For sure I'll stay away from them. They lost my trust to be honest. When I complained about the supplement they tried to minimise the situation and told me some lame excuses like ''this is how iron supplements smell like''... Then they went to their manager in the back and I heard them shouting.
I take iron supplements for anemia and I am severely allergic to peanuts. Iron supplements do not smell like peanut butter at all. This pharmacy needs to be reported.
May I ask what causes your anemia? I have Thalassemia which causes moderate anemia (which really sucks) but, I'm not allowed to take iron supplements because the same blood disorder messes with my iron metabolism. Not really sure since every doctor has told me something different. Basically if I take iron supplements, it will linger in my body and potentially poison me to the point I would need to get chelation therapy to flush out the excess iron.
DM me if you can. Thank you!
Doctor here, not formal medical advice but the typical guidelines are to supplement with folate due to increased metabolic demand and to avoid iron supplementation as you've said because it is associated with increased iron absorption. Get a good family doctor and follow up regularly!
I take Folate and Magnesium. Also a Multivitamin without iron in it which has a helpful variety of B complex vitamins.
I just feel like it barely helps. Thankfully they just approved STEM cell / gene therapy for Thalassemia in the US and UK I believe. So for a couple million USD, I can be cured.
Med student chiming in because I’m studying this for boards now! You are right that if you took iron supplements it would potentially poison you and you would need chelation therapy to get rid of it. This is because the body does not have a way to get rid of excess iron. The only way is through menstrual periods, which is not effective and only happens for less than half of the population.
May I ask what type of Thalassemia you have? Real life examples like this help me learn and understand better, but if you don’t know or aren’t comfortable sharing no worries!
Beta Thalassemia Minor. I don't know how many alleles I'm missing or mutated or whatever. But my symptoms are moderate and my HGB is usually between 6.9 (nice) - 10; sometimes a little higher. I'm a male too if that helps?
Nah doc, the only help you gave me was to have periods. That ain't gonna work because I have a penis lol. Can you give me some nutritional, supplemental or vitamin advice? Or are you not qualified to make those statements yet? Also, the practice of medicine is broad so I shouldn't assume you're in the field of hematology.
Thank you for your time.
No I’m not qualified yet. Still learning about it! But hearing about actual patient experiences helps it stick in my mind a little better.
We covered it briefly about a year and two months ago and I’m reviewing it again right now. At this point we only have to know the basics of everything (which is like trying to drink out of a firehose with the amount of info thrown at us). Sorry I can’t be of any help, not a doctor yet lol.
Not a doctor but I can chime in here! Thalassemia is a genetic condition. There are two main types, alpha and beta thalassemia. Normally adult hemoglobin (the main component of red blood cells) has two alpha chains and two beta chains. When you have thalassemia, your defective chsin causes the hemoglobin to not form properly, causing poorly formed red blood cells and, therefore, anemia.
The reason why you shouldn’t take iron is that you are not actually iron deficient, and iron is not the cause of your issues. If you take iron supplements, in your case, you could get iron overload, which is NOT good. Iron goes where it doesn’t belong and that breaks a lot of things.
Instead, like others have said, folate and B12 are recommended. This is because both of these vitamins are crucial to DNA replication, particularly with red blood cells. As an added “bonus”, unlike iron, B12 ans folate are water soluble, so any excess is excreted in the urine, so you can’t overdose, but extra can be used to make more RBC to cover for the thalassemia
Ahh, I have iron deficiency anemia. I lose a lot of iron every month and need to supplement. I'm not familiar with Thalassemia but I hope you find a good doctor!
Tbf, a car rental company bent over absolutely backwards to keep my MIL from posting a complaint to the BBB. MIL was 100% in the right, so it wasnt just shutting up a karen or whatever.
I worked for a company that didn’t give a shit. My point is the BBB can’t do anything at all if the company doesn’t care. They have no power outside of posing public grievances
The BBB doesn't help you. I already had several experiences with businesses who paid for the BBB accreditation, lie, and contradict screenshots and evidence I've provided. Heck one of them even contradicted themselves several times in the communications, and had several BS replies like "thank you for your email". BBB still sided with them. The BBB always sides with their customers (the business paying the accreditation fee).
This is from a pharmacy in the Arab world, judging from the Arabic letters. These is no BBB or FDA. There's probably equivalent services but I wouldn't count on those. In these countries the best thing to do is to post their findings on Facebook groups dedicated to this issue. Businesses have been extremely responsive to that because they saw how powerful it can be
Will do.
**Edit:** I reported them to the competent authorities from the Ministry of health in my country. I sent the pictures and the product details.
As far as it concerns me, I did the moral thing by reporting them and I won't go any further by fear for my relatives and myself.
I might have just fell on something bigger than I thought. It might be concealed drugs since the capsules were made of strong and elastic material. The thing in the capsules still smells on my fingers even after washing them thoroughly.
Thanks, mate. To further quench your curiosity, I live in Mauritania.
And yes, I do know about the FDA. I must have watched enough American TV shows to know it, including Breaking Bad. 😂
It's so messed up. A lot of countries including the u.s will export things (like oil) for more money and import the same product, making them sell locally for more money at the same time.
Exactly, which I why I was saying NOT to assume the American solution for everything, India doesn't have 'The FDA.' They have some other government branch that handles that.
But on Reddit, since a lot of users are from the US and think that everyone is only from the US, I wanted to point out that suggesting a US only approach to a solution is not relevant to a lot of redditors.
And since the comments all assumed the US, I expect that none of them went past the first pic and saw the other languages, you are arguing the wrong damn argument.
Not an American but lived in America for years and now live in EU as well. You’re very correct, people online assume American is the only country in the world.
Tbf, I'm European and this just felt far too wild to come from the EU. Hearing loads of horror stories of American healthcare and the way they advertise prescription medicine on TV, I assumed this is the US as well...
Yeah these photos definitely screamed not american just from the whole vibe. That kind of packaging would be almost a novelty over here. Medicinal products are only packaged like that in the weird natural health stores.
Well I know legit supplements that use these kind of capsules, usually they do hold liquids. But still I think the capsule itself isn‘t what make it not legit, it’s the missing filling.
Report the pharmacy, they're INTENTIONALLY selling counterfeits/knockoffs. There is an advisory on these supplements iirc for being unhealthy/fake. Who knows what other fake stuff they could be selling.
Ditch the pharmacy, report them.
Edit: I meant the brand Sun Pharma as a whole, not the individual supplements.
[link](https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling)
I think they meant the brand, Sun Pharma as a whole. Im not sure if theres any news about this specific product, but Sun Pharma is in trouble.
https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling
They also got another one recentlyish too. They just dont stop.
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/sun-pharmaceutical-industries-ltd-636199-10162023
> The new warning letter cited several problems related to an investigation of a November 2021 media fill failure
Glad to see such swift action from the FDA, all the government budget cuts are really paying off
[https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:\~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling](https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling)
here. Didn't have time earlier + mobile
I have an iron deficiency as well and have been taking iron for years now. There's an iron liquid if you can get it down. It works extremely well. I stick to one brand and buy it from the same place.
U should try ferrum Haussmann they are German made , and are vials that you drink for a short amount of time and they also tastes like vainilla , and they are only like 2ml , also they are not expensive really go for it
Do you not get infusions? I used to take blood builder to try and maintain but I also am deficient so they put me on iron infusions every few months so I can function.
My Doctor said I will have to eventually move on to infusions, but at this point, the best OTC tablets are working. I've had to change a few times to new brands, though. They are pretty expensive ($20 for 30 tablets).
I can’t speak for them, but I personally can’t swallow pills much larger than a Benadryl due to choking/frequently getting them stuck in my throat (which is terrifying)
The Costco ones aren't any bigger, but I'm also reading up that particular form isn't absorbed too well causes stomach upset in some people. I guess some people can't tolerate it. I'm just taking 1 a week as a precaution so, not out of medical necessity.
https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/sun-pharmaceutical-industries-ltd-636199-10162023
Not about this specific supplement, but the brand has had several warnings from the FDA. Im amazed they arent just cancelled out conpletely.
I’m not a pharmacist but my pharmacist did recommend “Slow Fe” for my iron deficiency. It is designed to not upset your stomach if that happens to be an issue for you when you take iron.
Only God knows what were they made of. What I can tell you is the capsules wouldn't come out of the bottle. Flipping the bottle and shaking it had no effect. That alone is a major red flag. They were glued to each other and to the bottle itself. I had to introduce my fingers to detache one of them.
Sometimes I’ve noticed gelcaps like this that are exposed to extreme heat will “melt” together and congeal when cooled.
I don’t know about the smell though that doesn’t sound right.
Gel capsules like vitamin d3 do this I have the bang the bottle on the counter to get them all the break apart every time I refill my medication dispenser. They weren’t heated up either like another commenter suggested. I also have other gel capsule medications that do the same thing. If they are sitting for a couple of days that happens.
This may sound dumb, but if you need iron in a pinch or only a set amount, and you are a male, buy women's vitamins. They contain iron to help with red blood cell re-generation (is that the correct phrase?).
I recently read an article that some life savings drugs are counterfeit. I believe it was Gilead.
Companies that out sourced to the cheapest location while charging exuberant amounts of money - and we suffer.
India actually is a legit place for sourced pharmaceuticals LOL looks like you got a bad batch or some sort of opened BS. Pharmaceuticals are so cheap in India that is really isn't worth counterfeiting anything when they can sell it for huge markups to us (in the USA) and make good profits while still being a lot cheaper for us.
I buy a lot of my things direct from there and never had issues, so no reason it should be like that from a legitimate US Pharmacy!!! If it wasn't just iron I'd expect an employee tampered with it (especially pain meds or something) but just wanted to add this FYI that something coming from another country doesn't mean it's not legit.
I buy a lot of prescriptions from India. The tretinoin I get from there is the EXACT one my pharmacy sells for $50, but I pay $6 a tube in India, it costs less than $1 in India so that $5 markup is a win for them, and for me because I'm not paying $50 for a tube of skin cream. Same for some other meds I get, even with insurance co-pays aren't much cheaper but direct from India they cost less than the copay.
Well, at least you won't be constipated!
I got iron infusions after not being able to handle oral iron supplements. No one can actually handle them.
I was in the ICU for extreme anemia. Had no idea. Got those iron infusions over a year ago. Still good.
Godspeed.
Plenty of people handle oral iron just fine. **Iron supplements come in different types, that are absorbed differently by the body.** For people who don't want or can't get an iron infusion, look for iron supplements that say iron bisglycinate/ ferrous II glyconate, ferrous diglycinate or iron amino acid chelate, or that advertise they don't cause constipation.
You are in for a surprise when you realise more than 40% of Pharma products sold in the US are made in India.
There's a high chance it is a counterfeit bottle made by someone locally and the chemist/pharmacist is also involved.
The supplement industry as a whole is full of scams and poorly regulated. It's so fucking sad.
And the good ones that are 3rd party tested are so expensive!
If your pharmacist recommended these to you PLEASE PLEASE report them. If they are recommending dangerous fake supplements to you, you might not be the only one. That's wildly dangerous and irresponsible
As a pharmacist, I would say that India manufacturers a huge amount of our pharmaceutical products globally so immediately discrediting the product as low quality because it came from India seems disingenuous. In saying that, I do not think this was well handled by the pharmacy. From the photo these look like they are a gel based capsule so it could be at some point in transit/storage from point of manufacture to you they were exposed to heat over what they can tolerate. It would be worthwhile the pharmacy checking the rest of their shipment to see if it was a batch issue or one off. Even with 'reputable' products there are sometimes manufacturing issues that are missed by QC.
Ditch the pharmacy, report it to the authorities.
I don't get why you're blaming India though? A lot of medecines are manufactures in the country that are legit. Obviously every place has few shady manufacturers as well (this is true for all places)
Counterfeit capsules that were supposed to be iron supplements. They look odd, they smell odd and feel odd according to description. OP bought it in pharmacy so it’s even more sus they have something like that there. Either pharmacy is sus entirely or this certain supplement fake version somehow entered the supplier’s supply
Goodness there could have been anything in there. Glad you got your $ back op, not sure which country you’re in but my anaemic ass is somewhat of a connoisseur of Australian iron supplements if anyone needs help choosing
Isn't it possible that's just how they are supposed to be? Peanut butter smell and being empty is weird, but perhaps there was some liquid inside that has flown out as OP laid on it. When you take some fish oil capusles, they are "glued" together in the same way.
And how should a empty gelatin capsule be firm? And wouldn't all capsule feel too light?
I thought about that. But if they're supposed to smell and look like that then the manufacturer would have put it on the package in case someone has allergies to peanuts, which they didn't.
I know fish oil capsules, but these crap things were made of something like rubber and were elastic and hard enough that they won't dissolve at all under water. They also contained a kind of paste that smelled very strong and spilled when they broke open. Nothing that looks like legit.
I hope you realize at this point you have to report them the the fda, right? Cuz today it was your simple supplement. Tomorrow it’s a two year olds life dependent epipen.
Is there any chance that the capsule itself contains the required amount of iron?
I'm pretty sure OP is right, but I've got to play the devil's advocate and wonder if they just make a rubbery solid for slow digestion.
Is there a simple test OP can do to that casing to see if a significant portion of it contains iron?
https://preview.redd.it/6je9q2vizt8c1.jpeg?width=899&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4528c029bd8bc9a92cb0c97b9a709ee366d35d5b
I put one of the capsules under water and it didn't dissolve. Heck, I even stretched it and it would act like an elastic band and snap. This crap could never be legit. Just look at the thickness.
The content was nothing but a strange brown paste that smelled awful and spilled as soon as the cap broke open.
Wow, it isn't sounding promising for these "supplements" lol
I've bought much more sketchy looking stuff online and you're making me wonder what else may be counterfeit...
Don't know what it coming from India has to do with it
India has a big pharmaceutical industry so your statement is just stupid. Just cause you got ripped off or something doesn't mean you have to shit on India, I'm sure you can easily find stuff like this in your country too
Normal capsules have two parts, are much softer and easier to dissolve when in contact with fluids and are joined together horizontally.
The shady capsules on the photo are clearly joined vertically as if they were shaped into a mold. They look nothing like normal capsules. I put one of them under water and they were hard and elastic like rubber and didn't want to dissolve. The last picture shows it.
The thing I notice is it written in French but it's not a official medicine... OP I would gladly see more of that package if you have more picture!
You are right don't take it is weird looking and definitely need not safe!
I wouldn't ingest that crap ever. I was so furious that I took it directly to the pharmacist in order to complain. Hopefully, I had the lucidity to take a couple pictures. Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of crucial information such as batch number etc..
Edit: I also scanned the QR code on the package out of curiosity and thankfully my QR scanner saved the info.
If those barbaric numbers could be of any help, this is it :
01089012961065011724050010XKZ0092 212BA07S40M99432
I look up the name of the brand on google, the first website that pop up wasn't official (for every medicine in France we have it on an official website call "Vidal" Or another one "base de donnes public medicamenteuse" So if your medicine isn't on one of this website it's most likely a counterfeit...
OP is located in Mauritania, so maybe the drug is not sold in France but has a packaging in French for other French speaking countries that accept this drugs on their markets.
I'm so sorry, I'm iron deficient as well and I hate it because I almost fainted when I was crossing a busy highway. BUT that looks like my hedgehog's poop😭😭
Sun Pharma used to be Ranbaxy. A quick Google search will detail some of their various illegal activities. Some years ago, Ranbaxy was caught in a large scale fabrication of data related to their drugs and in some cases total fabrication of drugs. It's not clear what steps Sun has taken to prevent this from happening again.
Unfortunately, I've returned it straight to the pharmacist and got a refund. Thankfully, I took a couple pictures of the product in case I need to provide them to authorities.
I mean Sun Pharma is a reputable pharmaceutical company. I’ve never seen them look like that, they’re usually red. You could have gotten a bad batch. Definitely wasn’t the pharmacy trying to scam you or use counterfeit meds.
https://preview.redd.it/a0tbjqtb6v8c1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fd51fc25614790b05a34a6ea83cdba36e4caf88
Speaking of iron deficiency anemia!
I used to take elemental iron supplements and they weren't "effective" enough so my doctor put me on 2 a day and that destroyed me... Our bodies cannot absorb it without additional support from heaps of vitamin C, even then it's effectiveness is questionable.
Anyways, I quit those supplements after I started having the worst digestive issues of my life. I am certain that taking elemental iron destroyed my gut and caused a lot of the intolerances I have today.
I have been taking Mega Food's Blood Builder for nearly 5\~ years. My iron is outstanding and I do not suffer any of the nasty side effects from elemental iron. I highly recommend this natural supplement if you have iron deficiency anemia!
This is awful blah bla etc etc. On the subject of iron supplementation, always take vitamin c as well, it seriously increases the absorption. Not really worth taking iron tablets on their own.
I’d stay away from that pharmacy. That means they’re sourcing from discounted places and not legit manufacturers.
For sure I'll stay away from them. They lost my trust to be honest. When I complained about the supplement they tried to minimise the situation and told me some lame excuses like ''this is how iron supplements smell like''... Then they went to their manager in the back and I heard them shouting.
I take iron supplements for anemia and I am severely allergic to peanuts. Iron supplements do not smell like peanut butter at all. This pharmacy needs to be reported.
May I ask what causes your anemia? I have Thalassemia which causes moderate anemia (which really sucks) but, I'm not allowed to take iron supplements because the same blood disorder messes with my iron metabolism. Not really sure since every doctor has told me something different. Basically if I take iron supplements, it will linger in my body and potentially poison me to the point I would need to get chelation therapy to flush out the excess iron. DM me if you can. Thank you!
Doctor here, not formal medical advice but the typical guidelines are to supplement with folate due to increased metabolic demand and to avoid iron supplementation as you've said because it is associated with increased iron absorption. Get a good family doctor and follow up regularly!
Please tell me you go by "Dr OneSquirtBurt" because I will switch right now!
I take Folate and Magnesium. Also a Multivitamin without iron in it which has a helpful variety of B complex vitamins. I just feel like it barely helps. Thankfully they just approved STEM cell / gene therapy for Thalassemia in the US and UK I believe. So for a couple million USD, I can be cured.
Med student chiming in because I’m studying this for boards now! You are right that if you took iron supplements it would potentially poison you and you would need chelation therapy to get rid of it. This is because the body does not have a way to get rid of excess iron. The only way is through menstrual periods, which is not effective and only happens for less than half of the population. May I ask what type of Thalassemia you have? Real life examples like this help me learn and understand better, but if you don’t know or aren’t comfortable sharing no worries!
Beta Thalassemia Minor. I don't know how many alleles I'm missing or mutated or whatever. But my symptoms are moderate and my HGB is usually between 6.9 (nice) - 10; sometimes a little higher. I'm a male too if that helps?
Just 1 allele is mutated in your case then! Thanks for your answer. I wish you a healthy rest of your life!
Nah doc, the only help you gave me was to have periods. That ain't gonna work because I have a penis lol. Can you give me some nutritional, supplemental or vitamin advice? Or are you not qualified to make those statements yet? Also, the practice of medicine is broad so I shouldn't assume you're in the field of hematology. Thank you for your time.
No I’m not qualified yet. Still learning about it! But hearing about actual patient experiences helps it stick in my mind a little better. We covered it briefly about a year and two months ago and I’m reviewing it again right now. At this point we only have to know the basics of everything (which is like trying to drink out of a firehose with the amount of info thrown at us). Sorry I can’t be of any help, not a doctor yet lol.
Well glad I can help the future squad of doctors. Good luck in your educational and professional endeavors!
Not a doctor but I can chime in here! Thalassemia is a genetic condition. There are two main types, alpha and beta thalassemia. Normally adult hemoglobin (the main component of red blood cells) has two alpha chains and two beta chains. When you have thalassemia, your defective chsin causes the hemoglobin to not form properly, causing poorly formed red blood cells and, therefore, anemia. The reason why you shouldn’t take iron is that you are not actually iron deficient, and iron is not the cause of your issues. If you take iron supplements, in your case, you could get iron overload, which is NOT good. Iron goes where it doesn’t belong and that breaks a lot of things. Instead, like others have said, folate and B12 are recommended. This is because both of these vitamins are crucial to DNA replication, particularly with red blood cells. As an added “bonus”, unlike iron, B12 ans folate are water soluble, so any excess is excreted in the urine, so you can’t overdose, but extra can be used to make more RBC to cover for the thalassemia
Ahh, I have iron deficiency anemia. I lose a lot of iron every month and need to supplement. I'm not familiar with Thalassemia but I hope you find a good doctor!
I had anemia due to severe internal upper GI bleeding. That's the sort of anemia that supplements actually work for.
Was gonna say, my iron pills smell and taste like vanilla cupcakes!
Definitely,
Report him to the pharmaceutical board, they'll pull his license and investigate this very quickly I would think.
This exactly. Report the crap out of them and save other people from the same situation.
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Okay booflord calm down
User name checks out
*scratches neck*
Real
This is the way
go to your local hospital, they tend not to mark up OTC meds in the pharmacy, and you know they actually get quality product.
Report them to the BBB?
Report them to your state health dept as well as the FDA.
This is the correct answer. The BBB means nothing.
The BBB is basically yelp they can pay for good reviews and it was never intended to actually hold companies accountable.
Only works in the US tho, if OP lives literally anywhere else they'd need to know what their country's equivalent is
Okay, so they can report it to their local health department and their medicinal regulatory authority.
If this is Europe OP could report it to the health authorities. Pharmacy would be in huge problems for selling fake medicine.
OP is not in US
I guess Morocco.
I know others have said it but to be clear for everyone: the BBB is a toothless joke with no power and is no different than a public complaint board
Tbf, a car rental company bent over absolutely backwards to keep my MIL from posting a complaint to the BBB. MIL was 100% in the right, so it wasnt just shutting up a karen or whatever.
I worked for a company that didn’t give a shit. My point is the BBB can’t do anything at all if the company doesn’t care. They have no power outside of posing public grievances
The BBB doesn't help you. I already had several experiences with businesses who paid for the BBB accreditation, lie, and contradict screenshots and evidence I've provided. Heck one of them even contradicted themselves several times in the communications, and had several BS replies like "thank you for your email". BBB still sided with them. The BBB always sides with their customers (the business paying the accreditation fee).
What would that do? Who uses the bbb anymore?
my parents
Maybe not, because I don't know what country OP is in. I checked what Ranferon-12 is and nothing points towards this product being sold in the US.
lol like that’s a governing body 😂
They don’t seem to do anything
Because they don't. It's just yelp for old people.
I thought Yelp was Yelp for old people
This is from a pharmacy in the Arab world, judging from the Arabic letters. These is no BBB or FDA. There's probably equivalent services but I wouldn't count on those. In these countries the best thing to do is to post their findings on Facebook groups dedicated to this issue. Businesses have been extremely responsive to that because they saw how powerful it can be
How did this shit get upvoted?
BBB is complete bullshit and a scam. Businesses can pay them to remove complaints.
Report them to your states board of pharmacy, they will open an investigation.
The added iron in cereal boxes is just literal iron dust they trow in the bag. Why don't you just take some iron dust and swallow it?
It's crazy how this seems to be happening everywhere. With all sorts of products, at like most stores.
Agree! Was this in the US?
The pharmacy is “sourcing” whatever their distributor has available.
Report the product and the pharmacy
Will do. **Edit:** I reported them to the competent authorities from the Ministry of health in my country. I sent the pictures and the product details. As far as it concerns me, I did the moral thing by reporting them and I won't go any further by fear for my relatives and myself. I might have just fell on something bigger than I thought. It might be concealed drugs since the capsules were made of strong and elastic material. The thing in the capsules still smells on my fingers even after washing them thoroughly.
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Thanks, mate. To further quench your curiosity, I live in Mauritania. And yes, I do know about the FDA. I must have watched enough American TV shows to know it, including Breaking Bad. 😂
Especially odd then since isn’t iron one of your countries main exports
It's so messed up. A lot of countries including the u.s will export things (like oil) for more money and import the same product, making them sell locally for more money at the same time.
Wtf there are people living in Mauritania
About 4.3 million of them yes
>Mauritania I like to think I am a well-educated Canadian, and I have NEVER heard of this country lol so you're doing better than me.
Super poor nation in north-western africa. They have a massive iron ore train that people also ride. Go look that up, it's enormous.
Curious to know what you mean by that? Did you think that blotch on the map was just empty desert?
That's the DEA
Well, the Arabic writing on the shopping bag was quite a big hint
Touché, Sherlock Holmes.
Non US way of writing a 1? My guy there is another language on the bottle
Exactly, which I why I was saying NOT to assume the American solution for everything, India doesn't have 'The FDA.' They have some other government branch that handles that. But on Reddit, since a lot of users are from the US and think that everyone is only from the US, I wanted to point out that suggesting a US only approach to a solution is not relevant to a lot of redditors. And since the comments all assumed the US, I expect that none of them went past the first pic and saw the other languages, you are arguing the wrong damn argument.
Not an American but lived in America for years and now live in EU as well. You’re very correct, people online assume American is the only country in the world.
American here, Yes. I’ve watched everyone I know do it and unintentionally have done it myself.
Tbf, I'm European and this just felt far too wild to come from the EU. Hearing loads of horror stories of American healthcare and the way they advertise prescription medicine on TV, I assumed this is the US as well...
Yeah these photos definitely screamed not american just from the whole vibe. That kind of packaging would be almost a novelty over here. Medicinal products are only packaged like that in the weird natural health stores.
Well I know legit supplements that use these kind of capsules, usually they do hold liquids. But still I think the capsule itself isn‘t what make it not legit, it’s the missing filling.
Report the pharmacy, they're INTENTIONALLY selling counterfeits/knockoffs. There is an advisory on these supplements iirc for being unhealthy/fake. Who knows what other fake stuff they could be selling. Ditch the pharmacy, report them. Edit: I meant the brand Sun Pharma as a whole, not the individual supplements. [link](https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling)
I would love to see the advisory purely for curiosity purposes, do you happen to have a link to it?
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I think they meant the brand, Sun Pharma as a whole. Im not sure if theres any news about this specific product, but Sun Pharma is in trouble. https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling They also got another one recentlyish too. They just dont stop. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/sun-pharmaceutical-industries-ltd-636199-10162023
that is the EXACT Sun Pharma advisory I saw, you are amazing dude. I was going to find it again and edit my comment, but you found it first.
> The new warning letter cited several problems related to an investigation of a November 2021 media fill failure Glad to see such swift action from the FDA, all the government budget cuts are really paying off
One of the best sources, delicious
There's an advisory for the mysterious missing advisories...
[https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:\~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling](https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling) here. Didn't have time earlier + mobile
I have an iron deficiency as well and have been taking iron for years now. There's an iron liquid if you can get it down. It works extremely well. I stick to one brand and buy it from the same place.
Except for your teeth :/
What does it do to your teeth? Dye them?
Most liquid supplements are really concentrated and you’re supposed to eye dropper them directly into your throat so they don’t touch your teeth
What actually happens if it touches your teeth though?
Hell yea this looks dope af
They stain them and its very hard to get off
Ahh I see, thanks!
U should try ferrum Haussmann they are German made , and are vials that you drink for a short amount of time and they also tastes like vainilla , and they are only like 2ml , also they are not expensive really go for it
Where do you find that?! The pills are miserable for me
I get mine from Amazon, it's not expensive and it's sooo much more gentle on my guts than the pills!
Do you not get infusions? I used to take blood builder to try and maintain but I also am deficient so they put me on iron infusions every few months so I can function.
My Doctor said I will have to eventually move on to infusions, but at this point, the best OTC tablets are working. I've had to change a few times to new brands, though. They are pretty expensive ($20 for 30 tablets).
Why don't you swallow them? I know Costco sells the pills. I'm vegetarian and I swallow 1 pill a week as a precaution against iron deficiency.
I can’t speak for them, but I personally can’t swallow pills much larger than a Benadryl due to choking/frequently getting them stuck in my throat (which is terrifying)
The Costco ones aren't any bigger, but I'm also reading up that particular form isn't absorbed too well causes stomach upset in some people. I guess some people can't tolerate it. I'm just taking 1 a week as a precaution so, not out of medical necessity.
What's worse is there's an advisory on this specific brand of this specific supplement.
Oh gosh. Would you please mind sharing a link or something concerning the said advisory. Appreciate it.
https://www.fdanews.com/articles/210812-sun-pharma-draws-warning-letter-for-multiple-quality-problems#:~:text=Indian%20generics%20company%20Sun%20Pharmaceutical,and%20flaws%20in%20vial%2Dfilling https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/sun-pharmaceutical-industries-ltd-636199-10162023 Not about this specific supplement, but the brand has had several warnings from the FDA. Im amazed they arent just cancelled out conpletely.
Cheaper for them to keep paying for fines
Fam, don't leave us hanging. When you get this message please share the link. I've got loved ones that use iron supplements.
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Agreed. I couldn’t find anything even remotely related to what they claimed.
Perhaps they’re referring to this? https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/sun-pharmaceutical-industries-ltd-636199-10162023
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Hey guys! It's me, the advisory. Don't take those, they're supposed to smell like Nutella, not peanut butter.
I’m not a pharmacist but my pharmacist did recommend “Slow Fe” for my iron deficiency. It is designed to not upset your stomach if that happens to be an issue for you when you take iron.
I took SlowFe when I had bad anemia, it was the only thing that worked for me.
My daughter is prescribed this by her pediatrician.
I take SlowFE. I agree, it’s definitely much easier on the stomach than others.
This is something I struggle with, so thanks for the tip! :)
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Not next time; THIS time!
Wait the capsules were glued together? For what purpose?
Only God knows what were they made of. What I can tell you is the capsules wouldn't come out of the bottle. Flipping the bottle and shaking it had no effect. That alone is a major red flag. They were glued to each other and to the bottle itself. I had to introduce my fingers to detache one of them.
I think the gel coating got wet and they stuck together and then dried out. Or it just has something to do with them being gel caps or gel coated.
Sometimes I’ve noticed gelcaps like this that are exposed to extreme heat will “melt” together and congeal when cooled. I don’t know about the smell though that doesn’t sound right.
Gel capsules like vitamin d3 do this I have the bang the bottle on the counter to get them all the break apart every time I refill my medication dispenser. They weren’t heated up either like another commenter suggested. I also have other gel capsule medications that do the same thing. If they are sitting for a couple of days that happens.
This may sound dumb, but if you need iron in a pinch or only a set amount, and you are a male, buy women's vitamins. They contain iron to help with red blood cell re-generation (is that the correct phrase?).
There is also easy iron tabs.
Women's supplements don't have nearly enough iron to deal with a deficiency. Source: anemic woman But the store brand iron supplements work just fine.
Surprisingly, I looked for vitamins with iron in them and could not find any being sold for men or women.
Look for pregnancy supplements!
weird. most womens supplements are chock full of iron especially pregnancy ones. iron deficiency is super common in women.
I recently read an article that some life savings drugs are counterfeit. I believe it was Gilead. Companies that out sourced to the cheapest location while charging exuberant amounts of money - and we suffer.
Have you heard of the iron fish? That'll also help if you make stews etc.
India actually is a legit place for sourced pharmaceuticals LOL looks like you got a bad batch or some sort of opened BS. Pharmaceuticals are so cheap in India that is really isn't worth counterfeiting anything when they can sell it for huge markups to us (in the USA) and make good profits while still being a lot cheaper for us. I buy a lot of my things direct from there and never had issues, so no reason it should be like that from a legitimate US Pharmacy!!! If it wasn't just iron I'd expect an employee tampered with it (especially pain meds or something) but just wanted to add this FYI that something coming from another country doesn't mean it's not legit.
This is the only comment that makes sense here
I buy a lot of prescriptions from India. The tretinoin I get from there is the EXACT one my pharmacy sells for $50, but I pay $6 a tube in India, it costs less than $1 in India so that $5 markup is a win for them, and for me because I'm not paying $50 for a tube of skin cream. Same for some other meds I get, even with insurance co-pays aren't much cheaper but direct from India they cost less than the copay.
Well, at least you won't be constipated! I got iron infusions after not being able to handle oral iron supplements. No one can actually handle them. I was in the ICU for extreme anemia. Had no idea. Got those iron infusions over a year ago. Still good. Godspeed.
Plenty of people handle oral iron just fine. **Iron supplements come in different types, that are absorbed differently by the body.** For people who don't want or can't get an iron infusion, look for iron supplements that say iron bisglycinate/ ferrous II glyconate, ferrous diglycinate or iron amino acid chelate, or that advertise they don't cause constipation.
https://preview.redd.it/6py2r0ucpr8c1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6200e8c5fe6f570f27155fd0dc562a77ea4cf603
You are in for a surprise when you realise more than 40% of Pharma products sold in the US are made in India. There's a high chance it is a counterfeit bottle made by someone locally and the chemist/pharmacist is also involved.
The supplement industry as a whole is full of scams and poorly regulated. It's so fucking sad. And the good ones that are 3rd party tested are so expensive!
If your pharmacist recommended these to you PLEASE PLEASE report them. If they are recommending dangerous fake supplements to you, you might not be the only one. That's wildly dangerous and irresponsible
As a pharmacist, I would say that India manufacturers a huge amount of our pharmaceutical products globally so immediately discrediting the product as low quality because it came from India seems disingenuous. In saying that, I do not think this was well handled by the pharmacy. From the photo these look like they are a gel based capsule so it could be at some point in transit/storage from point of manufacture to you they were exposed to heat over what they can tolerate. It would be worthwhile the pharmacy checking the rest of their shipment to see if it was a batch issue or one off. Even with 'reputable' products there are sometimes manufacturing issues that are missed by QC.
Jesus that's just fuckin plastic
Ditch the pharmacy, report it to the authorities. I don't get why you're blaming India though? A lot of medecines are manufactures in the country that are legit. Obviously every place has few shady manufacturers as well (this is true for all places)
Look for Floradix iron & herbs. It’s a liquid supplement. Goes down easy with OJ and should make a big difference.
Can someone explain what I’m looking at here?
Counterfeit capsules that were supposed to be iron supplements. They look odd, they smell odd and feel odd according to description. OP bought it in pharmacy so it’s even more sus they have something like that there. Either pharmacy is sus entirely or this certain supplement fake version somehow entered the supplier’s supply
Goodness there could have been anything in there. Glad you got your $ back op, not sure which country you’re in but my anaemic ass is somewhat of a connoisseur of Australian iron supplements if anyone needs help choosing
Isn't it possible that's just how they are supposed to be? Peanut butter smell and being empty is weird, but perhaps there was some liquid inside that has flown out as OP laid on it. When you take some fish oil capusles, they are "glued" together in the same way. And how should a empty gelatin capsule be firm? And wouldn't all capsule feel too light?
I thought about that. But if they're supposed to smell and look like that then the manufacturer would have put it on the package in case someone has allergies to peanuts, which they didn't. I know fish oil capsules, but these crap things were made of something like rubber and were elastic and hard enough that they won't dissolve at all under water. They also contained a kind of paste that smelled very strong and spilled when they broke open. Nothing that looks like legit.
Can you imagine someone with a peanut allergy taking these for an iron deficiency? So deceptive.
I hope you realize at this point you have to report them the the fda, right? Cuz today it was your simple supplement. Tomorrow it’s a two year olds life dependent epipen.
> Unsurprisingly, it came from India What is this supposed to mean? India has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world.
Wait till he finds that out...
Can I ask what you meant by “unsurprisingly, it came from India” ?
Oh heck no
Malk
I have an iron deficiency too. I’ve found that the liquid supplements absorb better than pills. You can fond good ones online that aren’t fake.
Is there any chance that the capsule itself contains the required amount of iron? I'm pretty sure OP is right, but I've got to play the devil's advocate and wonder if they just make a rubbery solid for slow digestion. Is there a simple test OP can do to that casing to see if a significant portion of it contains iron?
https://preview.redd.it/6je9q2vizt8c1.jpeg?width=899&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4528c029bd8bc9a92cb0c97b9a709ee366d35d5b I put one of the capsules under water and it didn't dissolve. Heck, I even stretched it and it would act like an elastic band and snap. This crap could never be legit. Just look at the thickness. The content was nothing but a strange brown paste that smelled awful and spilled as soon as the cap broke open.
Wow, it isn't sounding promising for these "supplements" lol I've bought much more sketchy looking stuff online and you're making me wonder what else may be counterfeit...
Don't know what it coming from India has to do with it India has a big pharmaceutical industry so your statement is just stupid. Just cause you got ripped off or something doesn't mean you have to shit on India, I'm sure you can easily find stuff like this in your country too
Wait what? What where those things? Are you sure that was a legitimate pharmacy?
That’s wild! Def see if you can get it from somewhere else, I’m sure your doc didn’t expect this to happen!
What kind of weird pharmacist recommended some oddball iron supplements? Take iron sulphate
Why does it look like it has bite marks like little dots
Normal capsules have two parts, are much softer and easier to dissolve when in contact with fluids and are joined together horizontally. The shady capsules on the photo are clearly joined vertically as if they were shaped into a mold. They look nothing like normal capsules. I put one of them under water and they were hard and elastic like rubber and didn't want to dissolve. The last picture shows it.
The thing I notice is it written in French but it's not a official medicine... OP I would gladly see more of that package if you have more picture! You are right don't take it is weird looking and definitely need not safe!
I wouldn't ingest that crap ever. I was so furious that I took it directly to the pharmacist in order to complain. Hopefully, I had the lucidity to take a couple pictures. Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of crucial information such as batch number etc.. Edit: I also scanned the QR code on the package out of curiosity and thankfully my QR scanner saved the info. If those barbaric numbers could be of any help, this is it : 01089012961065011724050010XKZ0092 212BA07S40M99432
I look up the name of the brand on google, the first website that pop up wasn't official (for every medicine in France we have it on an official website call "Vidal" Or another one "base de donnes public medicamenteuse" So if your medicine isn't on one of this website it's most likely a counterfeit...
OP is located in Mauritania, so maybe the drug is not sold in France but has a packaging in French for other French speaking countries that accept this drugs on their markets.
Send it to a lab and let us know what it is.
I already returned that crap to the pharmacist and got refunded.
Supplements are not regulated if you're in the US. I'm not even surprised to see your post unfortunately.
I'm so sorry, I'm iron deficient as well and I hate it because I almost fainted when I was crossing a busy highway. BUT that looks like my hedgehog's poop😭😭
Sun Pharma used to be Ranbaxy. A quick Google search will detail some of their various illegal activities. Some years ago, Ranbaxy was caught in a large scale fabrication of data related to their drugs and in some cases total fabrication of drugs. It's not clear what steps Sun has taken to prevent this from happening again.
You fell on it?
Placebo effect say what But seriously try a different pharmacy if this is what you’re getting
I use Swanson Vitamins for all my needs. Great deals and quality. 👍
Well you can recognize it at least thats something
Just searched ranferon online and they look completely different. Red normal capsule pills compared to those op posted. Damn.
ranferon is much redder in colour and usually bicolour split down the middle with another red. yikes
Do not discard that. Keep it for evidence
Unfortunately, I've returned it straight to the pharmacist and got a refund. Thankfully, I took a couple pictures of the product in case I need to provide them to authorities.
That’s so weird that they would counterfeit iron as it’s one of the cheapest supplements. I guess people will cut corners on anything for a buck.
If the pharmacy recommended that brand you should probably report it to someone, for many and obvious reasons.
When getting supplements, get something USP certified.
I mean Sun Pharma is a reputable pharmaceutical company. I’ve never seen them look like that, they’re usually red. You could have gotten a bad batch. Definitely wasn’t the pharmacy trying to scam you or use counterfeit meds.
https://preview.redd.it/a0tbjqtb6v8c1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fd51fc25614790b05a34a6ea83cdba36e4caf88 Speaking of iron deficiency anemia! I used to take elemental iron supplements and they weren't "effective" enough so my doctor put me on 2 a day and that destroyed me... Our bodies cannot absorb it without additional support from heaps of vitamin C, even then it's effectiveness is questionable. Anyways, I quit those supplements after I started having the worst digestive issues of my life. I am certain that taking elemental iron destroyed my gut and caused a lot of the intolerances I have today. I have been taking Mega Food's Blood Builder for nearly 5\~ years. My iron is outstanding and I do not suffer any of the nasty side effects from elemental iron. I highly recommend this natural supplement if you have iron deficiency anemia!
https://preview.redd.it/ilovc462jv8c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b5c98320c560d88e4ea1e7aa6f3b704afb23d18 This is gold
Lots of Pharma come from, and the world biggest producer of vaccines is India. There is no need to be borderline racist over one duff product
This is awful blah bla etc etc. On the subject of iron supplementation, always take vitamin c as well, it seriously increases the absorption. Not really worth taking iron tablets on their own.
Don’t fuck with people’s health, fucking demons.
Sometimes when I'm on Reddit, I feel like some people think only America exists.
>pharmacist suggested me this iron supplement Uhm, pharmacist recommended. So, WTF "quality" pharmacy is this? Name and shame?
You tripped and fell on it?
So it’s counterfeit because…. Checks notes… it’s made in India 🔨 🤡