I’ve been following all the advice I’ve received here but I’m feeling worse all the time. I’m practically house-bound except in the evening for about an hour or two, I can venture out but not to go to stores etc. Could I have been taking too much iron? I take Gentle iron 20 mg every 2 days (with 1000 mg Vit C )
Or Vitamin D? I take 2000 i.u. (+ K2 & magnesium). I was low on both. I also supplement with Vit B complex,
Or could it be trouble adjusting to more Levo? I’m on 100 and alternate with 88 when 100 seems to knock me out even more… My last labs were on August 4. (had to edit this post due to brain fog!)
Help very much appreciated, as usual.
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Koola
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Could you post your latest iron and ferritin results with reference ranges, please. Also transferrin saturation and haemoglobin if you have them.
If you are iron and ferritin deficient then the dose of iron you are taking is tiny and isn't likely to be achieving very much at all. An average of 10mg iron per day is less than the recommended daily intake.
If you don't need the iron then it is best not to take it at all, and get what you need from food. But if you do need iron, or don't absorb it from food very well, then taking a sensible dose of iron in a supplement is worth doing in the right circumstances.
Transferrin Saturation Percentage is something that would be done for an iron panel. So if you haven't had one you are unlikely to find it as a separate test result.
Your haemoglobin is good - you aren't suffering from obvious anaemia.
Thank you but I'm neither a native nor fluent. I manage and I'm still studying, but not re medical lingo -- in any language! Though with HU, and you cool people, I'm learning fast...
They have a lot in common, but aren't completely identical, so it would be worth checking out each one to see if you have a favourite. They all bury too much information behind plus (+) signs and so you have to hunt for the information you want.
Serum iron needs to be 55% - 70% of the way through the range which, with the range you've given is 105.5 - 122. Usually for women you would aim for the lower half of that range (i.e. roughly 105 - 113), for men the upper half (i.e. roughly 113 - 122).
People tend to feel at their best when ferritin (iron stores) is roughly mid-range which is 61 with the range you've given.
Be aware that supplementing iron is dangerous if either serum iron OR ferritin get too high. Sometimes people can find that supplementing iron will dramatically raise serum iron while ferritin stays too low. Sometimes ferritin can go sky high while serum iron stays low. If either of these situations occurs you should stop supplementing immediately and come back and ask for more help. Please read this link for more info on this issue :
Some people absorb iron from food rather poorly but it is always worth trying it. Take vitamin C with iron-rich food or iron supplements to help absorption.
If you decide to supplement, then read helvella's document on your various options :
I don't know what options you have available to you over the counter or online from Greece. Is it likely to be difficult for you to source iron supplements? The kinds that doctors usually prescribe in the UK are ferrous fumarate 210mg or ferrous sulfate.
I'm not sure if this link is readable from outside the UK :
The important thing with an iron supplement is how much iron it contains. If the amount is too low then you might never raise serum iron and/or ferritin. But if the amount is too high you can end up with excess iron depositing itself in your organs, and there is no easy way to get rid of it.
When my levels were a lot worse than yours I was taking ferrous fumarate 210mg, one tablet three times a day, making a total of 207mg of pure iron per day for 21 months. I now take a maintenance dose of roughly 4 - 5 tablets per week.
But I absorb iron very poorly.
Since iron is poisonous in overdose it is essential to test regularly - maybe every 6 - 8 weeks, until you get some idea how quickly your levels are rising. Once you have a better idea of this you can adjust testing frequency to something suitable for you. But please don't stop testing on a regular basis.
I've been taking Gentle iron by Solgar, which is bisglycinate. Obviously, not enough. I had read here about the difficulty with iron and therefore was cautious. Maybe I'll triple the dose and test in about 3 weeks? Do you feel better quickly?
You could double it and see whether it helps. I wouldn't go so far as to triple it yet. Whether you will start to feel better quickly will depend on how many other health issues you have - and with thyroid those are usually one or more of the following :
1) T4 and T3 levels
2) Nutrient levels
3) Cortisol
5) Too much/too little exercise
6) Stress levels
7) Having a good, nutrient rich diet with good levels of protein and healthy fats
Thank you. Very recently, not enough sleep; very good diet but high stress level (bereavement & worries). I'm sure that plays a big role and it's difficult to break the cycle of low energy and feeling powerless, therefore feeling worse, and therefore more powerless etc.! That's why you and the other helpful persons on this forum are a real lifeline, especially for those of us who live alone with little support.
It's almost 10:00 here and I'm starting to get sleepy, so I will bow out for now. Many thanks again and I'll keep you posted I wish you a pleasant evening and -- a good sleep!
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