Iron decreased after supplementation?!

[StellaTed]

After finding my ferritin levels were low as part of a full iron panel from Thriva in October (and on advice from my GP once she found out I am vegetarian), I started supplementing with liquid iron (15mg per day). After re-testing my iron panel 5 weeks later several of the results have got quite a bit worse. This confused me as the results from the first iron panel I did back in July weren’t hugely different from the ones in October. Results below:

Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC):

July 61

October 63

November 64

(Range 41-77 umol/L)

Transferrin saturation:

July 40

October 37

November 27

(Range 20-50%)

Ferritin:

July 44

October 36

November 26

(Range 15-150ug/L)

Iron:

July 24.1

October 23.6

November 17.1

(Range 5.8-34.5umol/L)

Unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC):

July 37.1

October 39.1

November 47

(Range 24.2-70.1umol/L)

It seems unlikely that supplementing a small dose of iron would do this, is there another explanation?! After these results I changed to a tablet form of iron with a dose of 20mg per day, which I take with fruit as a source of vitamin C. I will retest in the new year and see if things improve.

Other info: I have just started taking NDT but the first dose was after these results. I have been vegetarian for a few years but usually include quite a few sources of iron in my diet.

Thanks in advance for if anyone has any advice or guidance, I feel like I’m struggling with Hashimoto’s symptoms enough without heading towards iron deficiency as well!

[humanbean]

A perfectly healthy woman with no iron problems at all needs to take in about 14mg - 18mg of iron per day.

If your iron levels are low then you would need to take in more than that to improve your level.

If you want to know about supplementing iron you might find this post I wrote for someone else of interest :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Just to give you a comparison (and I'm not suggesting this dose for you)...

When my iron and ferritin were very low I was taking ferrous fumarate 210mg, one tablet three times a day. I absorbed it poorly and took this dose for nearly two years. My dose was supplying me with 207mg of iron per day.

There have been occasions when I've taken too low a dose of a supplement and found my overall level decreased. For example, the first time I took vitamin D I took 1000 iU per day and my level actually dropped. So, your experience isn't unique.

[StellaTed in reply to humanbean]

Thank you humanbean! Wow your dose was a lot higher than my current dose. I will look into taking a higher dose and keep a close eye on my levels. Unfortunately my GP wasn’t very interested in advising me because I’m technically within the “normal range” but it’s clearly something I need to address. Thanks for your help