Iron and B12 supplements?

[tinka1]

Hello. My ferritin and B12 is low. (VitD insufficiency as shown on the photo is under control now..). What supplements (brand) and how much of it I should take you think please? Thank you. (New to this).

[Theresa72]

I get vitamin B12 shots once a month from my doctor he can also prescribe them if you can give yourself a shot to pick up from the pharmacy I also get 50000 units of vitamin D that I take once a week this might help you

[tinka1 in reply to Theresa72]

My GP said all of it is ok (as it is in the range) (apart Vit D which I should get over the counter), so I think the injections prescribed by GP are out of questions..

[Theresa72 in reply to tinka1]

Mine are in range also the test can say in range but really they're not optimal when I start feeling low on energy I get a shot and I have so much energy I'm able to do so many things maybe you should tell your doctor that you wanted for energy just a thought the shot works better than any supplement

[Theresa72 in reply to Theresa72]

Your doctor can prescribe a good iron pill for your ferritin

[tinka1 in reply to Theresa72]

She wouldn't have it. i asked her. She kept saying it is in the range...So I am looking for something which I can get over the counter...

[Theresa72 in reply to tinka1]

Ok but I find if your GP doesn't give you the B12 shot go to another doctor like an urgent care doctor that's what I had to do my doctor told me to get the liquid B12 that you put under the tongue it didn't work that good for me but if that's all you can get here's my suggestion

[Theresa72]

Your tsh levels look alot like mine my tsh is 2.38 and was told i need a higher dose but my endo keeps saying its normal personally I think I need a higher dose and T3 but she will not do this for me or let me try anything else

[tinka1 in reply to Theresa72]

higher dose of what Theresa72? Sorry I am completely new to this. I haven't been diagnosed with anything as all in normal range. See my previous post with my symptoms if you like...x

[Theresa72 in reply to tinka1]

I thought you was on thyroid meds to as i am

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

tinka1 For your low ferritin you should get Ferrous Fumarate (buy it from Amazon) and take 1 tablet twice a day with 1000mg Vit C to aid absorption and help prevent constipation. Finish the packet (usually 84 tablets) then retest. You need your ferritin to be half way through it's range with an absolute minimum of 70. If you find you get constipated or have tummy problems with the FF then you can try Iron Bisglycinate which is a more gentle form but contains less elemental iron and is more expensive. Solgar Gentle Iron is one brand. Take iron supplements 4 hours away from Levo and any other medication and supplements as it will affect their absorption. Also, with such a low ferritin level I strongly recommend you eat liver once a week as that is very good at raising ferritin.

For the B12 you could get Solgar or Jarrows sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges 5000mcg and take daily for 3 months, then reduce to 1000mcg daily as a maintenance dose. Dissolve under the tongue for absorption directly into the bloodstream, don't chew or swallow as stomach acid destroys it. You can take sublingual B12 without food as it bypasses the stomach.

When taking B12 we also need a B Complex to balance the B vits. Thorne Basic B or Jarrows B Right are both recommended frequently here and are good brands. Take B vits in the morning, no later than lunchtime, as they are stimulating.

As you are taking D3, are you also taking it's important co-factors K2-MK7 and magnesium? Like iron supplements, D3 should be taken 4 hours away from Levo.

PS - sorry, just seen that you don't take Levo, but keep iron away from other supplements or other medication if you take any.

[tinka1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for your great info SeasideSussie. I will follow your advice. Yes, I already got VitD3, K2 and magnesium today.

I am thinking to take VitD in the morning and K2 with dinner as I don't eat much fat for breakfast. And magnessium before bed. So when should I take the iron then? (I don't take any other medication).

thank you

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to tinka1]

tinka1 Your D3 needs to be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, as it is fat soluble like K2. So I would be inclined to take both D3 and K2 with your evening meal (if that is your fattiest meal). They will both compete for the fat (which is why I get the softgels or capsules that contain fat, usually in the form of olive oil) so if you think you might need extra fat then a full fat yogurt, a cracker and butter, that sort of thing will provide some extra.

Magnesium before bed is perfect.

That leaves the B vits and the iron. You could take the B vits with breakfast and the iron at lunchtime but they could be interchangeable. I'm stumped as to when you could take your second iron tablet though. I've not had that problem because I had to give up iron supplements and managed to raise my ferritin by eating liver. If you can take the iron without food (I think some iron supplements say to do that, but upset tummy is less likely if it's taken with food I suppose) then if you get up in the night for the loo you could take onenthen, but it's not really ideal.

[tinka1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

But they also say on VitD deficiency forum that it is best to take VitD in the morning as some people can't sleep if they take it in the night. And then K2 with dinner as they don't compete then..The other option is to take VitD and K2 together and have a fatty breakfast..- which I am not a fan of.. I usually have porridge with fruit or weetabix with skimmed milk and yoghurt and fruit...so I don't think that is enough fat..?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to tinka1]

tinka1 I think it's best to just see what suits you. If taking D3 at night does disturb your sleep then you should take it at a different time of day. I have always had trouble getting off to sleep. I take my Vit D in the evening, it hasn't made my sleep problem worse. I have also read that you should take D3 and K2 separately as they compete for fat, but I have also read that they can be taken together. I take a combo D3/K2/Vit A which contains oil, and take it with my fattiest meal (evening). Before that my D3 was a softgel with olive oil.

There wouldn't appear to be enough fat with your breakfasts to take a fat soluble vitamin. Is there a particular reason you use skimmed milk? It's not the healthiest choice. Nor are any low fat foods really. We need good fats in our diet. Do you like coconut oil? You could take D3 or K2 with a spoonful of that.

drfranklipman.com/5-reasons...

[tinka1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Seaside Susie,

So I will have:

Breakfast: VitD 5000 and K2, will have full fat milk with my porridge. (Is that enough fat?), I don't mind coconut oil - do you mean teaspoon or tablespoon?!

Lunch: Ferrous Fumarate 125mg and VitC1000

Afternoon: B12 5000 lozenge and Jarrows B complex

Dinner:Ferous Fumarate 125mg 2nd tablet and VitC1000 again?

Before bed: Magnesium 400

Would that work?OMG, that is lots of tablets! I haven't taken ANY tables until now!

But I am so desperate to get better that I will give it a go. x

[tinka1 in reply to tinka1]

Also, can I start taking these all or should I introduce it one by one on weekly basis?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to tinka1]

tinka1 How much coconut oil can you handle? The first brand I bought I didn't like the taste to eat it off the spoon so I just use it for cooking. I have a different brand waiting to start so am hoping I like the taste of that one. Some people put a spoonful of coconut oil in a milky coffee, I might try that as I do like a milky decaff! Anyway, what size spoon? I think that depends on if you like the taste and how much you can take I read that a cracker with butter can be used to take a Vit D supplement with so a teaspoonful is possibly enough.

I don't know if the amount of full fat milk you'd use for a bowl of porridge would be enough for both D3 and K2. Is your D3 a softgel with oil? What about the D3 with breakfast and K2 with your evening meal?

B vits can be stimulating so bear that in mind, if you take them with your evening meal it could possibly disturb your sleep.

Yes, it's a lot of tablets/capsules. I get digestive discomfort with capsules so I open those that I can and mix with orange juice (I check with the manufacturer to make sure it's OK) and buy Vit C and magnesium as powder. It is difficult to fit them all in but mine has been made easier by not using iron supplements.

[tinka1]

SeasideSusie,

what about this:

Breakfast: Vit D, B12, B complex

Snack: Iron, Vit C

Lunch: Iron, Vit C (Do I always take VitC 1000 with an iron tablet? Or would one VitC 1000 be ok for 2iron tablets?

Dinner: K2

Before bed: Magnesium

I tried to put a teaspoon of coconut oil in my decaf coffee this morning. It doesn't taste any different to me. Only it looks very oily.:-D...So I might be doing that..

Sorry for all those questions but I am so new to this. I guess I don't want to overdose myself!

I am about to buy these:

amazon.co.uk/gp/cart/view.h...