Am I still not absorbing iron?

[Claire27272]

My b12 was 88ng/L and iron 4ug/L.... after 3 years of symptoms, I have had my 5 b12 loading jabs a month ago and taking ferrous fumarate every other day as any more than that gives me diarrhoea. I'm not sure I'm absorbing the iron if its doing that to me. Still have bouts of tiredness and tingling and numbness in face and hands. Vit D is ok. Also have microcytic and hypochromic RBCs ....Any suggestions? Hoped the b12 would cure me so Im a bit fed up now....

[Litatamon]

Claire, there is a Costa Rican staple called carao juice that has been very successful for people that can't seem to get their iron numbers up.

I know of someone who was as low as you for years, pica as a child, and it instantly brought hers up. Nothing else worked, over decades. Pills, diet, blackstrap molasses etc.

Heads up it tastes awful - I don't mind it but most do. However, it causes no secondary issues.

Here is one supplier -

tropicalhealthfoods.com/

This company sells it on Amazon as well. I would be taking it every single day if I had the funds.

[Claire27272 in reply to Litatamon]

Thanks! I'll give anything a go tbh! I'll report back on progress

[Nackapan in reply to Litatamon]

Not heard of that. Will look into it for my daughter too!

[Litatamon in reply to Nackapan]

It is expensive -mainly shipping costs - Nackapan, but works. What they use regularly in Costa Rica is watered down and very inexpensive, but it is the consistency of a juice. This company has it more like a paste.

I have continually searched for a supplier in Toronto by phoning any local Costa Rican possible connection - Latin grocery stores etc. - to no avail. But will keep trying. That is how potent it is for my strength. My budget just won't allow it over time right now, unfortunately.

[Nackapan in reply to Litatamon]

Thank you. I will certainly read about it.

[Nackapan]

I have ferrous fumerate every other day. However I have a .multivit with it in and Soartane and Solgar gentle iron inbetween alternating. Try different sorts if iron and take away from caffeine a d with vitamin c. It takes a while to get levels up. You should have follow up bloods.

I'm 2 years on and also not 'cured' so 8 understand you feeling fed up at times. I'm dreading the dark evenk gs as cant tolerate the lights on and so it goes on. ...

[fbirder in reply to Nackapan]

If you're taking iron in a chelated form (basically, anything apart from iron sulfate) then there's no need to take vitamin C with it. The vitamin C (ascorbic acid) will act as a chelating agent for unchelated iron.

Chelation is where an organic molecule (like ascorbate, citrate, fumarate, glycine, etc.) binds, in a gentle way, to the iron. This makes it more soluble, which makes it absorbable.

[Claire27272 in reply to fbirder]

Thats interesting as I was told to take with orange juice...loving the science!

[GayleD]

I was the same on iron tablets and really struggled to get my iron up. My GP prescribed me liquid iron (sodium federate) and I’m absolutely fine on that as it’s gentler on the stomach. Since I’ve been taking it I’ve managed to keep my iron levels up.

They’ve tried to switch me back to tablets a few times as the liquid form is quite expensive, but I’ve managed to keep on it for now. May also be worth a try?

[Claire27272]

Thanks for that...I will request that next time x

[Litatamon in reply to Claire27272]

Claire I also know of a few people that have been successful with Floradix. But obviously it would be more cost effective to have a prescription for liquid iron, as GayleD stated, if you have coverage.

florahealth.com/ca-en/produ...

[Nackapan]

Hope one of these things suits you.

[FlipperTD]

A bit of the science behind the numbers... [from a scientist, not a medic].

Red cells stay in the circulation [all thing being equal] for 115-120 days. They are replaced by reticulocytes, which are bigger and metabolically much more active than mature red cells. Retics mature in about 2 days. So, a retic count will typically show a response quite promptly.

Depending on the degree of anaemia, retics can peak quite spectacularly.

A good response to treatment for megaloblastic anaemia is typically seen in around three days, whereas iron takes longer; more like ten days. This continues until the anaemia is resolved. Another useful indicator which is quite ubiquitous on blood counts nowadays is the Red Cell Distribution Width, the RDW. As new cells replace old during treatment, the RDW will peak after a few weeks, and then tail off again when the old cells have been replaced. So, whilst RDW can reflect the changes fuelled by the retic response, they're subtly different.

The RDW comes as part of the FBC by and large; the retic count is an extra test and adds cost.

Being deficient in multiple factors such as iron and B12 makes for a more interesting picture in the laboratory.

It is absolutely vital that any iron replacement therapy is done under medical supervision. Iron is scarce in the diet, and we're designed in such a way that we don't lose it easily. In excess, it's toxic. Any iron from breakdown of red cells is scavenged and stored, so unless red cells are lost intact, then the iron in them is conserved.

I hope this isn't too long or confusing.

[Claire27272 in reply to FlipperTD]

wow, OK. I am a scientist too and trying to tie my shaky chemistry to the numbers. Good info...I'll certainly look into it

[Claire27272 in reply to FlipperTD]

Don't seem to have RDW but mean corpuscular volume, haemoglobin and hematocrit all low...

[FlipperTD in reply to Claire27272]

Ah... it could be being measured, but not included on the report by the lab, or it might not be included in the electronic report. There's so much 'clutter' generated by analysers nowadays, and it's important to try and prune it down to avoid some of the more relevant stuff being missed. Inevitably this can result in some information being excluded, but it sounds like youknow what you're doing. Good luck.

[ClaraJ]

I’m sure you’ve thought of this, but I had similar problems which went away when I started using tranexamic acid for periods - they got lighter and my iron levels stayed up.

When I was taking it, I found the liquid iron was what I tolerated best with pre existing stomach problems. However the gastroenterologist also sent me for some iron infusions, which helped me for about a year each time.

[Mrshughes30]

Try asking your physician to prescribe you liquid iron. I suffer from a digestive illness and because of that I can't absorb any iron naturally. Also if your not currently seeing a Hematologist you want to do so, there are infusions available as well.

Hope this helps.

[Canta]

Better You have an iron mouth spray, which avoids the problems associated with absorption via the digestive system. I struggled to increase my ferritin level until I used this, but I'm now concerned about overdosing. If only it was simple.

[Claire27272 in reply to Canta]

Not heard of this....Will investigate. Thanks

[Canta]

Easily available, Holland & Barrett and online retailers.