Best Iron Supplement to up Iron & Ferritin levels

[mistygrey]

Hi

My Iron and Ferritin are always on the low side. Recently my iron was 13, 3 months before it was 8 and ferritin never seems to go above 30.

I am currently on 1 ferrous fumarate daily 210mg, but this never seems to increase levels higher. I can't tolerate two a day as I get a very bad stomach. I have just started B12 injections yesterday.

Any advice appreciated thanks

[Nackapan]

I take the same as you. K rop uo with solgar gentle iron and spartone sachets. My ferritin last time uo to 46. Topk months thpign . Akso gey 14mg in a multivit I take 3 times a week.

Avoid caffeine whilst on iron as it refuses amount yoh absorb. Aksi have vitamin c with iron rich foods. Small feiquenf meals help I think.

I've heard liquid forms good buf haven't tried these.

[Hidden]

I take 3 spatone sachets a day to keep my ferritin up. Previously I. Ended an iron transfusion it was so low. I find that works. My ferritin is about 170 now (top of range is 400 for men and 300 for women at my GP’s lab). I have my iron tested every 3 months so I know I’m ok.

[mistygrey in reply to Hidden]

Is 3 sachets as much as say a ferrous fumarate tablet? Do the sachets give you acid reflux? Or stain your teeth? Thanks I will need to try them. Could I take them alongside ferrous fumarate or is that too much?

[Hidden in reply to mistygrey]

Personally I wouldn’t take them together with tablets. The issue isn’t about whether 3 sachets is the same it is about your body’s ability to absorb the amount of iron in the tablet. Iron tablets from the GP contain high amounts of iron but your body can only absorb a small percentage. The absorption rate with spatone is much higher from a lesser amount of iron so you get more of it going in. It doesn’t stain at all. I buy the one with apple. It tastes better!

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

According to GP, ferritin below 60ug/L can give symptoms (attributed my hair loss and bleeding gums to low levels) and after the 3-month course was at over 60 but dropped back to 30s . Now manage to keep it in late 50s and even 60 if I take iron in multivitamins, daily diet and gentle iron tablet every other day- tried recently to get to 80 on advice of Oral Medicine consultant - but can't.

It has taken years for me to get this well - and an awful lot of B12 injections.

Have daily diarrhoea but have had that for 5 years now and that I believe may be the cause of all my deficiencies- but the reason for it not determined. It could also be just another B12 deficiency symptom but one that I can't get rid of. Either way, iron makes little difference to that for me.

Perhaps try gentle iron instead, but it will take a while to get levels up and to keep them there. Months probably.