Too much iron

[Haveitall]

Hi all!! My hematologist hasn’t been able to get me in and I won’t see him till March 1st. I’ve been self injecting since I was diagnosed last year and was refused the amount of B 12 I needed because I always test too high and well, you know the rest. Between having all three MTHFR’s and being a gastric bypass patient ( I didn’t know all my weight gain was inflammation from Lyme) I don’t absorb like many of us here. Anyways I know that one of the symptoms of iron deficiency is cracked corners of the lips and the left corner of my mouth is cracked. Since I don’t know where I’m at iron wise do I supplement or not? In the U.S. we have a brand called ferrosequel which has vitamin C to help it absorb. So fellow PA friends, do I take the iron or not?

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Please note this forum is not a substitute for professional medical advice and it sounds as if you need professional advice. cracked corners of the mouth could be caused by several things. If you aren't able to see a doctor perhaps you could ask a pharmacist?

[fbirder]

All three MTHFRs?

There are dozens of possible MTHFR mutations and almost everybody has at least one. The only one that might, possibly, have any effect is homozygous for C677T. This is what the genetic testing company 23andMe say about MTHFR. blog.23andme.com/health-tra...

Based on the existing data, scientists at 23andMe have concluded that people should not interpret their genotypes at the common MTHFR variants as having an effect on their health.

In order for a connection between a genetic variant and a health condition to be considered real and clinically meaningful, well-run scientific studies need to show convincing and consistent evidence for that association. As statements from multiple scientific and medical organizations indicate, that is currently not the case for the common MTHFR variants.

[Haveitall in reply to fbirder]

I have a doctor who understands genetics. It’s the weekend so I thought I’d ask.

[fbirder in reply to Haveitall]

I should hope all doctors understand genetics.

Your doc my be interested in this - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...

Which concludes...

Therefore, presence or absence of MTHFR polymorphisms does not significantly impact medical management, particularly in the case of common, complex diseases. Despite the lack of demonstrated clinical utility in most populations, patients may encounter information through varied sources which may cause concern for a myriad of health conditions should an individual be found to have the MTHFR polymorphisms.

[Showgem]

You shouldn't take iron unless you have a proven deficiency.

[mbernhardt]

You need your iron levels tested. Mainly you need saturation and ferritin levels checked. My iron was too high, so I started giving blood. Over the period of 1 plus years I gave too much blood and became anemic.

[Haveitall in reply to mbernhardt]

I’m seeing my hematologist in a couple weeks so will have it checked then if not sooner. I don’t have hematomacris and can’t donate blood as I have Lyme.

[Leils]

I find cracked lip corners to be more connected to B vitamins than iron

When my iron is low I get breathless and my lower inside eyelids look pale rather than bright red when I pull them down...

But oddly that hasn't happened since correcting B12 and so I only take one gentle iron tablet a month, 20 mg, to support menstruation. Think the B12 has reduced heavy losses.

However, I do eat a good amount of meat. If you are vegetarian you may need more but definitely get tested before regularly supplementing