Iron/Ferritin levels

[stacie146]

Hi, I was diagnosed with PA earlier on this year. I received my loading doses in May and I'm having a top up injection of B12 every 3 months. Unfortunately, my iron levels are now low. My ferritin level is 5, my iron level is 9 and my saturation level is 11%. My haemoglobin level is normal so my GP isn't too concerned.

I have been prescribed iron supplements (3 x ferrous fumarate 210mg a day). I am taking it along with vitamin C tablets. My question is, how quickly will my ferritin levels improve? What are people's experiences?

[Gardeningbuff]

stacie146 I'm not much help,here, but I have the same thing. Have got extremely love ferritin ( don't

know number, but my surgeon arranged an iron infusion , which I had 10 days ago. I am having a b 12 injection on Thursday. I have has surgeries this year, but I had these symptom way before that, I just had a crap doctor, who didn't recognise it. So I am interested to hear from the experts on here answering your question. Amazing forum. Personally, I think you should probably have had an infusion.

[humanbean]

It depends how well you absorb the iron. The vitamin C tablets will help with iron absorption. If you are a meat eater you should also eat liver once a week, as well as taking the iron tablets.

For an idea of what you want to aim for, as regards results, see this link giving optimal results for iron-related levels :

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

You probably want your ferritin to be roughly mid-range.

I doubt that your doctor will provide a prescription for long enough for your levels to become optimal. You will almost certainly have to buy your own after a while. You should be able to get it easily enough online, or alternatively , if you are in the UK you can buy them from pharmacies without a prescription - it is up to the discretion of the pharmacist. I've bought ferrous fumarate 210mg in boxes of 84 from Lloyds and Tesco Pharmacies. Boots are less forthcoming and some insist on a prescription. If you get refused in one pharmacy try a different one from a different chain.

Since your levels have dropped so very low you will have to take a maintenance dose once your levels are optimal, otherwise your levels are likely to drop like a stone fairly quickly if you stop iron supplementing completely.

If you want to do your own testing (it is important not to overdo the iron, so you need to know how well your levels are doing) you can use finger-prick sampling via the post :

medichecks.com/iron-tests/i...

I think your doctor has been cruel, by the way. Raising iron is often very slow. Your doctor could have arranged an iron infusion for you and raised your levels in a couple of hours.

My levels were almost as bad as yours, but not quite. It took me 22 months to get my ferritin up to mid-range. My serum iron levels were still low, but I didn't want to push any of my iron-related levels above optimal because iron is poisonous in overdose. (I was being very, very cautious.) I still take a maintenance dose of iron and monitor it regularly.

[KimberinUS]

b12 and iron deficiency?

please consider testing for h pylori.

h pylori is a known cause of b12 and iron deficiencies.

i had h pylori without the classic symptom of heartburn. my only symptom was nausea and getting full early.

my ferritin levels were fine but i believe that was because i had craved lime juice (vitamin c) for the prior 3 years, in every drop of my water, which helps with iron absorbtion. however my saturation % was 21 and 24% (2 test times) when i was unaware i had h pylori. also my serum iron was 68 and 69(also same 2 tests).

after h pylori eradicated my saturation percentage increased to 35 (35 optimal for women) and serum iron increased to 109 (110 optimal for women).

FYI if you have h pylori i would suggest you get you D level checked

due to my fatigue i wasnt getting out in the sun and my level was 20. taking supplements of 5k iu daily with a and k for 16 months only increased my D from 20 to 39. this is because we have vitamin D receptors (VDR) in our stomach and intestines which are damaged if you have inflamation from h pylori. getting outside into the sun was my saving grace to increase D levels.

i was disheartened that i still needed b12 injections after eradicating h pylori as all research said after eradication it takes 2-4 months for stomach to heal and b12 absorption to naturally occur.

but don't lose heart. it took my stomach 7 months to start absorbing on its own. my last injection was on 7-6-18 and i haven't felt the need for once since. and previously i was getting them every week or 2 as i am in US and can get at cyanocobalamin (sp?) injections at weight loss clinics weekly. i would try to go longer without injections as they were costing $15 each, but i never got past 32 days previously and at that 32 day time, i felt like i was dying.

now i feel fine without them and is is now end of sept so almost 3 months.

best of luck and health