Iron Levels

[stovall1992]

How long does it take for iron level to rise after taking iron supplements?

[Nackapan]

It took months to raise my ferritin levels. I expect its what you are able or prescribed to take and how well you absorb it. Not quick though . Retesting usually done 3 months later with a blood test.

[stovall1992 in reply to Nackapan]

yea I figured. my level was at a 4 and my doctor prescribed me some iron to take, twice a day, but it made me very sick. so i’m taking some supplements. but i feel like it’s taking forever to increase.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

stoval1992

although this forum has anaemia in the title it isn't really about anaemia but about a particular auto-immune disorder in the gut that affects absorption of a particular vitamin, B12, leading to a type of anaemia in which red blood cells are larger and rounder than normal (macrocytic). Iron deficiency causes a type of anaemia in which your red blood cells are smaller than normal.

Ferritin should not be used as a single measure to confirm iron deficiency as, although it is a good indicator of iron status it isn;'t definitive so I hope your GP did a full blood count and iron panel. Do you know if you had microcytic anaemia.

There are a number of things that could cause iron deficiency - an absorption problem (so PA can also affect iron status), loss of blood. It is also possible that there might be something going on with the way your body handles iron. There is also the possiblity that your diet may be deficient in iron in the first place.

Because the problem can be different for different people that means that responses to supplements will be different.

Please follow up with your GP - may be that you need a referral to a haematologist to sort out what caused the low ferritin levels and that might affect the way it needs to be treated.

[FlipperTD]

If you have a 'well-developed microcytic anaemia caused by iron deficiency' then it's typical to see a haematological response (reticulocytosis) within about ten days, (from memory). A macrocytic anaemia caused by deficiency of B12 or folate should show a response to replacement in less than a week. However, replacement of stores will take longer, and potentially much longer, depending on the underlying cause. There are loads of different iron replacements, and your doctor is the best person to advise you on these.

[stovall1992 in reply to FlipperTD]

i’m not even sure what that is lol. I just know i’ve had issues with iron deficiency since i was a kid. but my hemoglobin hasn’t been too much of an issue. just the iron. but i’ve never been required to get an infusion.

[FlipperTD in reply to stovall1992]

When your body runs out of iron, it can't make enough haemoglobin. It's still making red cells, but they have less haemoglobin in them so look paler [hypochromic] and are smaller [microcytic]. Newly released red cells are termed 'reticulocytes', and our red cells are typically around 1% retics. When iron is the rate-limiting factor and we're anaemic, replacement of iron results in an increase in retics as red cell production goes into overdrive, and then the Haemoglobin level goes back up to normal, the bone marrow settles down again, and your iron stores will increase too.

[FlipperTD]

I reply as a scientist, not a medic. As for how long it takes, it's a 'how long is a piece of string?' response. It's impossible to say. It depends on the underlying cause. A typical daily diet contains around 20mg of iron, and of that, we absorb about 10%. If we're deficient, we absorb more. It's a fine balance. Someone suffering from small scale chronic bleeding [just a few millilitres of blood a day] will easily get tipped into 'negative iron balance' and become deficient. A good yardstick to remember is that one millilitre of red cells contains about 1 milligram of iron. Unless we 'lose the cells' by bleeding, the iron is recycled and re-used. A haematological response shown with a rising Haemoglobin level and normalising MCV are indicators that it's working, but that doesn't mean your stores are replete yet. don't exceed the stated dose.

As I always say, 'listen to your doctor!'