update on test results

[Baileyleigh123]

hi all so the doctor rang me and told me to lower my thyroxine down to 150 mg and she said my iron levels were 10 so on the borderline, she didn’t give me any tablets for this so I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing but I’ve bought some ferogloblin capsules with folic acid vitamin b12 and iron thanks

[humanbean]

A serum iron level of 10 is usually low in range when the range is a common one.

But the optimal level for serum iron according to this link :

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

is 55% to 70% of the way through the range, with the higher end of that range being optimal for men, the lower end being optimal for women.

There is no way that your level of 10 is going to be anywhere near 55% - 65% through the range, so it is too low, suggesting that you need more iron. BUT...

Iron is complicated. Ferritin (which is a measure of your iron stores) and serum iron aren't always both good or both high or both low. And you really have to look at both iron and ferritin to see what they are telling you before you can safely take iron supplements.

In some cases, for example, iron being low can happen with ferritin being high. There are probably multiple reasons for this, but a common one is when the patient has a bacterial or viral infection, a fungal infection, or they have inflammation. The problem is that iron and ferritin testing won't tell you what the infection or inflammation is caused by, and since pathogens need iron to reproduce just like human cells do, it is important not to supplement iron willy-nilly. Pathogens can't get hold of iron from ferritin - it is locked up tight. But pathogens can get iron from serum iron. When the body has an infection it will reduce the serum iron level and increase ferritin to reduce the amount of iron that pathogens have access to.

When people have high iron and low ferritin the causes are different to what I wrote above and the treatment might not even be iron. It might be a folate supplement or a B12 supplement.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/m...

We always suggest that people with ferritin or iron issues should get a full iron panel. This is the one I usually use which I use with a finger-prick sample :

medichecks.com/products/iro...

A discount code can be found on this link :

thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

If you register with Medichecks even without buying a test they will start sending you emails about their sales with higher discount codes. Sadly, you just missed a one-day 20%-off sale yesterday, but they do have sales a few times a year.

When people have iron and ferritin tested and one is low while the other is high, the patient may find that supplementing iron just keeps raising whichever one is higher. E.g. Got high ferritin and low iron? Then supplementing might just raise ferritin. Got high iron and low ferritin? Then supplementing might just raise iron.

Since too much iron or ferritin is very undesirable and can be toxic it should be avoided. But when iron is definitely needed it can make a huge difference (in a good way) to how well you feel.

[Baileyleigh123 in reply to humanbean]

So will I do myself harm taking the capsule s I said I was taking made me worried a bit now just thought they might buck me up a bit cos I’m going away tomorrow for a week x

[Baileyleigh123 in reply to Baileyleigh123]

Human bean

Human bean my results

[humanbean in reply to Baileyleigh123]

So will I do myself harm taking the capsule s I said I was taking

I’ve bought some ferogloblin capsules with folic acid vitamin b12 and iron

You are unlikely to do yourself any harm. But depending on your genetics they might not do you as much good as you'd hoped.

When you have finished what you bought write a new thread and ask for suggestions on what to buy instead.