As of, also, decades ago I’ve been regularly diagnosed with iron deficient anemia. When it gets bad I notice because the RLS becomes unbearable and I take iron for a while.
In the past 3 months or so I’ve maybe taken half of one small iron supplement bottle; last time I took a tablespoon was, I don’t know, 2 weeks ago. No iron at all after that, and nothing for about a year prior to that.
This week I had my blood tested and whereas iron was low, ferritin was over the upper limit (by Dutch test standards, anyway.) Isn’t that odd? Low iron but too high ferritin? Last night I slept a few hours because of the RLS, so that one’s holding up as ever.
Iron 12.0 µmol/l
Ferritin 177.0 μg/l
I thought high ferritin was good?
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
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Zyxx
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If you are female the normal range is 10.7 - 32.2 µmol/L. If you are male the normal range is 12.5 - 32.2 µmol/L
You may have some inflammation which would make your ferritin show up higher but is not your real ferritin as far as RLS goes . And the only real limit on ferritin is 1000.
Thanks, Sue. Why is my ferritin not my “real ferritin as far as RLS goes”?
I looked it up and ferritin over 150 is supposed to be haemochromatosis. Which, the text said, had as one possible explanation “malignancies”. So that was a great mood booster.
Haemochromatosis is an inherited condition and you would have an elevated TSAT over 45%. That is the main criteria for it, not ferritin.
Inflammation raises your ferritin. If you had no inflammation which is the normal condition you ferritin would be lower and that is what is considered your real ferritin.
A ferritin level above 150 is certainly not in itself an indicator of haemochromatosis. I replied to someone else similarly concerned a week ago that Oxford's Clinical Haematology department views normal serum ferritin levels as up to 200 for women and 300 for men.
At levels above this they are unconcerned up to c. 1000 as long as (1) transferrin saturation (TSAT) remains under 50%, (2) the reason for the elevation is known - e.g. because of iron supplementation/infusion or an infection/inflammation, and (3) there are further tests every 3-6 months to monitor.
If serum ferritin levels reach 1000+ without explanation and/or TSAT exceeds 50% you would indeed be urgently referred for tests for haemochromatosis etc
Your iron is VERY low. Serum ferritin can be high because of inflammation.177 isn't high. As SueJohnson says- you can still raise levels. Many people need levels above 300 before they benefit.
Seeing as I’ve been this low in iron for so long, already, can’t I just supplement for a long time? I’d rather avoid a transfusion. Much rather, in fact…
Yes. You can take ferrous bisglycinate last thing at night- every other night- with vit C.Prozac, like all SSRI, SNRI & tri cyclical anti depressants triggers/worsens RLS for RLS patients.
I wouldn’t know where to start to explain these things.
I’ve rather been through it, when it comes to psychotropic medication. Maybe at some later point in time I will take the risk of trying a med change again. Coming off them is, alas, not possible.
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