Advice/low iron/ferrous sulphate

[Pemby1984]

Hi all, I went to discuss my latest blood results with my Doctor a few days ago. My latest ferritin was 28. This was taken about 6 weeks ago.However as it is not below 17,she said she could not prescribe me iron meds. Been awful last few weeks,tired,achy,tingly hands and feet,palpitations and hair is falling out. She said its prob anxiety and she gave me a printout sheet about Raynauds when I mentioned tingly sensations. However she said I can buy ferrous sulphate over the counter which I did. Can anyone give me advice on how many I should take a day? Currently just taking one but I know you can take up to three. Don't think 3 may be ideal as not anemic.what do you think?

Thanks

[Emyloulou]

My ferritin last week was 68 and I still take 3x ferrous fumerate daily. They are prescribed by the gp.

When you start them only take 1 a day for a week, then 2 a week then 3 to give yourself a chance to get used to them x

[fbirder]

Iron sulfate can be quite difficult to absorb, so fairly high doses are recommended. That can lead to problems with constipation.

Iron needs to be in solution to be absorbed. But it's not very soluble as the sulfate, especially in love w acid conditions (like you might have if you have PA). To help the iron to dissolve you should take it with chemicals that help it get into solution (chelating agents). Two common ones are citric acid and ascorbic acid.

Tesco do an effervescent vitamin C tablet that contains citric acid and ascorbic acid (the scientific name for vitamin C). Take one tablet each morning with a glass of water with one fizzy Vit C tablet and you'll absorb quite a bit of the iron.

The alternative is to buy an iron preparation that is already chelated. Iron fumarate and iron bisglycinate are two types. They may not be available in supermarkets, but they are on Amazon.

[Pemby1984]

Thank you all for your comments😊 Yes my B12 was 385 ng/l and I think my folate was 5.3. I did think she would prescribethem for me but nope! Yes I agree there with the anxiety card. Don't get me wrong I have had a history of anxiety,but been fine for a few years. These symptoms are different so i think it's 100% down to low levels. I think I might up to 2 next week then.

Thanks