Ferratin levels

[DisneS]

Would it be safe to have an iron infusion to try and bring the level up to 100? My doctor seems reluctant to do this.

[Hidden]

Hi DisneS - We aren't medical on here an cannot give medical advice. I would talk again to your doc to let them know how bad you are feeling.... Sorry not more help

[LotteM]

Hi DisneS, why not show your doctor the paper in the following link: sleep-journal.com/article/S.... It has all the info that your doctor needs; the blood serum parameters and values to evaluate your iron status relevant for RLS and also what to do ( oral iron supplementation or iron infusion) depending on the results and which solution to use for intravenous supplementation.

[DisneS in reply to LotteM]

Thanks Lotte. I tried to download it but my computer tells me that the page doesn’t exist!

[LotteM in reply to DisneS]

You can access the iron paper through this link as well. Hope this one works better. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/2...

[DisneS in reply to LotteM]

Thanks Lotte. It did work

[nursekvp]

To be honest, if your levels were incredibly low, it is an option. However, there is always hesitation on provider side if the infusion isn’t absolutely needed. (However, it would b a different story if provider had RLS, I’m sure.) I am an infusion RN, and a fellow RLS sufferer. I am going out on a limb, but gonna say the reason provider is hesitant may boil down to insurance reimbursement.

[LotteM in reply to nursekvp]

It never hurts to try.

Additionally, another non-oral route that bypasses the intestinal tract is to make use of skin patches. See replies by Joolsg; she got her serum ferritin up to close to 200 that way. Available for example through PatchMD ( ships to Eu).

[DisneS in reply to LotteM]

What about the dangers of too much iron?

[LotteM in reply to DisneS]

To make sure you don’t get too much, you need to do this in consult with your doctor, and have your levels checked regularly ( every few months, max 6 mo). There is a paragraph on it in the paper for which I sent you the link.

[DisneS in reply to LotteM]

Thanks Lotte, I will order some skin patches

[LotteM in reply to DisneS]

I am not a doctor, that is, not a medical one. So please check with your gp regularly and have the blood tests for iron regularly to avoid iron overload. Although the body does a lot of regulation itself, by reducing uptake efficiency when iron values increase (too much).

[DisneS in reply to nursekvp]

Thanks for that info. It’s such a minefield having to do your own research especially when feeling the effects of lack of sleep!

[LotteM in reply to DisneS]

I know!!!

[Parminter]

It depends where you're starting from. What are your current levels?

My level was 20, and after I showed my doctor all the evidence he was happy to give me a course of infusions. 500mg took my levels from 20 to 250, but after two months it went down to 125, so we are going to do another infusion.

We eat this stuff, and most (up to 99%) goes to the bone marrow and almost nothing to the brain. So we have to fill up.

My doctor is a GP, and we did it in his rooms. This is not rocket science, it is a simple drip. If you need it, you need it. It is extremely hard to get your levels to 100 with oral supplements, and it takes forever, even if you can do it. Months or years.

No harm in asking, just provide full, scientific evidence, not hearsay.

[DisneS in reply to Parminter]

My level is 66 so guess that’s way above the level my GP would consider as normal hence his reluctance to consider an infusion

[ironbrain]

I think there may be some medical interest in iron overload and eye problems and quite probably other medical conditions:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/180...

I was taking up to 180mg of iron in the bisglycinate form and developed CNV/AMD.

[rsears57]

My doctor didn't want to do this either

[DisneS in reply to rsears57]

Did you eventually get it done?

[rsears57 in reply to DisneS]

No I didnt