Folic Acid Tablets

When you buy Folic Acid tablets online, or from your local pharmacy, ensure to take one 5mg Folic acid tablet once a day as prescribed by your doctor or pharmacist. The general length of treatment is 4 months after which your doctor may want a check-up.

You can take folic acid with or without food. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink.

The folic acid will start to work within 24 hours. Do not stop taking folic acid tablets if you start to feel better, complete the full treatment you have been prescribed.

Vitamin B9 (commonly called folate) deficiency anaemia occurs when a lack of folate causes the body to produce abnormally large red blood cells that cannot function properly. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body using a substance called haemoglobin.

Anaemia is the general term for having either fewer red blood cells than normal or having an abnormally low amount of haemoglobin in each red blood cell. There are several different types of anaemia and each one has a different cause.

Folate deficiency can cause a variety of symptoms including:

• extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• lack of energy (lethargy)
• breathlessness
• feeling faint
• headaches
• pale skin
• noticeable heartbeats (palpitations)
• hearing sounds coming from inside the body, rather than from an outside source (tinnitus)
• loss of appetite and weight loss

Folate is a water soluble nutrient meaning the body cannot store it, this requires your body to have a constant supply in the form of the food that we eat or supplements. Some causes of Folate deficiency anaemia are:

• Diet low in Folate or Vitamin B, this could include a plant based diet
• Crohn’s disease
• Celiac disease
• Kidney problems
• Excessive urination
• Genetics
• Certain medication
• Excessive alcohol consumption

As with all medication there is a possibility of side effects, though Folic acid is generally considered quite safe. Please read the Folic Acid tablet patient information leaflet for more information before you buy Folic Acid tablets online.

Talk to your pharmacist or doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away:

• feeling sick (nausea)
• loss of appetite
• bloating or wind

Contact a doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms as it could be a sign of an allergic reaction:

• you get a skin rash that may include itchy, red, swollen, blistered or peeling skin
• you’re wheezing
• you get tightness in the chest or throat
• you have trouble breathing or talking
• your mouth, face, lips, tongue or throat start swelling

It’s best to avoid drinking alcohol with folic acid as alcohol may stop folic acid from being absorbed. Drinking alcohol might mean your folic acid may not work as well.

You can eat and drink normally when taking Folic Acid tablets.

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription:

• antiepileptics (to treat epilepsy) such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone, sodium valproate and carbamazepine
• antibacterials (to treat infections) such as trimethoprim, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole
• sulfasalazine (to treat ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis)
• methotrexate (to treat Crohn’s disease, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis)
• lithium for mental health problems
• triamterene, a diuretic
• a gas and air mixture to put you to sleep for an operation or to relieve pain while you are awake
• aspirin for pain relief or to thin your blood

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breastfeeding, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.

Do not take Folic acid tablets if:

• You have an allergy (hypersensitivity) to folic acid or any of the other ingredients in the tablets
• an untreated vitamin B12 deficiency such as in certain anaemias and lifelong vegetarians
• pernicious anaemia (a form of anaemia caused by lack of vitamin B12 )
• another condition caused by vitamin B12 deficiency
• a malignant (cancerous) disease.

You should buy Folic acid tablets to prevent or reduce Folate deficiency anaemia, as it can cause you to feel tired and drowsy. Folate is required for the body to function properly, and if you are unable to absorb it naturally medication is the second best thing. You can easily buy Folic acid tablets online from e-Surgery with a quick 2 minute health questionnaire!

Although for some, Folic acid tablets will be the best option, there are some foods high in folate that may help reduce your deficiency. These include:

• Legumes
• Asparagus
• Eggs
• Leafy greens
• Beetroot
• Citrus fruit
• Brussel Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Beef liver
• Fortified grains

Store Folic Acid tablets as per instruction of the patient information leaflet in a cool, dry place.

Do not use Folic Acid tablets after the expiration date on the box. Whenever you buy Folic Acid tablets online or any other medication be sure to check the expiry date when your medication arrives in the post.

You can buy Folic Acid tablets online from registered prescribers such as e-Surgery.

Whenever you buy Folic Acid tablets online or any other medication, make sure you check for the green GPhC logo on the bottom of each page of the website you are using.

You can use the GPhC website to check if a pharmacy is registered, this will ensure that when you buy Folic Acid tablets online they will be genuine.

You can find more information about Folic Acid tablets online in the Folic Acid tablet patient information leaflet.

You can also use our completely free Ask-a-Pharmacist service to get health advice from a trained professional. We’re here to help!

e-Surgery uses Royal Mail delivery with choices starting from Royal Mail 48 tracked delivery, Royal Mail tracked 24 and Royal Mail 1 pm special delivery (discover more about e-Surgery delivery). When you buy Folic Acid tablets online they will arrive in discreet, recyclable packaging at a delivery address of your choice.

Find out to recycle packaging from e-Surgery.

Whenever you buy Folic Acid tablets online they will come in blister packs that are not currently recyclable, so once they have been used can be disposed of in a general waste bin. If Folic Acid tablets are unfinished dispose of medication safely and drop them off at a local pharmacy. Cardboard packaging and paper patient information leaflets are recyclable.

For any more information on disposal of Folic Acid tablets you can use our free Ask-A-Pharmacist service.

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The e-Surgery health hub has advice, guidance, and updates on all areas of health, wellness, and pharmacy. You might find these resources useful:

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