Surely not everyone gets this tired?

[Sometimesonly]

Over the last year or so I have found it harder and harder to stay awake all day, especially if I have done any physical exercise. This just seems to be getting worse. This morning I walked for an hour and a half (had plenty of time and didn't fancy getting the bus). It was not a difficult trek! It was on the level and I walk a lot. I had to go to bed for a couple of hours tthis afternoon though to recover. This is getting ridiculous. My doctor says it's normal at my age (not yet 50!) and that my iron levels are slightly low. Is it really normal???

@ellapaella I'm glad it got sorted! I have had my thyroid checked though as my cousin was diagnosed with Hashimoto's but mine was ok.

Can I hijack your thread @Sometimesonly and ask all the ferrous fumerate takers whether it messes with your stomach? I get very low iron but the tablets play havoc with my stomach - switching between constipated and horrendous diarrhoea....it's a nightmare! I've asked the GP and pharmacist, tried taking them at different times etc...oh and Spatone and Floradix weren't enough to get my levels up.

I am 51, and feel really tired and since lockdown, it has been a lot worse, I feel really, really old.

Yes I found that when I tried it in the past and I was really pleased when the one I'm taking now didn't affect me - but from these comments I think that's because it doesn't contain much iron. 😆

@FippertyGibbett no booze, healthy food, no smoking & keep active.

www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/soy-isoflavones/ I ordered a weeks trial of this after spending two hours crying one day because dh doesn’t love me enough. Dh was rather bemused by all this & I felt very silly afterwards.

OP - 30mg sounds really low. I’d find out what’s a safe amount of iron to take to get your levels back up to 50+ and then just take enough pills to make up that amount! (I’m not a doctor, though. As I’m sure is very clear!)

Do you know why it’s low? I think it’s important that you find out the reason. I don’t think people become anaemic for no reason.

And yes - take the iron pills on an empty stomach, at least 2 hours before or after food (especially dairy) and caffeine, as they’ll stop the iron being absorbed. Take them with a fizzy vitamin C drink to help absorption.

Take it all last thing at night before you go to bed. You might get constipation, and your poo will turn black! But that’s meant to be a sign your body is actually absorbing the iron.

These days, now my levels are OK again, I take Floradix. It’s a hair-growth supplement with loads of iron in it. But for you, I’d honestly just focus on finding out a safe dose and getting that into myself every day. The difference in how you feel will be unbelievable.

@lynsey91

I can't believe your doctor said it was normal for your age. I am 66 and I, unless I am ill, I never nap in the afternoon. I go to bed about 11.30 and get up about 7 but I wake at least 3 times a night so don't get really good sleep.

You need to speak to your doctor again

Absolutely! I'm mid forties and nobody I know is like this 😯

How can they say being this tired is normal and you can nap in the afternoons? Hardly, most people are at work!

@Sometimesonly

My vitamin D came out as just about ok (23 when 20 - 100 is considered the normal range). I asked for a B12 but she didn't prescribe it! I feel like GPs don't really bother doing anything unless it is critical. I have loads of symptoms and am just about hanging on to the lower range of normal for iron, ferritin, vitamin D but my GP doesn't seem worried that I have been taking the supplements for a year now and have hardly any improvement. Frustrating.

Did they check your b12 levels? A lot of these symptoms can be related to b12 deficiency

As I’ve got to work until I’m 67 to get my pension off the government, I expect my GP to keep me physically able to do so !

You can buy b12 though, it’s very cheap.

does not sound normal for your age at all! Not sure about your dr!

A vitamin D level of 23 is crawling along at the bottom of a very wide range for 'normal'. It's far too low. If you search these threads for Vit D there's a poster who details a lot of very good info about it including links to studies and what other countries do. You need your levels up to at least 50 and preferably nearer the 100. It sounds like you're bumping along the bottom of a lot of the 'normal' ranges and this isn't normal for you so you're struggling.

Sorry, if you go to the General Health boards and search those for Vitamin D!

Just to say that the supplements someone mentioned above aren’t suitable if you are taking the pill. A friend raved about them so I got them and luckily noticed before I took them.

Just to say that the supplements someone mentioned above aren’t suitable if you are taking the pill. Thanks for pointing this out - I think another pregnancy would finish me off!

Did they check your b12 levels?
No, I asked for it to be included but it wasn't. Not sure if I can get another test now as Covid is making it tricky.

Just echoing 23 is really not ok for vitamin D, it annoys me the NHS claim it is. Optimum for health (especially at the moment) is 80+. Mine is over 100.

You do not want to be going in to winter with a vitamin D level of 23.

Spatone is brilliant for getting iron levels up too.

@Sometimesonly

Did they check your b12 levels? No, I asked for it to be included but it wasn't. Not sure if I can get another test now as Covid is making it tricky.

Really frustrating for you. Its tricky as if you start supplementing then if you do have blood tests it will skew the results, but you can't go on feeling like that. What does your diet look like - are you eating animal products? B12 is cheap to buy however some people can't absorb it and need injections

Is it worth paying for a private full blood work up?

I think I might see if I can get the B12 tested privately. I think my diet is ok. I eat meat, lots of fruit and veg. Probably too much pasta!

@Aquamarine1029 Can I ask how long it might be, before feeling a difference on HRT?

Also is it ok to take iron with HRT?

I started HRT about 2 weeks ago OP, Im srill having periods.

@Fluffycloudland77

You can buy b12 though, it’s very cheap.

@Sometimesonly You shouldn't need to get it done privately! It is called Pernicious Anaemia if your B12 is low...you cannot supplement it adequately through oral intake/tablets

It always need monthly B12 injections
Its called Hydroxocobalamin

Just to add there can be a number of things which cause low b12 and not all of them are pernicious anemia requiring injections - this is only if you aren't absorbing via normal routes. If this turns out to be the case then most people are allowed injections 12 weeks - this generally isn't enough so you may have to buy it in from abroad and self inject (this is another thread entirely :-) )

@LintonTravelTavern

When I started HRT, most of my symptoms, hot flushes, night sweats, horrible anxiety, were gone within 2 days. My tiredness and insomnia were gone by about a week or so.

Following with interest

Sufferer from crushing tiredness here. Finally been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I take a B12 complex, Vitamin D, and magnesium which all help a bit.