# Which of these ingredients is giving me pain?



## FlyingMandarine (Apr 29, 2015)

Hi everyone!

For a more complete background on my IBS-D, you can check this thread:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/237025-new-excruciating-pain;-could-antispasmodics-be-the-cause/

The gist of it: I've had sudden agonizing stomach pain three times since the beginning of the year; something I had never had before -- it lasts for about a day and is so bad that I can't sleep and makes me cry for hours on end.

My first guess was the antispasmodics I had started taking (thus the thread I linked to above), but the third time this happened, I wasn't under any.

However, I do feel I might have found what caused it: being vegan, I would take a multivitamin supplement (with no iron) back in France, and changed for another one (with iron in it) when I moved to the U.K. It seems to coincide with my symptoms, as I haven't had any more pain since I stopped taking it. I read online that ferrous fumarate could cause acute stomach pain, but before trying another supplement without any in it, I would like to know if *any of the other ingredients for that supplement are known to cause stomach pain as a side-effect*. I know it's a bit technical, so if I can get any help, it would be very appreciated.









Here is the list of ingredients:

Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid), Bulking Agents (Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose), Maltodextrin, Ferrous Fumarate, Anti-Caking Agents (Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate), Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopherol), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Pantothenic Acid (as d-Calcium Pantothenate), Glazing Agents (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Glycerine, Carnauba Wax), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Starch, Vitamin A (as Retinyl Palmitate), Emulsifier (Acacia Gum), Sucrose, Sunflower Oil, Folic Acid, Vitamin D2, Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin).

And the link to the product: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-vegan-multivitamin-tablets-60012166

Finally, one last question: if ferrous fumarate is indeed the culprit, would switching to another form of iron be as likely to cause any pain? Because of the intensity of these stomach pains, I'd rather be 100% sure that nothing is going to happen to me before trying anything else.







But I still need to get a way to boost my iron, as even consuming iron-rich foods (with vitamin C) is barely making the cut -- possible iron bad absorption, I suppose!

Thanks to everyone for your help!


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## dlind70 (Aug 7, 2015)

Most likely the b12 becuse b12 needs to be from food (calf liver, spirulina, seaweed). Cacao too has cofactors of b12. Take this tonic for good iron morning drink: 7:00-9:00 am coffee 8 oz, maple syrup tsp, raw cacao powder tsp. Lunch increase fresh tomato eating with some raisins or tomato juice 8 oz with some molassas. Drink cooked tomato juice and tsp of molasses for at least three days for good iron; this will keep you from being fatigued and should even stop the D.


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## thebigboo (Dec 17, 2007)

I cannot take vitamins of any kind. Currently i have to take my vitamin d using a sublingual spray. Of the list above, vitamin c, ferrous fumarate (iron), and sucrose are the worst culprits for me. My advice would be to find a gentle food-based vitamin. The best ones seem to be from s.cervisae, a type of algae superfood. They certainly give more energy.


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## FlyingMandarine (Apr 29, 2015)

Thank you for the replies!

*dlind70:* Thank you for the suggestions; how do you know it is most likely the B12? And if it is, how come the multivitamin supplement I would take in France did not cause me any problem even though I took it for years? Both that one that I used to take and the new one derive their B12 from cyanocobalamin. Here is a link to the older supplement I used to take:

http://www.vegansociety.com/shop/supplements/veg1-orange-90s

And the list of ingredients:

Sugar, Dextrose, Acacia, Selenomethionine (Selenium), Stearic Acid, Flavour (Orange), Ergocalciferol Preparation (D), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Magnesium Stearate, Riboflavin (B2), PVP, Folacin (Folic Acid), Potassium Iodine (Iodine), Cyanocobalamin (B12).

Your recipe ideas are interesting.  Ultimately, though, I would like to know where these pains come/came from, so that I could take a supplement containing iron rather than focus on having enough iron in my diet as is; not so much because I don't have a healthy diet (I believe I do!) but because I have had iron malabsorption problems ever since I was a teenager, probably because of the regular diarrhea (I rarely if ever have 'normal' stools).

thebigboo: Thanks for the tip! May I ask how you figured out that those three (vitamin C, ferrous fumarate and sucrose) were bad for you? And when you say "bad," do you mean that you would end up having the same symptoms as me -- intense excruciating pain that would last for about a day, preventing you from sleeping? If the symptoms it would end up causing you are different (for instance, diarrhea), then it might not be the same some of supplement intolerance I am exposed to.


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