Ok to supplement with small amount of iron if n... - Thyroid UK

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Ok to supplement with small amount of iron if not anemic?

Gophe profile image
11 Replies

SlowDragon and SeasideSusie , I think you were the ones who advised that to correct low ferritin without anemia, you shouldn't supplement but get the iron through food. I'm wondering if I could at least take 5mg of iron supplement each day -- the amount that's in many daily women's multivitamins? Not long-term; just to get on my feet. Does that sound reasonable? Or do you advise against it? I was thinking of using the BetterYou iron oral spray and just doing 2 pumps rather than 4.

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Gophe profile image
Gophe
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pennyannie profile image
pennyannie

Hey there Gophe

You could try eating black pudding, liver or maybe do what I do ;

Asda sell little tubs of frozen chicken livers - they are very clean and mild to taste.

I use 1 tub a week, defrosted and after flash fried in a little olive oil, whizz down into a pate and keep in a jar in the fridge.

I take a spoonful each say there is some left, maybe with a little dollop of mayonnaise and this helps this little medicine go down and helps keep my ferritin up at around 100 where I seem to need to be, for optimal conversion of thyroid hormone replacement.

Gophe profile image
Gophe in reply to pennyannie

Hi pennyannie . I'm eating liver (and sunflower seeds and kidney beans) as much as is advised, but I was hoping to move a little bit faster up the ferritin range than that approach allows (ie, get a bit of a head start).

pennyannie profile image
pennyannie in reply to Gophe

Oh, I know, it does take time building ferritin up through food, but we need to do what we need to do and in all honesty it's a safest way, as it's a natural " a fix " as you can get.

pennyannie profile image
pennyannie in reply to pennyannie

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I've also taken liquid iron :

Spatone manufacture measured daily sachets which are almost tasteless ( I think ) and there is an apple flavoured option.

P.S. I say, I think, as my mouth is still damaged from RAI treatment and my taste buds non existent.

Bluespots profile image
Bluespots in reply to pennyannie

Black pudding. That's a good idea, couldn't manage the liver thing, and now I am allergic to chicken ( who would have thought it!!) I also like black pudding. Stopped eating it because of the salt, but hey ho, better than having no iron. Supplements are a bother too.

pennyannie profile image
pennyannie in reply to Bluespots

Ok - black pudding it is then - there are other options.

I started off just buying liver and forcing myself to eat it large slices - guessing it was beef.

People seem to prefer lamb or calf - i wasn't fussy, just needed to get it down.

There is also Spatone - liquid iron daily sachets - I found those easy to drink down in freshly squeezed orange : and other products of course, just relaying my journey.

Bluespots profile image
Bluespots in reply to pennyannie

My diet has just become so restricted recently ( after allergy) testing. What foods that I thought was doing me good, turns out I am allergic. So my diet is up in the air. Black pudding will be a welcome addition to a topsy turvy food range. 😊

Gophe profile image
Gophe in reply to Bluespots

I'm going to try black pudding too. If anyone needs gluten free, I found a good butcher in Scotland that delivers -- S. Collins & Son. Although delivery is expensive.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Gophe

I experimented with the iron spray.

I have done the iron panel privately and everything is good except low ferritin.

I used the spray for a few weeks then retested and it had raised everything (and I assume any iron supplement would do the same). I didn't need anything raising except ferritin, so if I'd carried on my serum iron and saturation would have eventually gone too high.

The iron panel will tell you if you are iron deficient. You can have iron deficiency without anaemia. Have you done an iron panel? Medichecks do a fingerprick test - Iron Deficiency Check - which tests what you need.

Gophe profile image
Gophe in reply to SeasideSusie

Thanks for your reply, SeasideSusie . I'm not iron deficient; I did the Medichecks panel in June and had 24.1 umol/L, which is well into the normal range. But my ferritin is low and I'm trying to raise it. What I don't understand: Why is it that we try to consume iron-rich foods to raise our ferritin but it's not okay to take iron directly?

If I do what you did -- use the spray just for a week or two -- do you think that would be okay? I'm happy to keep eating liver and beans etc, but I'd like to give myself a little more of boost up the ferritin range.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Gophe

Gophe

I'm not medically trained so I can't advise, I can only tell you of my experience.

Raising Ferritin is not a quick fix, it's taken me from May to September to raise mine from 57 to 76 by eating liver weekly and I still have a way to go. If I'd taken the iron spray I would have taken my serum iron and saturation % too high and it's not a good idea to do that.

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