Low ferritin and Thyroid levels

[janeroar]

Hello would hugely appreciate your advice. Just got bloods back. A few months ago I started on a combo of T4 (100mg) and T3 (20mg in morning and 10mg in evening). I feel I’m doing much better generally but my energy and sleep levels are still variable. I have recently added iron to my battery of vitamins but levels are still v low.

Would appreciate your advice too about vitamin b12. Should I stop taking it as a supplement as levels are showing high? Should I be testing for anything else?

I’m also on HRT.

Many thanks as ever to this forum. Hope the photo attached of my results is easy to see. If not I will write it all out.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

janeroar

Stop taking your B12 supplement, it's just wasting your money, you just need to be nearer the upper end of the range.

Folate is good - are you taking a B Complex?

These are optimal levels for an iron panel

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

Ferritin is way too low at 21.

I can't read your serum iron result but it should be 17.93 to be at 55%

Transferrin saturation is 23% and should be 35%

TIBC is is exactly mid-range

I can't advise about iron supplements, but you can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

Vit D is recommended to be 125nmol/L [50ng/ml] by the Vit D Council and the Vit D Society recommends a level between 100-150nmol/L [40-60ng/ml]. I can't make out if yours is 67 or 87. If you want to clarify I can let you know what the Vit D Council suggests to raise it to the recommended level.

There's some room to improve your FT3, but that may happen with better iron levels anyway. Ferritin needs to be half way through range, at least 70 for thyroid hormone to work properly.

[janeroar]

Hi seasideSusie

Thank you for your help.

My iron is 13 (range 6-26) and ferritin is 21 (13-150). VitaminD is 87.

I’m supplanting folate on its own and using a b12 spray.

I eat liver and other meat regularly. I’m not having periods anymore so could I have a problem with metabolising iron? Don’t know if this is pernicious anaemia. Had v low iron levels pretty much all my adult life. Thought would get better but hasn’t. Have avoided iron supplements because triggers constipation and I’m already often v constipated anyway.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to janeroar]

Pernicious Anaemia is malabsorption of B12. Your Active B12 is very high, that is what is available to be taken up by the cells, whether it's getting to your cells is another question. You can check for signs of B12 deficiency here b12deficiency.info/signs-an... and if you have any then list them for your GP and ask for further testing for B12 deficiency/PA.

[janeroar in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks v much. My TIBC levels have been v high sometimes whilst iron levels low - does this suggest something odd going on with how I absorb iron?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to janeroar]

I'm sorry, I can't answer your questions, iron is very complicated and it's not my area of expertise on what can cause problems with levels of an iron panel and how to balance the different levels. I can only link to optimal levels, anything more than this needs to be looked into by further research or maybe discussing with your GP. As I don't personally have a problem with my full iron panel, I have not researched myself, I've only had a problem with ferritin which was relatively easy to fix for me.

[janeroar in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks again SeasideSusie. Much appreciate your help.

[janeroar in reply to SeasideSusie]

Also to add I eat a decent amount of red meat including more liver than almost anyone I know!