Low ferritin

[4youreyesonly]

Hello , anybody have low ferritin but normal hemaglobin.I’m waiting for some blood results which my gp is letting me have after reading info on here.My diet is good but ferritin is 11 I’m tempted to take some iron but have trouble with my bowels .Could you recommend one to try.thanks

[pennyannie]

Hello 4yourseyesonly :

I think with a ferritin that low you may be referred for a colonoscopy and endoscopy before any iron tablets are prescribed.

This happened to me though my ferritin was scraping into the range and I think your level is likely under the range and so further investigations must be first undertaken.

[4youreyesonly in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you for your reply ,a chat with the doctor might be in order

[4youreyesonly in reply to pennyannie]

Forgot to ask ,did you get on okay with yours

[pennyannie in reply to 4youreyesonly]

No worries - yes I was given the " all clear " but couldn't tolerate the prescription ferrous fumarate - and nothing else was offered so i purchased Solgar Gentle Iron - but tin al honesty there are other iron bisglycinate products on the market - generally marketed as " a gentle iron. "

I also ate liver twice a week and overdosed according to the instructions on Spatone liquid iron sachets.

Ferritin does take time to build but once i reached around mid 40's I didn't feel as weak.

It was searching for low ferritin that ended me up with me finding this amazing forum several years ago - and most places I read that one needs a ferritin at least over 70 before T4 levothyroxine works well in the body.

I now find I feel at my best with a ferritin at around 100 and just maintain this now with a weekly tub of Asda chicken livers - flashed fried and whisked down into a pate with a dollop of Hellmans.

[4youreyesonly in reply to pennyannie]

Glad you’re sorted ,really helpful thanks again .I’m learning a lot on here too.

[pennyannie in reply to 4youreyesonly]

Yes, thank you - I am so much better than where I was 5/6 years ago.

Just reading posts on here when housebound became the ' norm ' and it does all sink in and your own thyroid health jigsaw puzzle will take shape.

Once you are helped putting the corner pieces together, you'll feel a lot better and knowing what you need to do to help yourself.

[Huxtable in reply to pennyannie]

After 10 years being diagnosed and medicating for an underactive thyroid, I am beginning to wonder how much I have struggled with low mood and energy due to being under-supported medically.

I have a mental health diagnosis also and have attributed the difficulties in my life pretty much exclusively to that, however, after just an couple days on here I am starting to wonder if I have been up against struggles I wasn't even aware of.

My thyroid levels have been sub optimal, despite 100mcg levothyroxine daily, since at least 2016. I attempted to have the issue addressed by a GP but it was dismissed without follow-up. I am grateful for NHS support but it has also been hard to move forward in life with the health issues I experience.

[pennyannie in reply to Huxtable]

Yes, I'm sure, and you are not the only one in this situation.

This is why this forum and Thyroid UK the charity who support this forum are here, and precisely why people like me who have my life back, thanks to this forum, come back on and help give others that much needed " leg up " .

We have all been there in one shape or another and why, when better are passionate about helping others back to better health and wellbeing.

[pennyannie in reply to Huxtable]

!00 mcg T4 isn't an excessive amount by any means but it all means nothing if you are not absorbing it well and not able to convert it into T3 anyway.

There is a liquid T4 for people with proven absorption issues - I say ' proven ' as it is more expensive and not readily offered - some patients having to endure tests to prove that they are not able to absorb the Levothyroxine.

[Alejandrita17 in reply to 4youreyesonly]

Ask for blood test in STOOLS before a colonoscopy. It is much easier, and if it turns out negative, there is practically no chance of having a tumor. They used to do colonoscopies in the past, now the PREVIOUS step is a STOOLS test.

[Imaaan]

There was a time that I could take 2 iron pills without any side effects but after my gastritis that went out the window. Nowadays I rely on liver to help bring my levels up. Hope your levels improve

[4youreyesonly in reply to Imaaan]

Thanks , I do eat meat but not liver .Perhaps need too take another look at diet.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking How long on this dose

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase

What were most recent thyroid results

Always test thyroid levels early morning, ideally before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Low Ferritin frequently directly linked to low thyroid levels…..essential to test Ft4 and Ft3

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...

In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency

Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

A good article that explains exactly why Low ferritin and low thyroid levels are often linked

preventmiscarriage.com/iron...

irondisorders.org/too-littl...

davidg170.sg-host.com/wp-co...

Great in-depth article on low ferritin

oatext.com/iron-deficiency-...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.

Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...

Post discussing just how long it can take to raise low ferritin

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing. It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron

Medichecks iron panel test

medichecks.com/products/iro...

Low Iron and thyroid link

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Posts discussing why important to do full iron panel test

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Chicken livers if iron is good, but ferritin low

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[4youreyesonly in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi, not on thyroxine yet ,I’m subclinical with both high antibodies ,joined the forum a couple of weeks ago and am having some bloods done which were advised and test for coeliac. Waiting results .

[SlowDragon Administrator]

It’s chicken and egg

Low thyroid levels results in low ferritin

Your extremely low ferritin will tend to lower TSH See this post

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Low vitamin levels tend to lower TSH

Getting vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 levels optimal will frequently increase TSH so that you can get diagnosed/dose increase in levothyroxine

Obviously with TSH over 7 at your recent test you should be on levothyroxine anyway

[humanbean]

For information on iron supplements which can be sourced in the UK, see this post I wrote for another member :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You might find this of interest too :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Please be aware that supplementing iron inappropriately and not checking levels regularly can be fraught with problems :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...