Hello, hope someone can help me, I've been given ferrous sulfate tablets 200mg three times a day as I have rls symptoms and a ferritin level of 27. I was just wondering how long it takes on these tablets for ferritin levels to show any improvement and to get to the recommended level needed to improve rls symptoms?
My GP wants to see if my symptoms improve on the iron tablets first before trying other treatments . What are other members experiences with this?
Great that your GP has recognised that a low ferritin level can be a factor in RLS. A ferritin level of 27 is regarded as "normal" , so it's extra great of your doctor and may indicate that he/she is knowledgeable about RLS.
Good also that he/she wants you to try non-pharmacological remedies.
The actual prescription your doctor has given seems a bit extreme in respect of the dosage.
I think you might experience significant problems with this, mainly constipation but also other gastrointestinal problems. One dose in a day might be less problematical than 3 doses.
It's possible that your doctor may have explained the difficulty with raising ferritin levels using oral iron, but if not it may be helpful for me to say it.
Simply put, the body has a way of regulating iron levels and if it thinks you have enough then iron will not be absorbed from the gut. Thus if you regularly take a large amount of iron most of it will just pass through and you won't get any benefit from it.
It's therefore recognised that it's better to take iron every other day, not every day. This tricks the iron regulatory system and you will actually absorb more doing this than you would do if you took it every day.
It's also recommended that whenever you take the tablet/capsule you simultaneously take a vitamin C tablet or drink a glass of orange juice. The acidity this causes will further aid absorption. Some iron tablets are a ready made combination of iron and vitamin C.
Iron supplements may relatively quickly correct iron deficiency anaemia, but low ferritin may exist without there being any anaemia and it can take many months to raise the level. This also varies between individuals.
Your doctor may recognise that a ferritin level below 50 mcg/L is not good for RLS, but some experts say it needs to ge at least 100mcg/L.
I'm afraid it could take a long time, especially since (see above) it is not true that the more iron you take, the faster your ferritin will rise.
You could have your ferritin tested every 3 months to see how it's doing.
I hope your doctor has also mentioned some other deficiencies which when corrected can improve RLS symptoms. These include vitamins B12 and D.
I hope they have also warned you about aggravating factors, these are things which can make RLS.
This includes some medication e.g. antidepressants, antihistamines and anti nausea medications, but also alcohol, refined sugar and for some people, caffeine.
You might also benefit from adding more foods into your diet that have dopamine in them.
You might find this link helpful
uptodate.com/contents/treat...
Hi Manerva, thank you for your reply, there's lots of very useful info there. Will discuss with my doctor after the Christmas and new year.
Hope you have a lovely Christmas .
I had severe RLS with a Ferritin level of 49 - I took Ferrous Bisglycinate - once daily 18 mg, it cut into the severe nature of the RLS almost immediately and raised my Ferritin level to 105 in 3 months. It is also available as a patch from PatchMD,
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