Low Ferratin (Iron) Level/Anxiety

[stovall1992]

Has anyone experienced bad anxiety with low ferratin/iron levels? My blood test showed that my ferratin level was 4😬, and he said that could cause neurological problems.

[esteloca]

Yes! 100%. Ppl have a hard time understanding how vitamin deficiencies can cause severe feelings of anxiety & depression and I was skeptical about the cause even while I was going through it but now I can say w complete certainty, severe vitamin deficiencies did in fact cause me to feel the worst, anxiety & depression I've ever experienced in my life.

My ferritin was 2 for years, vitamin d was 8, hgb was 7.5-8.1, iron was low etc (found out years later I have Celiac disease) & my chest felt so tight frm anxiety I actually started smoking bc I just couldn't take it my nerves were shot!

I got to the point where I could barely force myself to smile at my kids. It was awful.

Sounds like you have a good doctor. Mine were terrible bk then.

Get your ferritin up!

My 17yo is depressed now and we found out his vitamin d is 11.

His pediatrician sd it's no big deal. She sd low vitamin d wouldn't cause physical symptoms... We later saw a Dr. in Nashville who sd he shouldn't start an antidepressant until we get his vitamin d up bc that could be why he's feeling so dwn.

So yea just get your ferritin up and I know you'll feel better!

Hang in there! I hope you're already on the rt track since this was posted 4mos ago. 💖

[stovall1992 in reply to esteloca]

Hello thank you so much for responding. I was taking some iron pills that the doctor prescribed me, but it made me very sick, so I had to stop taking them. I was then recommended to take some Iron ferrasorb by Throne and it has vitamin B12 (which I was low in) and vitamin c. Was low in vitamin d as well and was taking a daily multivitamin that bad vitamin d in it. I ran out of everything, so I haven’t taken it in a while, but I was still suffering from anxiety. Maybe because I was only taking one pill a day. I know it will take a while for my levels to come up, but i’m just so impatient lol. I suffer from agoraphobia as well, and haven’t left my house since July. It’s so frustrating.

How are your levels now? What did you do to bring them up and feel better? How long did it take to bring them up and did you feel a difference afterwards?

Sorry about all the questions.

[esteloca in reply to stovall1992]

Oh my you're welcome! Glad I saw your post and was able to respond.

I can relate to everything you're going through.

I did the same thing when I was put on iron bc it made me sick & I wasn't seeing results I stopped taking it. Did that too many times to count before it got so bad I ended up needing 3 blood transfusions followed by biweekly iron infusions.

My recovery time was wayyy longer than it should've been bc my 1st hematologist never chkd my b12. Even after 13 infusions he didn't think to chk it so it wasn't until I started seeing a different doctor that I found out I have pernicious anemia & that's why 13 infusions didn't get my iron or hemoglobin up.... Also celiac disease made it so that I couldn't absorb iron by mouth anyway.

But once I was diagnosed w everything I'd say it took about 6mos for the severe anxiety and depression to go away & w continued treatment it took a little over a year to get everything up within normal range. Well everything but my iron saturation for some reason won't go up above 10-11% (25-?55% is normal).

I still need infusions every 4-6mos bc my iron drops but they're small & painless.

I know how it is to be impatient about it, I even gave up on taking my vitamin d for a long time till my hips and butt and just all my muscles and bones hurt all the time and my skin was so oily I started looking that up and it was from low vitamin d... I also figured out that D3 works faster & better than D2 which is what they had me on. So I took 50,000 iu of d3 a wk for 6-8mos, along w weekly b12 injections, iron infusions every 3mos at 1st & folic acid.

I have to say that I still suffer from anxiety - I always have but it's nothing compared to what it was when my ferritin and everything was low. It's barely worth mentioning but I dnt want anyone to think vitamins are a miracle cure for typical anxiety bc they're not. Again the anxious feeling I'm talking about from vitamin deficiencies was so severe and unbearable I (a 36yo at the time- nonsmoker who hates the smell of ciggs) started chain smoking day & night bc I was desperate for relief. And I couldn't even smile at my kids. That feeling was gone after my 1st few b12 injections & iron infusions.

I'm sorry this is so long and drawn out. I have neurological damage so I have a hard time saying what I want to say/thinking clearly but if you take anything from this, please just make yourself take your iron and vitamin d and b12!

I too was agoraphobic! Years ago there were times when I couldn't even leave the house to get my infusions. I'd get ready and then cry for hours bc I couldn't open my door and leave.... Then I'd hate myself for not getting my infusion... Anxiety so bad I couldn't call the damn doctor rt away etc. And they didn't care. It was all just awful!

*The thing is, if you don't find a way to make yourself do what you need to do to get better, it'll only get worse till the choice is taken from you*.

The 1st time I needed a blood transfusion I spent a week in the hospital.

I still dnt like to leave the house or open the door for ppl but I do when I have to. I still panic for a min when someone knocks but I dnt run & hide and cry like before so maybe some of those things (if you deal w them) will improve for you too!

I hope you feel better soon and I'm here anytime you want to talk. Ask me anything you like!

Sometimes I think clearly lol maybe nxt time you won't have to read a book & decipher the msg! So sorry!

HANG IN THERE!

Oh and I've heard great things about this blood builder for iron too. MegaFood, Blood Builder, Daily Iron Supplement and Multivitamin,... amazon.com/dp/B00GZ9K2TO/re...

Or maybe you can get infusions... but you have to show up! (Judgement free zone here, I know how it is!)

💖

[stovall1992]

thank you so much. this is most helpful. the people i talked to about my iron were surprised that i’ve never had an infusion before because my levels drop all the time as well. but i can’t handle IV, it makes me really sick, so i have to take pills. My doctor asked me if I had ever had a infusion before, but her didn’t recommended me one. My hemoglobin level was okay, just the vitamin D, B12 and ferratin was low. the anxiety is the worst. i’ve gotten a little better, but last year and earlier this year, it was so bad, i thought i was going to have a mental breakdown. I have bought every CBD and anxiety natural supplement their is, and was given some anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants last year (Ativan and Lexapro), but I didn’t want to take it because I hate taking medication and I don’t want to get hooked on it.

I want to see if the infusion is the best choice for me, but honestly, i’m afraid to get one because i’ve heard so many people talk about the bad side effects. My mom had to get one before her surgery and they postpone her surgery because she was severely ill. The iron was taking was good because it didn’t upset my stomach and I didn’t have any symptoms. But i was only taking 1 pill a day. I probably should take more a day, huh. I will look up the blood builder and try that out.

My hope my agoraphobia improves. I live in an apartment in the second floor, and I can’t even get down the stairs. The most i’ll do is walk out in my door rug, and walk back in. I feel so helpless sometimes .