I posted about a week ago after having iron studies done through the NHS, it came back that I wasn’t iron deficient enough to be treated by a doctor, but my levels were definitely low enough to start treatment since I’m already experiencing symptoms and don’t want to get worse…..
Latest results:-
Serum iron level: 15.8 umol/L (Normal range: 11.6 - 31.3)
Serum transferrin: 3.13 g/L (Normal range: 1.85 to 3.23)
Unsat iron binding capacity: 79 umol/L (Normal range: 46 to 81)
Transferrin saturation index: 20 % (Normal range: 15 to 50)
Serum ferritin: 29 ug/L (Normal range: 15 to 300)
I was adviced by people on this forum to try 3 Arrows since it is heme iron, which increases absorption and has no side effects….
I’m around 80kgs, so using the equation on the 3 arrows simply heme website, I worked out I could take a minimum of 4 x 20mg heme tablets a day and a maximum of 8 x 20mg heme tablets a day, I plan on taking 4 a day to be safe, my question is can I take all 4 tablets of 20mg heme iron at the same time, or do I have have to spread them throughout the day??…. I have no problem swallowing tablets so that isn’t an issue, I just want to make sure I’m doing it the right way.
Feel free to point out anything I’ve missed.
Many thanks
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MarvelDC
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I'd stick to taking one or two a day and see how you get on as they can really get things moving for some, also it is going to take your body/ blood cells time to make use of the new supply so I'd suggest low and slow which worked well for me.
As for how to take them, probably best to spread them out to get the best absorption but saying that I've taken a couple when I've missed a day and no issues
Thanks TiggerMe, I know what you mean… I guess it all depends on how well I absorb the iron, I want to get my levels up as quickly as possible since I’ve spent long enough feeling ill…. But I also want to do it safely.
And I have no problems swallowing tablets, so it would be easier to take them all at the same time, since I’m taking other tablets throughout the day and I want to keep my iron tablets separate from everything else
Yes that’s true….. so due to my iron deficiency, does that mean the red blood cells I currently have are small and in poor condition?…. Which will interfere with them to do their job?… correct me if I’m wrong
It usually means a lower haemoglobin level in the cells which means they carry less iron, often hypo's have larger blood cells with low haemoglobin which can add to our generally fatigued state 😕
does that mean the red blood cells I currently have are small and in poor condition?
I can't say anything about the condition of your red blood cells, but you can sometimes get an idea of the size of your red blood cells if you have a Full Blood Count (FBC).
The MCV - Mean Corpuscular (or Cell) Volume - which is measured as part of the FBC gives you an average diameter of your red blood cells.
If MCV is low in range or under range (i.e. red blood cells are small) it suggests that you have low or deficient iron/ferritin.
If MCV is high in range or over range (i.e. red blood cells are large) it suggests that you have low or deficient vitamin B12/folate.
When red blood cells are larger or smaller than normal they become less efficient at carrying oxygen around the body and this then causes breathlessness
The problem comes if you have both low iron/ferritin AND low B12/folate. In that situation your MCV might just be middling, giving you a false sense of security about your levels of iron/ferritin/B12/folate. In that situation you would need to test your serum iron, ferritin, B12 and folate levels.
This is useful - expand all the sections with plus signs :
Hi fallinginreverse, no this is the first time I’ve supplemented with iron…. I used to suffer with stomach issues, but they have resolved over the last year, I’m not sure how well I absorb heme iron…. But there’s no reason why I can’t as far as I’m aware
I have an account with medi check, so I’ll do my next iron panel with them, don’t think my doctor will do it again anytime soon since there will be no reason for them to do it…..
(sorry so wordy... don't have time to make it shorter, as they say.)
The first thing to know is that every single one of us absorbs iron at a different rate. So the important part right now is to pick a dosing regiment, be consistent, and plan to test between 6 - 12 weeks from now.
Also - you need to commit to frequent testing. Our bodies do not have a way to excrete excess iron, and it instead settles in our organs and causes irreversible damage. Do not mess around with iron toxicity!
And regards to iron vs ferritin - your goal will be twofold:
1) Target iron levels at 55-70% through range. Not over. Keep in mind also iron is volatile. And your iron and ferritin results will not necessarily move in the same direction. Iron can jump up or drop pretty drastically depending on your own blood chemistry, and what you eat, etc. Stop supplements about 5 days or so before a test, and do not eat iron rich food the day before.
2) Ferritin on the other hand moves slow as molasses. Everyone's different - but many of us work on it for 6-18 months. Increasing Ferritin is the prize here, so you need to focus on your iron staying at 55-70%, at which point your body will have enough iron through the day for essential functions, so it then feels comfortable sending some to storage, all without staying too high where it's toxic.
The other aspects of your iron panel support that you have tons of runway to supplement. As always, it's ridiculous for any doctor to say you are "ok." But I also don't blame them since treating this effectively and safely is quite the balancing act and they sure are stuck on "being in range" = "ok" even though you are BARELY in that range!
For your other results, transferrin is the protein that carries iron throughout your body. Yours is high likely because your body is trying to compensate by making more transporters... even though those transporters don't have much iron in them yet... as your UIBC shows... UIBC is high as it's showing the UNSATURATED part of your capacity to transport iron. So more are unsaturated. Also, what I like to look at as the most important for us hypo folks - your transferrin saturation percent. This tells you just how saturated each of those transferrins are with iron... and in this case the range is actually very important - although it varies a little optimal is 35 to 45%, with a minimum saturation of 30% required to successfully treat with T3. So until this is optimal, you body can't effectively get T3 where it needs to go.
How much to take:
My personal opinion is that it all depends on when you will be testing next. For example, when I decided to take two pills a week... I tested in 8-10~ weeks. Now that I am taking one a day, I'm going to do sooner at 6-8 week mark. When I started my daughter on 2 a day, I tested her in 5-6 weeks (and - for comparison, she went from iron at 49 - 210 in those 5~ short weeks on 2 a day.) Everyone is different. So be consistent! And learn how you absorb so you can calibrate to your own body after your next blood test.
You can follow the Three Arrows dose by weight if you want. Some people do indeed take 5 a day... that would be fine if you test within the month or so. But most of us start with 1 or 2 a day because we are in for the long haul!
Lastly, consistency not only includes how many Three Arrows you take, but also making sure to avoid iron blocking foods (calcium, fiber, coffee...). Don't forget to take iron 4 hours from any thyroid hormone replacement to, as the iron will block it's absorption.
Finally - taking all at once or splitting? First, be consistent so you can make data-led decisions on how to change your dose after you test next. Second, most of us can't split the dose too much and still protect the time around our Levo dosing. Personally I spread mine out over the day, but you can absolutely take them all at once. At least for this first go round, you can then see how that burst impacts your iron levels at your next test. There is science behind the way our body responds when we ingest iron, and how long those reactions last. But really for you right now it won't matter.
Thanks, FallingInReverse. Noone in this thread mentioned vitamin C - shouldn't that also be supplemented for optimal absorption? Or is that not needed specifically with heme iron? (I take 1 tsp of vit C powder before my weekly liver meal, for instance.)
Thank you for all the information, that’s really informative….. it’s hard to get information like that from your doctor, and can sometimes hard to find it on the internet, so thank you for taking the time to write all that
I sometimes need a bit more iron but have gut issues so use a sublingual spray. If that is any help to you the brand is Betteryou. I do this with most of my vitamins now and it seems to be effective and solves the gut side effects for me. Best wishes to you.
I’m sorry that you had conflicting advice about treatment for iron deficiency.
Doctors have said im in normal range, but im experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, joint and muscle aches, headaches, breathlessness and sometimes dizzy, there’s nothing else in my blood work that points towards the way I feel….. but I realised theres a big difference between normal range and optimal range, but the NHS doesn’t seem to care, if your in normal range they won’t treat you 😕 so using information from this forum, respected websites and online specialist I’ve decided to supplement….. I don’t want to get anymore ill than I am already
I understand your concerns, since we all have the same worries, but if you get an iron panel done, post it on here…. They’ll help you to understand them and if you need to supplement or not, alot of people suggest heme iron cause you absorb it better, less things to block it and less side effects, medicate low and test regular, and there shouldn’t be anything to worry about… you have to fight for your own health these days…
Ferritin's low and 20% transferrin saturation indicates significant iron deficiency. I personally would seek advice from an iron specialist - you might benefit more quickly from an infusion.
Hi Mixteca, thanks for the advice….. I would love to have an iron infusion, but my doctor won’t even acknowledge I have an iron deficiency…. I would have to go private, which can be very expensive…. Do you know anywhere you can get an affordable iron infusion??… I’m currently taking three arrows, I’m 5 days in so I guess I have to give it more time to see improvements
The NHS waits until you're critically low before they'll give an infusion, and they've basically no knowledge about biochemistry anyway. I tried that route, was refused and had to go privately. I'll message you.
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