Table 2.

Common doses and elemental iron content of select available iron formulations in the United States and Canada

Drug class	Example	Dose per tablet (mg)	Elemental iron content per tablet (mg)	Dose	Special instructions
Iron salts	Ferrous gluconate	240	27	1-3 tablets, once per day or once every other day	Take on empty stomach; consider vitamin C; take at a different time of day than antacid or proton pump inhibitor. Acidic environment required.
		325	38
	Ferrous sulfate	325	65	1-2 tablets, once per day or once every other day
	Ferrous fumarate	325	106	1 tablet, once per day or once every other day
Heme iron polypeptide	Proferrin	398	11	1-3 tablets per day	Can be taken with a meal. Acidic environment not required for absorption.
Polysaccharide iron complex	Feramax	150	150	1 tablet once per day	Can be taken with a meal. Acidic environment not required for absorption.
Ferric citrate	Auryxia	210	210	3-5 tablets once per day	Can be taken with a meal. Acidic environment not required for absorption.

The list of examples and doses in this table is not exhaustive. Liquid formulations are also available.⁷¹ Approximately 10% of elemental iron ingested is absorbed.