Iron Readings

[67Waterman]

The figures that are given for sufficient iron amounts never seem to tie up with the sorts of figures that I get from my blood tests. Can anyone tell me if I have sufficient iron for my RLS (currently taking 300mg of Pregabalin). Thank you so very very much. Sally

07-Oct-2022 TOT. IRON BIND CAPACITY - (Farah) - Normal - No action

Serum TIBC 55 umol/L 50.00 - 72.00umol/L

Transferrin saturation index 41 % 20.00 - 50.00%

Serum iron level 22.8 umol/L 14.00 - 30.00umol/L

07-Oct-2022 Serum ferritin - (Farah) - Normal - No action

Serum ferritin 128 ug/L 13.00 - 150.00ug/L

[Madlegs1]

serum ferritin at " normal" is insufficient reportage. It could be 5 or 25.

It is highly likely to be under the 100 threshold for possible avoidance of RLS.

Could you go back and ask for the actual reading?

Thanks.

[ChrisColumbus in reply to Madlegs1]

I wondered whether that 'Serum ferritin 128 ug/L' below the 'Normal' statement was the actual reading, and the following '13.00 - 150.00ug/L' was the supposed normal range. But it could certainly do with clarifying!

Written by

[Madlegs1 in reply to ChrisColumbus]

sorry- I rush read it. You are correct.

Still a very narrow range.

[Madlegs1]

To clarify. The 128 ferritin is ok. Although some will say it should be above 200 for RLS.

Iron supplementing is effective for only about half of patients. But you could try getting you ferritin up using Gentle iron.

Details are elsewhere on this site.

Your lab has a very narrow range for ferritin.

[67Waterman in reply to Madlegs1]

Thank you so much for clarification. I am already taking 54mg Iron Bisglycinate every evening, so will keep going with that. I wonder if I should take more? Thank you again - that was actually really helpful to get the figure of 200 for RLS.

[Hidden in reply to 67Waterman]

Hi Waterman, are your symptoms under control. When you added the iron at night did you feel it made any difference?

[67Waterman in reply to Hidden]

Hi SanAndreas (great name!). I cannot honestly say if the iron made any difference, as I came off Ropinirole and went straight on to Gabapentin plus iron, and then to Pregabalin and then iron. I find the Prebabalin (300mg at 6.00pm, 56mg iron bis before I go to bed) the best solution so far, but 6 times out of 10 I still find that I resort to a tiny bit of Ropinirole (0.125mg ... ie half a 0.25mg tablet) to kill the final bit of RLS to allow me to sleep. Warm regards SAlly

[Hidden in reply to 67Waterman]

Thank you. Name is after fault line that runs thru California as I’m sure you know. How about your name? Do you completely stop eating after dinner? That might help a little. Then of course you should wait at least one hour after taking the iron before reaching for the DA. 4 out of 10 nights isn’t bad but the goal of course is 10 out of 10. Gotta up-regulate those receptors a bit more. Here’s one way. …maybe.

healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po...

[67Waterman in reply to Hidden]

Have been to California - stunning place .... And yes, I stop eating after dinner say about 7.30pm. I take the iron about 9.00pm. And then wait until I "have" to take my Ropinirole, which could be 12.00pm or 1.00pm, depending on how long I can last. Fully understand about upregulating those pesky receptors, but I know that once that RLS starts, then it is not going to get any better, only worse, and I do need some sleep. Thank you for replying! Sally

[Reb0013 in reply to Madlegs1]

Hi Madlegs1, just a sidenote; her reporting units for serum ferritin are in ug/L (micrograms per liter) so according to the normals reported here you can't compare a 200 ng/dl (nanagram per deciliter) with her units of measurement. In order to say she needs to be over 200 ng/dl one would first need to convert her units of measurment to ng/dl to see what her value is in comparison. Hope that makes sense. :))

[67Waterman in reply to Reb0013]

No ..... sadly it does not make sense. All I want is a simple answer (please). x

[SueJohnson in reply to 67Waterman]

ug/L is the normal way it is reported and is what is referred to as needing to be over 100 and many people feel it should be over 200 or 300. I'm not sure where Reb1003 saw ng/dl in Madlegs1 response.

[67Waterman in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you lovely Sue. It was good to get clarification.

[Reb0013 in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi Sue, I was pointing out the original post by 67Waterman shows her Ferritin value as reported in ug/L. (microgram/liter ). The 200 value we strive for is generally reported in ng/DL. (nanagram/deciliter) They are not the same units of measurement so therefore the normal value for each will be somewhat different. My point being to make sure when comparing a 200 ng/DL that her units are the same unit of measurment, otherwise the normal we strive for could be a different value and still be good. Sorry to be so technical; I am a Medical Technologist-worked in hospital labs most of my life. Probably to much information to share.

[67Waterman in reply to Reb0013]

Hi Reb0013 .... Is there a scientific way of calculating ug/L. (microgram/liter) into ng/DL. (nanagram/deciliter), or are they totally "different" readings? With many thanks, Sally

[Reb0013 in reply to 67Waterman]

Hi 67Waterman, I am sorry to say but I do not know the conversion. Ng/dl is our way of reporting here in the states most often. Equipment is calibrated based on the units of measurement. I googled conversion charts but to no avail. Please ask your doctor to explain the difference. The measurement has two components.. a detectable solid (ferritin)(ug... micrograms) in a determined amount of liquid (serum)(Liters). I wish I could be of more help but more importantly to note as Sue said is that your ferritin value is normal but might help as she explained to have it a little higher.

[ChrisColumbus]

Just one thing: depending on when you took your test your serum ferritin figure could be a little misleading.

Quoting from Sue Johnson: "Stop taking any iron supplements 48 hours before the test, fast after midnight and have your test in the morning when your ferritin is lowest. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. You want your transferrin saturation to be over 20% but less than 45% and your ferritin to be at least 100"

The figure of 100 is a recommended minimum: as Madlegs1 writes, 200 would be better.

[67Waterman in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Thank you. I definitely did not fast, nor did I stop iron tablets prior. I will get my doctor to redo the iron tests. Thank you hugely.

[ChrisColumbus]

Same with some of my tests over the years, which gave figures of between 220-330. My last test was done as per the restrictions above and it came out at 183: still OK....

(My problem isn't actually iron, but various intolerances and possibly magnesium deficiency)