplement with several over-the-counter alternatives, Iron is rarely covered by insurance, so insured and uninsured customers can expect to pay $13.96 for Iron. With a SingleCare discount card, you pay only $2.58 per 30, 325 (65 fe)mg tablets.
How much does Iron cost with insurance?
Copay costs usually do not apply to Iron unless it is a prescription drug covered by your insurance. In that case, your copay cost for Iron will vary. Currently, however, you will pay only $2.58 for Iron with a SingleCare savings card, so ask your pharmacist to compare your copay cost with a SingleCare Iron coupon.
Does Medicare cover Iron and how much does it cost?
Medicare prescription drug plans usually do not cover purchases of Iron even when it's prescribed by a physician. For Medicare patients using Iron, bring your SingleCare Iron coupon to your participating big-box discount stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies and pay as little as $2.58.
What is the brand name of Iron?
Iron is offered under many different brand names, such as Feosol (Meda), Hemocyte (U.S. Pharmaceutical), and Proferrin (Colorado Biolabs), among others, and many different generic brands (Up & Up, RiteAid, and others). Iron is also a very common ingredient in both brand-name and generic multivitamins.
What is Iron?
Iron is a dietary mineral essential for the production of red blood cells. Iron is the mineral in our blood responsible for bringing oxygen to the body's cells; storing, transporting, and using oxygen between and within cells; and is used in many important chemical processes throughout the body. Iron is available in many over-the-counter vitamin supplements both individually and in combination with other nutrients.
Iron is prescribed or advised to people with or at risk for iron-deficient anemia (low numbers of red blood cells), which includes pregnant women, seniors, and people suffering from poor nutrition or illnesses. Although Iron can help iron-deficient anemia, it is not used for other types of anemia, such as pernicious anemia, which is caused by low levels of vitamin B12, or hemolytic anemia, which is caused by a variety of illnesses.
Iron can be taken orally or as an injection administered by a healthcare provider. Iron can be taken in many formats: meats, plants, mineral salt supplements, pure iron, or organic compound supplements.
Most over-the-counter and prescription iron supplements use mineral salts, such as ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate, or ferrous gluconate. These minerals are quickly absorbed by the body but they often have unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects.
Nearly pure iron (carbonyl iron) is absorbed and used very quickly by the body, but often has unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects.
Some over-the-counter and prescription iron supplements use iron as part of an organic substance with iron attached. HIP (heme iron polypeptide) is a protein-like molecule with iron attached and is the form of iron found in meats. PIC (polysaccharide iron complex) is a carbohydrate with iron attached and is the form of iron found in plants. In these formats, the iron in Iron is absorbed more slowly but has fewer unpleasant side effects than mineral iron.
What are the side effects of Iron?
Common side effects of Iron include but are not limited to upset stomach, stomach cramps, constipation, diarrhea, or black or bloody stools. Allergic reactions to the active ingredients are extremely rare.
Although Iron is a naturally occurring and critical part of our diet, overdosing on Iron can lead to iron poisoning and even death. Always follow your doctor's instructions or the suggested dosage on the supplement. Children are particularly vulnerable to Iron poisoning, so it's critical that Iron and all other supplements are kept safely out of their reach.
