VIT D AND IRON.

[graeme]

Well just about back to square one again.End of last year i was on Iron tablets as after taking over the counter amount i briefly felt better, GP saw the transformation and put me on a higher dose and it was amazing,i was back to my old self ,at this time my Mother in law was found to be terminally ill but i managed to go back to work after a 6 year absence but then i was taken off them as GP said i was way up top of the range.few weeks later i'm back to him saying things are getting bad but he assured me that my levels could not have dropped so quickly .WRONG.so he put me on a low dose.My mother in law died 7 weeks ago so i did'nt bother to go near my GP as he would put everything down to that .I went to see him last week and he didn't say much but put me through for a blood test,i never heard from him so i phoned the surgery today to be told he is on hols and 2 other GP's had checked the results and that nothing needed doing,even though the level is down,i now have to phone duty doc and give her a long story before she decides what to do.

[Clutter]

It would be helpful if you could give your results with lab ref ranges, Graeme. Last couple of tests with dates if possible.

If your levels have dropped a lot the GP should be checking why you aren't holding on to your iron.

I'm sorry for your loss, too. Bereavement can make one ill but I don't think it affects iron levels.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

If standard ferrous sulphate works for you, then you can buy them over-the-counter, and they should be fairly inexpensive.

You became iron-deficient - was that ever explained? For example, a diet with insufficient iron? Or some sort of blood loss?

If you are losing iron faster than you are consuming it, you will become iron-deficient. Therefore you have to change either your rate of consumption or reduce your rate of loss - or both - in order to have enough iron on a long term basis.

It's all very well taking a supplement for a while and seeing levels rise, but if you then stop that supplement you are very likely to revert to the state you were in before you started.

Simply, unless you find a reason for losing iron, you need an increase in your intake on a permanent basis. Maybe not as much as when taking a "full strength" supplement, but a bit more than you have been getting.

It is also important to consider the various different iron tests. For example, ferritin is the storage form of iron. It keeps it safely out of the way but allows you to keep a decent reserve to draw on. When supplementing, you need to do so long enough and at sufficient level to restore your ferritin reserves. Different doctors and labs have differing views on apporpriate testing.

[humanbean]

Ferrous fumarate 210mg is available in boxes of 84 from Lloyds pharmacy, and some independent pharmacists, without prescription. A single box costs £4.14 (from Lloyds), and 84 tablets is enough for three pills a day for 28 days.

I was prescribed this type, dosage and quantity of iron by my doctor but decided to treat myself when I discovered I could do so - so much easier for me - no begging! Based on how I feel, I would say my iron drops like a stone as soon as I stop supplementing, so being able to treat myself makes my life so much easier.

I take each iron pill with 1000mg of vitamin C - it is supposed to help the body to absorb the iron.

[siskin in reply to humanbean]

I am on ferrous sulphate (prescription) what is the advantages or disadvantages ferrous fumerate v sulphate please?

[humanbean in reply to siskin]

The only differences I know about are that ferrous sulphate is very slightly cheaper than ferrous fumarate, and that ferrous sulphate is considered to be a little bit rougher on the stomach and gut than ferrous fumarate. But for someone who tolerates both of them there is no real difference in performance.

[siskin in reply to humanbean]

Thanks for that humanbean