Ferritin

[MALP]

My last batch of blood tests showed my Ferritin levvel to be 74, several years before it had been 246 - should I be supplementing? I'm on B12 shots twice weekly for past couple of months and am making very slow progress, I take 400 of folic acid too + sublinguals of methyl 5000 daily.GP says Ferritin falls in normal range (so did my B12 originially at 265 but I has neuro symptoms and family history of PA!).

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Ferritin is actually a protein that binds with iron so it can be an indicator that you have an iron based anaemia - but it doesn't rule out other things going on.

The normal range for iron is very wide and for women seems to go from about 11-307ng/ml, so assuming the same units are being used in the test then you are well within normal range. Your previous reading would have been at the top of the range.

I'd be careful about supplementing as you can overdose on iron.

However, having said that I have to admit that I have taken an iron supplement for years with no ill effects - in fact it helped me with period pains etc.

[MALP in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit, since I'm not menstruating I'm not losing iron, so I will avoid supplementation!

[Harvena]

Just over a year ago my Ferritin was 7, it is now 88 ug/L reference range was and is 20 - 250ug/L The little graph thingy on the report registers at about 1/3 on the scale. So depending what reference range you Lab uses 74 looks pretty low against my Lab's range. I understand that B12 uses up Iron and folic acid and for those injecting B12 I think the FB group of the PA Society recommends keeping Ferritin above 80. I don't know how much extra iron supplementation with sub lingual would call for, but perhaps you might want to consider a degree of iron supplementation?