Can low ferritin cause shortness of breath?

[pyjamas89]

Hoping someone can share their experience!

My ferritin is currently 6 but my haemoglobin is only borderline low at 11. I am pretty tired, achey and can get quite short of breath. Can this be a result of the low ferritin if I am not really anaemic? Most of what I have read online seems to suggest you would only really be symptomatic with a low hb?

Yes, I couldn't walk and talk with dd2, due to low ferritin.

Yes I remember mine was 3 and I felt dreadful everything was an achey effort and I felt I couldn't get enough air no matter how deeply I breathed in, different feeling to running out of breath when exercising though.

It does with me. Usually one of my first notable signs of low ferritin. Hope you feel better soon

Yes, it can.

Yes

Yes, massively! And palpitations if you’re me.

yes it does.
and feeling like having the flu. 'seeing' stars when getting up from lying or seating. sweating. dizzyness, headaches...

Definitely. I'm low ferritin and have been prescribed 2 iron tablets a day. I struggle to keep taking them as they make me so queasy and you're meant to take them 30 mins before a meal and I keep forgetting. So I haven't taken them in a couple of weeks and my shortness of breath, especially at night, has started again. Like I can't get enough oxygen. And palpitations. And a general achiness and knackeredness.

Yes! I seem to remember my doctor said anything under 50 can cause symptoms. When mine is low I feel terrible and I cannot function. I am exhausted, my brain doesn't work, my legs feel heavy, it's hard to walk upstairs. I would see your gp.

Mine is from stupidly heavy periods. Is that why most women end up with it?

Another saying yes

I was very breathless when it was 6 but put it down to being unfit and a bit overweight

Turns out it was the ferritin

And then i got breathless again and thought it was the ferritin and i was wrong again! It was uncontrolled high blood pressure. Consultant diagnosed it pretty much as i walked in the room

@BeautifulSofa

Mine is from stupidly heavy periods. Is that why most women end up with it?

Mine too. Eventually had enough so managed to save and with parents support also will be having a hysterectomy in 2 weeks. I cannot wait. But it took a lot of pushing on my part to be listened to by HCP's in the first instance, hence the private treatment i'm now accessing.

Yes
My ferritin was undetectable and haemoglobjn was 6 (GP’s words were “I don’t know how you are still standing”), when I went to the GP not feeling right. I could barely swim or cycle, having previously been able to swim a mile and cycle 50 quite easily.

Made me feel awful. Took a long time to get the levels up higher than 50. But I did see improvement fairly quickly

Oh yes definitely. Palpitations too. I’ve had my ferritin at six before and it wasn’t pleasant at all. I have managed to get it to 14 now and don’t feel great but sort of got used to it now. Headaches, tired, faint feeling.. it’s horrible

Thanks all for sharing your insights. Seems a lot of what Google suggests about only being symptomatic with low haemoglobin is nonsense then!

My periods haven't been all that heavy over the last few months so I am not sure what the cause would be. I will follow up with my GP I guess!

How did people get levels up?

@alwaysraininghere

How did people get levels up?

I was prescribed iron tablets for 3 months and rechecked, my ferritin was in the 80s i think

It is going down again but slowly

@alwaysraininghere with a level of 6 it's not diet changes or supplements unfortunately.
I took ferrous fummerate, as much as I could tolerate and a laxative.
I am now on a maintenance dose of one a day. Initially when diagnosed I wasn't taking enough so this page is worth a look for dose

www.nhs.uk/medicines/ferrous-fumarate/

@alwaysraininghere

How did people get levels up?

Supplements for me too, and blood tests every 3 months. Took 9 months to get an acceptable level.

Spatone from Boots. It’s a liquid in sachets so gentle on the stomach and very easily absorbed.

Yes, but go to your gp, get your blood tested, rather than ask unqualified folk on here.

Yes my ferritin is very low due to heavy periods. Shortness of breath and restless legs are the 2 main symptoms I get.

It does in me, especially walking up hills or stairs. I get tingles across my shoulders and in my hands too. I also get itchy skin and headaches. Having a procedure in just over a week which will hopefully help.

Thanks all.
I know it's that low following blood tests but hadn't managed to see GP yet when I posted. I now have and have ferrous sulphate to take so hopefully that will do the job and not take as long as it has for some to come back up!

I was just intrigued as it seems to be implied in many places that low ferritin itself should not cause symptoms, only if you're anaemic, but seeing the replies here I can see that simply isn't true!