I have just received the results of a blood test for iron from Medichecks and would appreciate comments and advice as to how to keep a good level of ferritin.
At the beginning of the year my ferritin was 33 though my GP assured me I was not anaemic and when I posted my results SeasideSusie agreed. However my ferritin was considered by the knowledgeable people on this site to be dire. In April this year, I asked my GP if I could take a supplement and she said it would be ok to take 210 mg ferrous fumarate once a day. She didn’t say for how long so I stopped after a month and included prune juice, molasses and dark chocolate in my diet to try and increase it naturally. I am a vegetarian so liver is out.
My results received today are as follows:
BIOCHEMISTRY
Iron Status
IRON 18.32 umol/L 5.80 - 34.50
T.I.B.C 56.32 umol/L 45.00 - 72.00
TRANSFERRIN SATURATION 32.53 % 20.00 - 50.00
FERRITIN 83.8 ug/L 13.00 - 150.00
Inflammation MarkerCRP - HIGH SENSITIVITY 1.84 mg/l 0.00 - 5.00
I can see that my ferritin has improved a lot. How do I maintain it? Will it be sufficient to carry on with the iron-rich foods I’ve been taking since April or do I need to supplement further so that the level doesn’t drop? I would be grateful for any advice. Sorry for the long post.
Best wishes to all
Caroline
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Caroline888
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I’m trying the Better You Iron Spray to supplement. You spray it inside your cheek. Tastes nice. I can’t say how good it is, though they make a lot of claims. It doesn’t go through the digestive system so doesn’t cause the problems other supplements can. Worth a try?
Thank you so much for that. If I find I need to take a supplement, that sounds really good. How do you know how much you’re taking though? Is each spray a measured amount?
Yes, it’s measured. It’s 4 sprays a day and the pump releases the right amount. It’s the most hassle-free way I’ve ever taken a supplement. I use their Vitamin D spray too, which my endo recommended. I am veggie and though I try to get iron from my diet too, taking the supplement makes it less of an ungoing concern. (And I loathe spinach - lol!)
Great! Thanks for the info. I loath spinach too unless it’s well disguised!
Apart from taking 210 mg/day ferrous fumarate for a month, I started taking nettle tea, 1 oz dark chocolate, prune juice and molasses to raise my level. Something has worked but not quite sure what. Lentils are a good veggie source of iron too.
Am glad you’ve found something that works well for you! Hope you are feeling well too.
I can see that my ferritin has improved a lot. How do I maintain it?
You could continue with the ferrous fumarate 210mg, once a day, but only take it 5 times a week or 4 times or 3 times, or however often you need to take it to maintain your iron and ferritin where you want them to be. This is easier said than done, in my experience.
I dropped my dose from taking 3 tablets a day (I had been very deficient and it took nearly 2 years to get my ferritin up to mid-range) down to taking 1 tablet every day, then down to nothing when my levels went far too high. Levels dropped shockingly fast, so I went back to taking it 3 days a week, was still too low so am currently on 4 times a week. I really need to test again soon.
I guess that’s the answer really - testing at intervals. I am concerned that I don’t overdose as I seem to respond quickly to relatively small doses of supplements. I only took one tablet 210 mg ferrous fumarate a day for a month in April and have gone from 33 to 83 five months later, granted with some changes in diet too! Perhaps the addition of iron-rich foods might be sufficient as long as I stick with them. Molasses is a bit of a trial but is quite a good source of iron.
As you say, regular testing is probably the best way forward.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I’m grateful.
Thanks humanbean, that's really useful! I'd rather include more iron-rich foodstuffs if I can. I find iron supplements a bit scarey, it's so easy to overdose!
I would continue to supplement just maybe 3-4 days a week as suggested by humanbean . I'm also a vegatarian and non heme Iron ie. plant sources of Iron are not as easily obsorbed as Iron from meat. I take a daily Iron supplement and I still have lowish levels even though I eat alot of Iron rich plant based foods.
I know that iron can be a problem for vegetarians and I'm not a big eater either, so perhaps a supplement is a good idea. I'm just surprised that my ferritin went up so much on one 210 mg ferrous fumarate tablet a day for only a month, when other people seem to be taking 3 a day for a much longer period of time without raising their ferritin to the same extent. I am very wary of overdosing. I do eat a lot of iron-rich foods and try to include vitamin c with those foods as I believe it helps make the iron in them more bioavailable. A supplement a few days a week, perhaps only once a week, is definitely something to consider.
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