Blackmores - Bio Iron

Since people keep wanting to steal my blood and I know I'm already anemic, I thought I should take some iron supplements.
(I don't eat much that naturally contains iron).

These don't upset my stomach, even with recent issues with mild nausea, but I have a pretty strong stomach.
*Iron can be pretty hard on some people's stomachs, it helps to take it with food.
The tablets are pretty small, so very easy to swallow.

I pair this with a vitamin c source (citrus, vitamin c tablet), as it aids iron absoption.


Price: 3/5 ($17.95 for 80 tablets)
Scent: 2.5/5 (no real scent)
Effectiveness: 5/5
.. .-- .- -. - - --- ... . . -- -.-- ..-. .- -- .. .-.. -.-- ·-·-·-

Nutra Rise - Prenatal Multivitamin

I didn't use these as a prenatal, but as a daily supplement to aid hair and nail growth.
(Prenatal supplements are great for that.)

These have vitamins A, C, D3, E, B12, B1, and B6. They also have niacin, folic acid, calcium, iron, and zinc.

They are medium sized beige tablets

I was very disappointed with them because a lot of the tablets were broken.

Like sand through the hour glass, so is the state of these tablets.

If you were using this as a prenatal, it would be maddening, wondering if you took to little or too much.
As such, I can't recommend this brand.

It did help my hair and nails, but not as well as the Thompson's hair, skin, and nails did.

Price: 3/5 ($23.06 for 60 tablets)
Scent: 2.5/5 (very faint, mineral and acidic vitamin smell)
Effectiveness: 1/5

Vitactiv - Bio Eisen & Vitamin C (Iron & Vitamin C)

These are organic iron capsules in which the iron comes from curry leaf and vitamin C (from amla and acerola, it is used to absorb iron).

They are a medium size and easy to take.

These have been my go to iron tablets for a while and I'm no longer classed as 'severely aneamic', now I'm 'low iron'. (I don't get a lot of iron in my food.)

I'm not one no feel nauseous when I take iron tablets, and these also do not make me nauseous (not that I'm a good test). 

Price: 1/5 ($26.91 for 60 capsules)
Scent: 2.5/5 (no taste)

Salus - Floradix Sport Eisen (Iron)

This is a liquid dietary supplement with iron, B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12), niacin, vitamin D, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, copper, and L-carnitine.

It's meant to aid protein synthesis, red blood cell and muscle function.

It is a brown liquid and the smell immediately takes me back to my childhood when I was given Pentavite.

It doesn't taste like Pentavite, that's for sure!
It tastes like sultanas with B vitamins, with a metallic aftertaste.
It is strong and kind of nauseating.

I wouldn't recommend it.

Price: 2/5 ($23.56 for 250mL)
Taste: 0/5

Altapharma - Eisen + Vitamine - Sauerkirsch Geschmack 

This is the best tasting iron supplement I've ever tried!

It is a fizzy tablet you dissolve in water, which makes a delicious sour cherry drink. 
Note that this is the fresh 'sour cherry' fruit flavour, not a 'sour cherry candy' flavour.

It has iron, vitamin C, vitamin B12, and folic acid.

Price: 5/5 ($0.71 for 20 tablets)
Scent: 5/5

Deep Heat - Back Patches

Desperate for relief from my nerve pain, I tried these as a non-stinky, use during work solution.

It worked okay, provided you don't move too much (it doesn't adhere too well).

I would have liked it to have produced more heat, but I guess the manufacturers want to be sure no one gets scolded by it.

It works by the exothermic reaction of iron oxidation:  

4Fe(s) + 3O₂(g) → 2Fe₂O₃(s)

Which is why it starts to heat up when exposed to air.
If you are looking for non-stinky pain relief which you can use 

without fear of drug interacts, these are pretty good (if a little 

pricey).

Price: 2/5 (RRP $13.33 for 2 patches)Scent: 2.5/5 (None)Effectiveness: 4/5