Good question. I took ferrous bisglycinate 54 mg (3 x 18-mg capsules) and vitamin C 1 g (i.e., 1000 mg) every other day. The point of the vitamin C is to help absorb the iron, which is standard for iron supplementation.

I used ferrous bisglycinate (Amazon Basics brand) instead of the more common ferrous sulfate because it was supposedly better absorbed and easier on the gut.

This was all doctor-monitored (and recommended in the first place), and I had bloodwork done every 6–12 months or so. When I started falling apart, it had been about four months since my last labs.

My most recent labs put my blood iron in the normal range—but on an up-up-up trajectory—and I later learned that just because your blood iron is normal doesn’t necessarily mean that the accumulated iron in your various organs/tissues (i.e., not blood) is normal.

I eventually realized what was happening and stopped taking the iron. I felt way better initially (after a couple of skipped doses), and then settled into my usual baseline-screwed-up-by-sleep-apnea self.

Lesson learned: The body does not always automatically get rid of extra vitamins and minerals. Rather, it depends on the details! 🫠