Difficulty tolerating iron

[WiskieLouie]

Hello, my ferritin level has dropped over the last two years when I discontinued my iron supplement. I think it's around 17. I do have symptoms, hair thinning, mood issues, trouble sleeping, weight gain, low thyroid. It's very strange as I don't tolerate it well anymore, I've tried several different brands and forms. I take a liquid folate made from citrus peels, magnesium, but am not tolerating B vitamins anymore either. I do hydroxyB12 injections EOD. Any thoughts on this?

[Nackapan]

All yo can do is try again. Have you tried liquid iron .

Lower doses over the day.

Every other day

With a meal .

Liver or liver supplements some have used.

Gentle iron supplements.

[DiNL]

Have u tried Heme iron supplements? I use the 3 arrows brand from the US or Optifera from Canada and it’s really helped keep my ferretin levels up. Heme iron is natural iron. I can’t absorb regular iron tablets. Might be worth a try. I take 3-4 tablets a day spread throughout the day.

[helvella in reply to DiNL]

helvella - Iron Document

This is a summary of what I have read up and found out about iron supplements over the past few years. I am not in any way medically trained. You are strongly encouraged to check every detail before making any decisions for yourself.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[FlipperTD]

Scientist, not medic.

You've answered your own question in my opinion. Stop iron supplements; ferritin falls.

Iron deficiency is a symptom of something else going on; you're utilising more iron than you're absorbing from your diet.

Chronic blood loss will easily cause this, and it's better to learn what's causing it than simply propping up your level with supplements. One millilitre of red cells contains about one milligram of iron, so you don't need much to tip you into negative iron balance.

I worked in a hospital when the typical morning 'blood round' saw us collect 20-30ml of blood per person, on a surgical unit. So, patients were losing half a pint of blood per week for lab tests. We have a term 'Investigation of anaemia', but this was a case of 'Anaemia of investigation'. We were helping to cause the deficiency, and patients did occasionally get transfusions purely because of the amount of blood collected. [This is a very, very long time ago!]

If you have difficulty with some iron supplements then there are others to try, but whatever you do, only do this under medical supervision. Iron in excess is toxic.

Good luck in your quest!

[Ghound in reply to FlipperTD]

Hi Flipper, you're correct.Its very important to ensure that anaemia is not being caused by hidden blood loss.

However there's definitely a link between the body not absorbing B12 and not absorbing iron.

I have no bleeding but I basically need iron supplements continually to keep my ferritin level within normal range.

So true that iron issues need to be medically investigated and monitored.

Thanks for all your help and insights.

Best wishes xx

[FlipperTD in reply to Ghound]

Hi Ghound. You're absolutely right about absorption issues. A low stomach pH is required for iron absorption, and IF is needed for B12 absorption. Both of these come from the Parietal Cells, so there's every reason to think if you've got trouble with one, then you may well have trouble with the other too.

Stay healthy!

[Ghound in reply to FlipperTD]

You too thanks 😊 xx

[Peasncarrots]

I had horrendous issues trying to find an iron supplement I could tolerate. I had the same trouble - my level was really low, so I needed to find something that I could take. The only type of iron I have found that I can tolerate is ferrous bisglycinate (I take the Pure Encapsulations Iron-C supplement). I have been taking it about 2 years now and have no problems with it - and my iron levels are fabulous now!!!

[helvella in reply to Peasncarrots]

Did you try haem or ferritin?

[Peasncarrots in reply to helvella]

Yes - I tried so many different ones, it cost a fortune! Even the ones that said they were supposed to be gentle on the stomach had the same effect. Really happy with the one I take, no issues at all.

[Mistri]

if you don’t have any success I would really advocate an iron infusion. NHS are very unlikely to agree but if there is any way of affording to have it done privately you won’t regret it. The difference it has made to my tiredness is tremendous and it has been worth every penny.

[Marz]

You mention low thyroid. Do you have a diagnosis ? If so are you adequately treated ?

Thyroid hormones work better when Ferritin/Iron levels are optimal. Low thyroid levels caused by Hashimotos can result in the poor uptake of nutrients - so its often chicken and egg ! One thing leads to another 🌻

[Litatamon]

There is a staple in Costa Rica called the carao plant. It is a blood builder that raises levels. I know someone who was always so low in iron that she had pica as a child. She tried everything to raise it. Nothing worked, this did. I am sure the cost is astronomical for shipping to the UK. But here is a link to one company who manufactures it, just in case -

tropicalhealthfoods.com/store/

They have a separate website for testimonials, due to not making health claims.

Note some feel it smells and tastes awful. I do not.

All the best.

[MoKayD]

The only iron supplement I can tolerate is Spatone. I buy it on Amazon.

[Technoid]

This ferritin form may be gentler on the stomach and also easier for the body to control absorption of : florahealth.com/products/fe...

[WiskieLouie]

Thank you everyone this is really helpful! I’ll keep plugging away at it and trying different ways.

[palmier]

You could try to maximise iron from food. Taking vitamin C with meals increases absorption, maybe because it's acidic.

Grains and vegetables contain phytate which binds iron and other minerals, but this can be reduced by for example fermentation which lets the enzyme phytase act on the phytate.

A well leavened whole meal bread, or a whole meal sour dough bread where the sour dough has had plenty of time to do it's work, should have iron that is more easily absorbed than from muesli.

Soaking and germination also reduces the effect on phytate, according to this abstract:

The Effect of Food Processing on Phytate Hydrolysis and Availability of Iron and Zinc

link.springer.com/chapter/1...

[LadyBothwell]

this may be less helpful than the other replies! I have PA and constantly low iron. I’ve tried every single iron supplement I can find and they all make no difference to my blood test and make me very ill with diahorrea and stomach cramps, so bad I couldn’t leave the house. The GP was hopeless just kept accusing me of not taking them or of poor diet which was not true. Tests for blood loss reasons showed none. Eventually I got a referral to a Haemotologist and he said straight away that it was an absorption issue like PA and gave me iron infusions which I now have regularly and more regular b12 IM injections

[Mixteca]

I would get a full iron panel done before you do anything. What were your ferritin levels while supplementing?

I've been on iron tablets for years and my ferritin was never above around 56 regardless. Mine had dropped to 30 after SI for 6 months. I also had an iron infusion yesterday and hoping this will make it a big difference.

[WiskieLouie in reply to Mixteca]

I think they were around 60-80 and I was feeling pretty good.

[jade_s]

Those on the thyroidUk forum have been raving about three arrows iron - it is a heme source. Terrible website, great product, so they all say threearrowsnutra.com/pages/...