In June, my following labs were as follows: (.75mcg Synthroid/ 2.5mcg T3) no iron supplementation (all B levels were in range, as were D and Folate)
Total Iron 121 (45-160)
Folate 21.8 (>5.4 normal)
Ferritin 33 (20-288) too low/possible cause of hair loss
TSH 1.04 (.40 - 4.50)
Free T4 1.3 (.8-1.8)
Free T3 3.1 (2.3-4.2)
Because of low Ferritin levels, my Functional Dr. (Endocrine Drs here in the US do not test for Folate, Iron, etc when they do Thyroid labs so I paid for the following myself), I was given 15 mg of liquid iron daily since I don't eat much meat nor fortified wheat products (Gluten free)
Here are all my new levels (still waiting on Ferritin).
The disturbing number is my TSH which is extremely low and seems bizarre since my other numbers are in range. I fasted and didn't take my Thyroid meds till after an early morning draw, and stopped my Iron 3 days prior to the lab test.
August 2019 (took TBIC, and Iron Saturation labs which I never had done before)
Total Iron 57 (45-160) WENT DOWN AFTER IRON SUPPLEMENTATION!
Ferritin waiting on results
Iron Binding Capacity: 338 (250-450)
Iron Saturation: 17% (16-45%)
Free T3 3.1 (2.3-4.2)
T3 Uptake 33% (22-35%)
Total T3 120 (76-181)
Total T4 9.8 (5.1-11.9)
Free T4 1.4 (0.8-1.8)
Free T4 Index (T7) 3.2 (1.4-3.8) I have no idea what Free T4 Index is
BUT THE MOST UNSETTLING RESULT IS MY TSH WHICH IS WAY BELOW LEVELS:
TSH .12 (.40-4.50)
HOW CAN MY TSH BE SO LOW WITH ALL OTHER LEVELS OK? I DID NOT GET B VITAMINS RETESTED SINCE THEY WERE ALL GOOD BEFORE. COULD IT BE THAT THE IRON SUPPLEMENTATION SKEWED MY TSH LEVELS AND ALSO IT IS BIZARRE THAT MY TOTAL IRON WENT FROM 121 to 57 after I supplemented with iron to raise my ferritin levels which I haven't received yet.
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. I will be seeing functional dr to go over all these and your feedback will be extremely helpful.
Best, Susan
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bessygo
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I don't know if this has relevance tangentially, to your experience, but hepcidin was discovered only about 15 yrs (it controls iron absorption from gut mucosa and iron release from macrophages by interacting with ferroportin, causing its internalization and destruction) but it's only quite recently that a better understanding of its role and function in iron supplementation of iron anaemia has been developed. Moretti et al wanted to know whether the current oral treatment of iron deficiency anemia results in a paradoxical interference in iron absorption; their argument being that absorption of a large oral dose of iron will cause an increase in plasma iron, which in turn will cause an increase in hepcidin, which in turn will interfere with iron absorption of the next dose of iron. They found that ingesting a substantial single dose of oral iron, when absorbed, led to an increase in plasma iron, which in turn led to an increase in hepcidin. The measured increase in hepcidin then impaired iron absorption from subsequent doses of oral iron. This hepcidin effect, suppressing iron absorption, could last as long as 48 hours. The suggestion has been made that iron anaemia might therefore be better treated by alternate or every third day, dosing; but the benefit or effectiveness of that has yet to be tested. A long shot, but I wondered if it might go some way to explain your test results.
Thank you...That was very technical. So you're saying that taking 15 mg of iron dailycould actually LOWER my total iron?
That it might be better to take it every few days? (I get some iron from other sources but mostly plant based & small percentages, small amounts in multi vitamins which I heard may not be absorbed as well since it is in pill with other supplements)
My saturation level is low 17/% (16-45%) and my iron binding capacity is in range 338 (250-450).
Unfortunately, I have never had those things tested before so I have no reference prior to taking supplemental iron.
I am still waiting on Ferritin levels, but how could my TSH go from 1.04 to 0.12? (range .40-4.50) when I was on the same dosage of thyroid meds prior to taking the iron ? Thanks MaisieGray! Should I be concerned for such a low TSH when other levels are ok?
A dose of 15mg iron in a supplement is low and I wouldn't expect it to raise levels much in someone who already has problems with absorbing iron from their diet.
In comparison, when I was prescribed an iron supplement by my doctor I was prescribed ferrous fumarate 210mg, one tablet to be taken three times a day. The iron content of one tablet was 69mg, so I was taking 207mg of pure iron per day.
It took me nearly two years to raise my ferritin to optimal, and MaisieGray 's answer could help to explain why it took me so long to raise my iron.
There are lots of ways of supplementing iron and if you experiment you might find a way of improving your iron levels with a different supplement. Some links on the subject are :
If you eat meat, liver is the best food of all for raising iron/ferritin levels. Eating 200g / 7 oz of liver a week has helped quite a few people on this forum to improve iron levels.
I've never come across a test called "Total Iron" before. I suspect it may be the same test called "Serum Iron" in the UK, but I'm not 100% sure.
When you have a result for ferritin it may be worth posting again with all your iron related results. For optimal results for iron-related results, see this link :
Thanks humanbean. My B12 is 968 (range is 200-1100) and Total iron is serum iron. I just don't under stand how total iron could go from 121 to 57 and am very worried about my TSH being 0.12 (0.40-4.50)....all from taking supplement iron?
My iron and folate were fine prior to taking 15mg of iron. I was just trying to raise Ferritin for hair growth, however I have scarring alopecia/frontal fibrosing alopecia which I don't think raising ferritin levels will help. But it is hard to find into out...Endo doesn't care about iron, Dermatologist doesn't either.
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