Could it be that your iron levels are increasing so using up the ferritin that you are adding, this is what I have found, my ferritin levels stay constant but iron has improved... the life of a red blood cell is something like 150 days so it takes a while for things to change
I had a problem with ferritin/iron. I was not absorbing iron through my stomach. Didn't matter what I took orally. There are patches you can try. I tried them and there was no improvement. Eventually I obtained an iron infusion on the NHS.
How well does the infusion work? Does it immediately improve how you feel? Has it restored the ferritin to normal? I ask because I'm struggling to raise my ferritin levels and an infusion is an option.
The infusion on Jan 10 has certainly raised my iron and ferritin but I still feel pretty washed out. Nurse said it takes five weeks to kick in. A GP told me it could take monthsI feel a bit better but nothing like the energy levels I'm used to
The infusion on Jan 10 has certainly raised my iron and ferritin but I still feel pretty washed out. Nurse said it takes five weeks to kick in. A GP told me it could take monthsI feel a bit better but nothing like the energy levels I'm used to
Good luck with your recovery. Thanks for your explanation id rather go into with realistic expectations as there is no instant treatment so you're reply is very helpful.
I'm just wondering if you are taking it at the same time as something containing vitamin C, like orange juice? Maybe even adding in ascorbic acid might help.
Vit C can help absorption of iron from foods and more iron rich foods needed by the looks of it. A supplement of ascorbic acid might be better than orange juice.
It is necessary to have co-factors with heme iron supplements. In order to get daily vitamin C have to be consuming either a kiwi or red bell pepper each day. Those are the two foods with enough vitamin C to meet the minimum. Most people do not get their daily requirement of vitamin C let alone most other nutrients. Co-factors (particularily vit C and methylfolate) are the largest issue when it comes to increasing iron levels.
This is a summary of what I have read up and found out about iron supplements over the past few years. I am not in any way medically trained. You are strongly encouraged to check every detail before making any decisions for yourself.
Will low iron affect my fT3 levels? They are plummeting and I’m freaking out a bit. Not sure if it’s because of brand switch or iron levels. Not sure whether to increase my t3 dose? My ft4 is top range and fine, but ft3 has dropped from a consistent 6 to now 4.8!
What we have are many members who have never been right until their iron deficiency issues have been addressed. And sometimes they have felt significantly better even shortly after starting supplementation and well before they have become genuinely replete with iron.
It is much more difficult to produce good and direct evidence that iron affects fT3 levels. It is a very reasonable suggestion with some general indication that it could be the case.
(I simply do not know enough about iron - which is itself a very complex subject.)
I think you simply have to continue supplementing.
In my iron document, I point out that we have at least three separate pathways for absorbing iron. Heme and the standard supplements like ferrous fumarate are handled by different pathways. You can take BOTH heme and ferrous fumarate. You don't have to stop one to take the other. Both pathways can be active in parallel.
Suzanneharb That's where I was going with my question.
There are many many things that affect how much iron you need/how much you absorb, so it would help to know how many Three Arrows capsules you take, how frequently, and for how long.
PinkSkittles - you took 5 Three Arrows a day... for how long? And 100 what? Assuming Iron? What was the range? And were you checking ferritin also?
Hi! I take 1 tablet a day if three arrows, for the past 3 months. I think I’ll switchback to ferrous fumerate as it’s a lot cheaper and was raising my levels before. Would 200mcg be too little?
You are not taking enough. I strongly recommend you do not conclude that switching back to the synthetic is better. It's not. Chemically it absorbs 1/3 as well as heme. You can take heme with or without food, do not need to pair with Vit C, and does not cause any stomach upset.
If you think it made a bigger impact that's because you were taking 200 of that and what equates to 20 mgs of Three Arrows. Even with the inferior absorption of the 200... this is most likely more than what you will absorb with just 20 mgs of Three Arrows.
Recommended iron deficiency starts is closer to 65-75 or thereabouts of a synthetic iron supplement and sometimes more (like you were on 200 ferrous sulfate.) But doctors don't think in terms of heme iron supplements, so you won't find much wisdom from your doctor about how to adjust your dose if you switch to heme.
When you dose Three Arrows, definitely as noted above and on their website, it is by weight.
Long story short - you can easily take 2 a day... and at your levels if I were you I would probably take 3 a day for a short time. Each capsule has 20 mgs of heme iron. Three would be 60. Funnily enough - the amount you would absorb from 200 synthetic vs 60 heme by some math might also turn out to be close to each other.
My one huge shout out about this is that - If you are supplementing iron (and ESPECIALLY as you finally give yourself enough to break through the anemia) you need to commit to doing your iron panel no more than every three months... and if you go ahead and take 2-3 Three Arrows a day, I would recommend an initial test at 6 weeks to see how well you are absorbing it.
I would love to hear what you decide, and if you re-post after a course of Three Arrows, please tag me when you get new blood tests. I would love to hear another data point on how you do on heme.
If I was to guess, three a day would make a dent in 6 weeks. Then you can calibrate how much of a dent and adjust your dose up or down when you see your own personal reaction.
You were simply on way too low of a dose to break through your anemia.
EDIT: That's why I asked about PinkSkittles 5 per day. Pink - I would love to know for how long, and your iron numbers before and after you started. If you are petite I am going to guess you were going all in to make up a serious iron deficiency, but also 5 heme is a lot, and it would be great to know what percent through range your actual iron is right now. I'd be worried its dangerously high, but definitely don't have enough info.
Despite being low in iron you should always be cautious when deciding on dosage by making sure your iron panel numbers also indicate supplementation, especially when thinking of taking large doses. helvella or humanbean (apologies to you both but I always muddle you) can tell you more about that
sounds like you need an iron infusion.. have you tried taking your iron with a glass of orange juice and a couple of hours away from dairy? You could also try heme iron supplements, more expensive but may just work
Unfortunately I cannot offer any advice because I’m in a similar situation with my ferritin and have been taking iron for 18 months, it dropped down to 30 from 65 and I’m feeling very defeated. It’s been awful taking iron for all this time.
I have been trying to buy Three Arrows Heme iron and can’t find it anywhere, it’s not on the iherb website.
I've had some success with supplementing my iron on alternate days, that might be worth trying?Not sure if anyone has mentioned this before, but make sure you separate your iron doses from calcium rich foods.
Hi ,I couldn't tolerate ion tablets due to additive intolerance. I increased my iron naturally by eating fried organic chicken liver with onion /spinach or sauerkraut 2-3 times per week . No black tea ,coffee, milk , yoghurt,chocolate , wholemeal cereals /bran with that meal, as they reduce iron absorbing. Liver is iron rich and vit A that helps iron absorbtion. Sauerkraut rich in vit C and maintaining stomach acid level for digestion. Spinach is also iron rich.
Dried dates and apricots also helped (no preservatives).
If you have Hashimotos it can cause low stomach acid which in turn makes it very hard to absorb iron. I am just starting to use Betaine myself to see if better digestion improves my iron levels
Please get tested for Celiac Disease or if expensive to test, just try 100% gluten free regardless even if you are not positive for Celiac, for a solid six months. No cheating, not even a bite. My doctors couldn’t get my ferritin up from a 2 despite supplements and even injections. After 6 months of GF, my ferritin went up to 92. My endocrinologist just about fell off her chair. She asked me what I changed and this was the only thing I changed. I wasn’t taking any supplements at that time. If you want to take an iron that has worked well for my daughters is Hemaplex. It has a lot of cofactors for better health and overall blood cell production. Good luck!
Forgot to mention in my previous post , pomegranate is also high in iron , it's acidic and helps absorbing iron.One other thing is ,there is a competition between iron and zinc absorbtion , if diet is high in zink or from supplements then zinc would more likely be absorbing better than iron.
It would make sense not to take them at the same time.
You need to be taking co-factors with your iron supplements such as copper, zinc, vitamin C, and the B vitamins (methylfolate in particular 400-1000 mcg - NOT folic acid). B-complex SAP NFH or B-complex PLUS Pure encapsulations
Liposomal vitamin C or buffered vitamin C (California gold nutrition has the cheapest high quality buffered C)
Zinc picolinate 25 mg plus copper 1-2 mg NFH has the best one. Zinc and copper need to be in a specific ratio.
Want to either consume heme iron (2x 11 mg) or iron bysglicinate 60-70 mg.
Lactoferrin which can be obtained from whey isolate (schinoussa whey protein powder is a good source) also helps with iron deficiency. Should be consumed when you take your iron supplement.
You can opt to consume liver 100g once a week, organ meats really help improve iron levels.
Gut health - if the body is having difficulty absorbing iron. Those who have difficulty absorbing nutrients such as iron have gut bysbiosis. Looking into improving the gut biome will allow for you to get your iron levels up as well.
Malnutrition/malabsorption is most often associated with gut health. I have a similar issue with extremely low ferritin and lowered other nutrients and vitamins. In my case, supplementation is helping a bit but still doesn't raise it enough, and also as soon as I stop it falls back. Taking supplements is addressing the symptom, not the cause. I would suggest looking for the root cause of the issue, e.g. chronic inflammatory process in the body, good health or other underlying conditions.
In my case, a clinical dietician suggested testing for SIBO, which came out positive. I'll start the treatment and re-introduction afterwards and hopefully it will help improve my natural gut absorption.
Hi. Just read your post and it makes me wonder if A you're taking the right dose and B you are supplementing the co factors needed to raise your ferritin. X
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