Hello everyone-
A quick question. I’m planning on doing a medichecks iron panel test in 7 days to recheck my iron levels to see if they’ve improved with supplementation. I know to stop Biotin/ B vits for a week before blood tests but do I also need to stop taking my iron supplements too?
Advice would be much appreciated!
Thankyou
I can't answer your question Lucy as I wasn't taking any iron tablets before doing my iron panel test but I'm sure someone will be along. However, I do remember being told to fast for 12 hours before the test which I obviously adhered to.
You don’t need to fast as such…..just only drink water between waking up and doing blood test
Don’t eat high iron rich meal night before test
Some people say you should stop iron supplements 5-7 days before test …..but there doesn’t seem to be any clear guidelines
Thanks SlowDragon
Yes, stop taking iron before testing. I always stop for a week, but that may be overkill. You could try 2 - 3 days without if you want. At an absolute minimum I would suggest stopping iron for 24 hours. I would also suggest you don't have iron-heavy meals e.g. ones with lots of meat, for 2 - 3 days before testing.
Whatever you decide, in order for your results to be useful, you should stick to your decision in future, so that you are always comparing like for like.
LucyYoga
You do need to fast before an iron panel, according to the NHS:
nhs.uk/common-health-questi...
Common fasting blood tests
Examples of blood tests that may require you to fast include:
* a fasting blood glucose test (used to test for diabetes) – you may be asked to fast for 8 to 10 hours before the test
* an iron blood test (used to diagnose conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia) – you may be asked to fast for 12 hours before the test
If you do the test first thing in the morning before you have breakfast/drinks other than water then that should take care of the fasting if you last ate an evening meal the night before.
Nuffield say 8 hours for an iron test (but not necessary for ferritin test alone):
nuffieldhealth.com/fasting-...
This phlebotomy website says 12 hours for an iron test:
phlebotomyu.com/which-blood...
Labtestsonline say 12 hours fast and no iron supplements for 24 hours before test:
labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...
Test Preparation Needed?
Your doctor may request that you fast for 12 hours prior to some iron blood tests. In this case, only water is permitted. You should not take any iron tablets for 24 hours before the test. Iron is absorbed rapidly from food or tablets, and can make your blood iron levels falsely high.
I have seen somewhere that mentions 5-7 days without supplements but I no longer have that link.
That’s great Susie Thankyou - I intermittent fast anyway and will be doing the test in the morning so will be 12 hours since last eaten.
Thanks for the info
The 5 - 7 days suggestion came from STTM several years ago. It is still partly mentioned on this link.
stopthethyroidmadness.com/l...
For iron, we learned to be off for “up to” 5 days (based on the Iron Institute), i.e. to see what we are “holding onto”.
I spent a long time searching for that reference (no link was given by STTM) on the Iron Disorders Institute website (which is what I assumed the author meant by "the Iron Institute"), and I only found it mentioned once in cases where haemochromatosis was suspected. I've now lost the link to that myself.
I started leaving 5 - 7 days off iron supplements when I was taking iron at quite a high dose, and now I continue that just so that I'm comparing like with like.
I always get iron panels done at the same time as thyroid testing, so as a result I have always fasted overnight (apart from water) because of the thyroid testing.
Makes sense…. I was guessing 7 days. When I had all my functional diagnostic tests done last year my nutritional therapist told me to stop all supplements for 7 days before blood draw- but I wasn’t sure what the specific protocol for iron is. Thankyou
humanbean Just letting you know I've sent you a PM in case you haven't noticed or had a notification 
I just did Iron test and I was told to fast … When in doubt fast !
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