Proferrin ES- 10.5mg of high Absorbing Heme Iron Polypeptide. Made in the USA. 30 Tablets. Easy on the Gut. Not affected by Coffee, Calcium, or PPI's.

23 days of proferrin, and my ferritin has gone from 18 to 32. No side effects to speak of, except that I can run with energy again. It is such a gift to feel my strength again, like youth. I'm continuing with this. I was taking iron bis-glycinate, but while effective when taken on an empty stomach, I felt like I had swallowed a balloon. When I took iron bis-glycinate with meals (away from calcium), it was not effective after 4 months of use. I take proferrin with meat stock first thing in the morning; apparently it absorbs better in the presence of amino acids: "free amino acids as cysteine, lysine and histidine enhanced heme and ionic Fe absorption in experimental models". Also iron absorption is apparently not sensitive to calcium in doses of less than 800 mg at a time. "Calcium does not inhibit the absorption of 5 milligrams of nonheme or heme iron at doses less than 800 milligrams". Where other forms of iron are inhibited by phytates and polyphenols, heme iron is not. Lastly, I understand (hopefully correctly) that heme iron may cause less oxidative stress than other forms. I hope that as a result, it lowers the risk of Alzheimer's disease associated with iron supplementation. Update: I was taking 1 pill per day at the time of this review. Since then my ferritin levels dropped to 20, so I began taking 2 per day. Fortunately I did this without any gastrointestinal upset, but unfortunately, 2/day only brought my ferritin up to 21 (I got this blood test result back today). Iron repletion is obviously extraordinarily complex. I'm baffled by it. Update July 2018: My ferritin dropped to 20, then to 17, 13, and finally to 10 while taking approximately 7 proferrin per week. During that time I tried alternating schedules, taking it with broth, lactoferrin, pepsin. Nothing worked. Once my ferritin had dropped to 10, I decided to take 30 mg per day, which is apparently the max you can take without causing expression of Hepcidin (prevents the uptake of iron). Also, I had been inspecting my stool (I know, gross...) and found pockets of dry black powder from undissolved proferrin pills. These pills look like black charcoal on the inside, which is probably why the coat is colored (green). Obviously absorption won't happen if they haven't dissolved. I started taking 3 pills (30 mgs) each morning, all at once, on an empty stomach, away from calcium. Most importantly, I cut each pill in half before taking, which seemed to help disintegration because I found no more black powder in stools. As a result, my ferritin climbed back up to 17 after 1 month of this routine. I'll continue checking ferritin levels each month until it has reached a steady state. Hopefully no more downturns. Update November 2018: My monthly ferritin levels have continued to rise on the schedule of three pills per day, cut, on an empty stomach, and away from calcium. Here are my ferritin results (ng/ml): August (16), September (21), October (25), and November (40). Awesome. Feeling so much better.

This was recommended by my Doctor, very gentle on the stomach! Works well!

Really does work. My girlfriend had iron below the minimum allowed - so red flagged as dangerous. They wanted to do an intravenous iron but she didn't want to go to the hospital. So we tried having her take these 3 times a day for three weeks (and extra B-12) and her iron levels are no longer flagged as dangerously low and are acceptable low (through she does needs to get higher in my opinion. So, will continue with that dosing for a few more months and see the results.

I have not taken other iron supplements, yet this one caused NO gut issues. I've switched to the Proferrin Clear gel caps to avoid the Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #2, and Talc. I have unusual metabolic issues that most don't have, and this specific formulation represents a worst-case scenario for a compromised Phase II exhaust system.

This product gave me diarrhea after I had taken two, which lasted all day. I tried it again recently and it didn't cause diarrhea. I'm excited to use an iron supplement that doesn't cause constipation.

I am having severe hair thinning and finally found what I believe to be the cause-- Low ferritin, which was at a 9. For the first two months, I supplemented with iron bisglycinate, dissicated liver capsules, as well as eating more chicken and beef liver than I ever care to eat again. After 2 months I got tested again and I was at a 23. The road to 80 would be slow but at least I was making progress. Then I found this supplement which claims it is heme iron and will be easily absorbable. I hoped that this supplement could replace all the liver I was eating, because I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped taking the other iron supplement, stopped spending all the money on the dissicated liver capsules, and relied on this supplement alone. There were a lot of great reviews, it was expensive, and supposedly straight heme iron. I did not think I could go wrong. Well nearly 5 months passed and I went back for another blood test. I went from a 23 to a 29 after taking this supplement religiously for 4.5 months. I took 3-4 pills per day, throughout the day, and I also still ate chicken livers, but only about once a month. I also eat meat every day and try to get iron naturally out of food. I am disappointed in the results. To be honest, I cannot say if it is truly the supplement, or if my body is being stubborn. I do think it is probably the supplement though, since I did give it almost 5 months. I wasted nearly $200 on this product, and believed it was superior to other iron supplements. My hair is still thinning and looks absolutely terrible so now my hair regrowth journey is set back 5 months. I will be returning to what worked for me... I will force myself to eat the stupid chicken livers, 1lb of those suckers per week. Back to the dissicated liver capsules, and the iron bisgyclinate. Moral of the story... This supplement might work for you. But do not think it might be an easy fix for you. If you rely solely on this supplement, make sure you get your ferritin tested after just 2 months and make sure it's working. You don't want to think you've found the magic medicine like I did and waste 5 months on what is already a long journey.

Proferrin has been a game changer for me. I’m not always the best at taking pills at the same time every day, so having fewer rules around it removes a lot of the resistance for me. Sometimes I’ll remember while I already have a coffee in hand, and with this I don’t feel like that automatically throws everything off. That alone has made it easier for me to be more consistent. On top of that, it’s been gentler on my stomach than other iron supplements I’ve tried. Overall, I’ve had a really positive experience with it.

Heme iron is one of the only types that is far more bioavailable to the body. I had low iron last year after being unwell with a long virus, and being on a restricted diet. I was recommended these by an expert, and surely enough within about 2 months of daily use, my iron was back up into the normal range. Very good.

Finally an iron supplement that actually works. Within two weeks of starting to use these, my brain fog has finally lifted. I tried so many other supplements with no success that I didn't expect this. So glad I tried!

In all fairness I have not been taking this supplement long enough to know if it is working or not? I'm not due to go back for blood works to check my iron levels for another 6 months, Will do follow up feedback once I know if there has been any improvement or not.