Ferritin Extremely Low

[Karenk13]

So after getting routine bloods done in GP turns out my Ferritin is what she described as Dangerously Low

FERRITIN Result 9 Range 14-200

I've been reffered to the Hematologist now who I will see on Monday. I take Iron supplements already as I'm a vegetarian so I was surprised. Suspect I may be given an infusion as its not the first time this has happened. Has anyone had an infusion and did you find it helped.

I never realised because the symptoms are the same as Hypo symptoms so I just assumed I needed a higher dose of T4.

The usual, Hair Loss, Tiredness, dizziness, dry skin etc. Also for anyone suffering from hairloss and its being put down to your thyroid levels I've been told that your ferritin needs to be at least 60 for hair growth!

[Saggyuk]

Hiya - Not often on here but no one's managed to answer you yet so thought I'd reply

Yes that very low - the infusion will help as direct into your blood and bypasses normal route.

What type and what dose iron do you take - it may be too low a dose for you to get your levels up or counter the lack in your diet?

Do you have any stomach/absorption issues? Also low thyroid can mess with stomach acids making absorption more difficult so maybe post your thyroid levels on here to advice as to whether you're medicated sufficiently. But then deficiencies can make your thyroid levels worse too so need to get them all up together and you need your iron at a decent level to bgin with rather than just in range.

Also, you need Vit C to absorb iron - do you take any with it? I always used to take my iron at night with Vit C so it was away from all other pills and vits and wouldn't interfere with anything or vice versa.

Just in case, do remember you mustn't take iron anywhere near your thyroid meds or other meds.

Will assume you keep an eye on your B12 too if a vegetarian?

Hope you feel better soon

[Karenk13 in reply to Saggyuk]

Would you believe the lab didnt check B12 even though requested by the GP because they must have prior indication of suspected deficiency before the lab will run the test which I find bizarre so I've no idea of my B12 status .

I take my eltroxin before bed and my iron in the morning so well spaced out but I suspect as my diet is high in foods that can affect absorbtion thats probably half the problem .

My TSh is currently 2.31 (0.3 - 4.2)

T4 15 (12- 22)

But like you I would suspect these are being affected by the Iron issue and hopefully will improve once the Iron levels are sorted as I already take 125mcg daily of Levo

[humanbean]

I take Iron supplements already as I'm a vegetarian so I was surprised.

What supplements do you take? And at what dose? And how often per day?

Once your levels are optimal (however that is achieved - pills or an infusion) you will need to take a high enough dose of iron supplement permanently to prevent your levels dropping like a stone again, and you will need to get re-tested regularly. You will probably have to find out for yourself what that maintenance dose is.

I've never had an infusion so I can't help I'm afraid. When my iron and ferritin dropped dramatically I ended up having to test and fix my own levels. I was taking maximum dose of ferrous fumarate 210mg for nearly two years before I could get my ferritin up to mid-range. Despite that my serum iron was still in the doldrums. But a few years of taking a maintenance dose has gradually improved all my iron and ferritin and related results.

Good luck.

[Karenk13 in reply to humanbean]

Hey humanbean I take Active Iron 38mg Ferrous Sulphate daily because I can't take Galfer or Ferrograd and alot of Iron supplements with ferrous fumarate cause me bad digestive issues and pain. I realise now that this is obviously not enough for me

I suspect once I meet the hematologist this will be doubled or replaced with something else stronger if I can tolerate it. I just hope that they do an infusion first and then get me on a maintenance dose. Pretty sure I'm a poor absorber of iron in general so fingers crossed they can get it up

[Heloise in reply to Karenk13]

Why not add HCL with meals to help break down minerals which need more acid than you probably have normally. Low stomach acid is very common. How about amino acids? They are large molecules that need to be metabolized for use. Undigested and fermenting contents in the gut can be problematic.

[Karenk13 in reply to Heloise]

I've never heard of HCL I'll have a look into it

[helvella in reply to Karenk13]

Be careful - this does NOT mean hydrochloric acid as a liquid in a bottle.

It refers to Betaine HCl.

[Karenk13 in reply to helvella]

Thanks helvella 😅

[humanbean in reply to Karenk13]

Betaine HCL is an artificial substitute for stomach acid. Many people who are hypothyroid have very low levels of stomach acid and it gets mentioned on the forum a lot. Search for "betaine" to find more posts on it.

Some links you might find of use, particularly the last two :

healthygut.com/articles/hyp...

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

healthygut.com/articles/how...

healthygut.com/articles/4-c...

[Heloise in reply to Karenk13]

Yes, do not drink hydrochloric acid

[humanbean in reply to Karenk13]

I take Active Iron 38mg Ferrous Sulphate

I can't take Galfer or Ferrograd and alot of Iron supplements with ferrous fumarate cause me bad digestive issues and pain.

I tried ferrous sulphate and felt like I had drunk a glass of sulphuric acid afterwards. But I could, under the right circumstances, tolerate ferrous fumarate. But we're all different. I don't know if you can read the British National Formulary from where you live, but you might find these links helpful if you can :

bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-s...

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/ferrou...

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/ferrou...

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/ferrou...

It is the iron content of any supplement that is important - and the higher the iron content of a supplement the fewer people can tolerate it.

[Karenk13 in reply to humanbean]

Its funny you say that as I have a similar reaction to ferrous fumarate 🙃 I cant access those links as I'm in Ireland but hopefully I can find some different reference regarding the iron content and absorbtion rate of both types compared to each other

[humanbean in reply to Karenk13]

Any iron supplement must tell you how much iron it contains. I looked up the product (I think) you are taking :

astircare.co.uk/active-iron...

and each capsule contains only 14mg of pure iron according to the label.

Just for comparison, when I was taking ferrous fumarate 210mg one tablet, three times a day, (which is maximum dose) I was taking in 207mg of pure iron per day - nearly 15 times the amount of iron in one capsule of your supplement.

The only way I can tolerate iron supplements is by taking them with food. It reduces the amount of iron I can absorb but I have to get iron into me somehow.

Hopefully you will get an infusion, because you will never raise your iron and ferritin with 14mg of iron per day.

[Karenk13 in reply to humanbean]

Thanks ! Wow this is so low no wonder my levels are in the bin.

[Pastelart]

Hi Karenk13, I had symptoms for 2 years before they picked up that I was “alarmingly anaemic “ ferritin 7. I had an iron infusion after my colonoscopy was negative for anything sinister. My levels then went way up to 545 or something. They infused a litre in quite a short period and I had a nasty reaction. Apparently its quite rare to have a bad reaction, so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

[Karenk13 in reply to Pastelart]

Thanks for the feedback I am worried about an infusion in terms of side affects too 😕 as I have heard similar stories of people having reactions

[Pastelart]

I think the benefits outweigh the risks, the side effects pass quickly. I had flu like symptoms and swollen glands, the latter only found in 8 women ( from a paper I found online) I’m still trying to build up the fitness that I’ve lost, taking ages. Go well and let me know how you get on. 🤗