Help! Anaemic and SO weary, iron tablets not helping

[ItchyHeadNitOrNot]

Is there anything else I can do to feel better? Dr said it can take upto 6 months for iron levels to get back up buy I'm so tired I want to cry at the thought of walking 5 minutes to my local shop 😩. I can't bear to feel like this for months, is there anything else I can do to help feel better?

there was research mentioned in inside health.bbc radio 4 that advised taking iron tablets every other day so that you absorb more from the gut. . try to look up the original as it was about a year or two ago. (and don't rely on a random from the internet... )

Weirdly there is another thread active now very similar to this. I have heard sleep/lethargy is one of the natural reactions to mental overwhelm etc. Or could be ME? Or menopause? Good luck.

What were your levels?
Did they also check b12?
What are you taking and what dose?
How long have you been on it?

Depending on what you’re taking have you looked up exactly how to take it? www.nhs.uk/medicines/ferrous-sulfate/

There are several things that inhibit iron absorption. Doing it properly makes a big difference.

Anaemia sucks. I’ve had it off and on since I was 11 and had a real slump earlier this year. I’m taking ferrous sulphate 2 or 3 times a day. Bloods were much better within 4 weeks. I was feeling so much better a couple of months after that I slipped a bit and was taking 1 or 2 a day and struggling again - tired, hair dry and crispy - so I upped it and felt better again within a couple of weeks. Expect I’ll be on a decent dose for the foreseeable.

I’m also b12 deficient, don’t absorb it at all, so I have it injected by the nurse at the GP every 10 weeks.

It’s my ferritin that’s particularly shit but the ferrous is helping loads.

Glad someone has mentioned the B12 deficiency.

Buy floradix available from Holland Barrera and Boots etc. It's pre mixed with what you need to absorb the iron and 100 times better and faster then tablets and no constipation!!

How low is your ferritin/haemoglobin? If it’s lower than 10/90 then you might be able to get iron infusions to get it up faster. Anaemia makes you feel so rubbish and with very low levels the tablets take literally forever (or at least many months) to get them anywhere near sensible.

Floradix only has 15mg elemental iron per 20ml dose. Most people with anaemia are prescribed 65mg of elemental iron three times a day. That’s 195mg or a whole bottle of floradix so it’s going to cost a fortune and also be unpleasant. If someone really can’t tolerate ferrous sulphate/fumarate they should ask to be prescribed ferrous gluconate; it’s the active ingredient in floradix so much better tolerated. Floradix is good for general supplementing but not for anaemia.

Thanks all.

I can't remember what she said my levels were,just that she said iron stores were low and don't have enough red blood cells and they're the wrong shape? I took 400mg/day for 8 weeks and then rang doctor 3 weeks after that to say I still feel rubbish. Apparently I should have had a repeat prescription but no-one told me 🤷‍♀️. I described how crap I feel but Dr sounded totally disinterested and said it could take months 😭

Pretty sure everything was tested except vit d, and apparently everything else was normal

It’s worth asking for your test results. The receptionist should be able to tell you. The range of acceptable for b12 in particular in this country are much lower than in others so it’s worth checking.

Ferritin in your iron stores. Fixed by normal iron supplements.

And you don’t need a prescription, ferrous sulphate is widely available and cheap. I bulk buy from an online chemist as 3 a day goes quickly.

Iron infusions are really good. Ask for that. It’s introvenous so gets your iron levels up quick.

Check out the iron protocol group on Facebook. Loads and loads of info and quite overwhelming , but should be helpful.
Main thing is to take the right type of iron (sulfate is poorly absorbed), and to take it with 1000mg vitamin C, away from coffee, tea, milk or eggs. Best time is first thing in the morning. Over the day absorption decreases. You will need to split a large dose. I got on well with ferrous fumarate and spatone. Got ferritin up but after a few months the lethargy and tinnitus are back so I will be back on it. Sucks not being able to have a cup of tea on waking but the iron makes me feel so much better, so it's worth it.

Thank you, I didn't realise you can buy over the counter. Will ask for my blood results. What sort of b12 result should I be looking at?

Thanks, will take a look. Got to be honest, with a very poor sleeping child I really struggle to avoid tea or coffee for 2 hours in the morning so I guess that isn't helping

When were your levels last checked? Anaemia is really supposed to be monitored 2-4 weeks after starting iron to make sure it’s being absorbed, but with the current test tube shortage and covid…

Iron spray

I would be insisting that your your Vit D is tested as well as a rerun on bloods.

Research taking iron, I think you should take it with orange juice and no caffeine/tannin etc.

I had lowing iron and Vit D deficiency felt utterly dreadful.

You also need to know why your iron is low!! Mine was super heavy long periods and they focused on fixing that fortunately rather than just bunging me on iron tablets.

I take mine at night just before bed, iron needs an empty stomach.

@RandomMess

I would be insisting that your your Vit D is tested as well as a rerun on bloods.

Research taking iron, I think you should take it with orange juice and no caffeine/tannin etc.

I had lowing iron and Vit D deficiency felt utterly dreadful.

You also need to know why your iron is low!! Mine was super heavy long periods and they focused on fixing that fortunately rather than just bunging me on iron tablets.

Absolutely.

Since having DD my periods have been much shorter but gradually been getting heavier and heavier, the second day is now ridiculous.

When I called the GP to request bloods as I thought I was anaemic again she didn’t even mention periods, or diet, or anything much.

I recently remembered I used to take tranexamic acid which made them a lot lighter so got a prescription and started it last month. Huge difference!

I’ve been taking vit D for years alongside a decent multi vitamin. It all helps.

I've increased my energy with Vit D, Vit B12 and HMO tablets to encourage healthy gut bacteria and better absorption etc. Feel so so much better.

@JennieTheZebra

When were your levels last checked? Anaemia is really supposed to be monitored 2-4 weeks after starting iron to make sure it’s being absorbed, but with the current test tube shortage and covid…

July.... Dr said there was no point in checking levels as I'd not finished the prescribed course of supplements 🤷‍♀️

I specifically asked if vit D levels had been checked and they hadn't, so they'll be added to the form. So blood test is due December. I've started having a Vit D spray every morning but not sure how much that will help.

I’d be asking for a referrals for an infusion or pay privately for one. I was anemic too and was quite ill with it. The tiredness was constant and in the days leading up to the infusion, I was breathless when walking and had to stop for breaks. The infusion was life-changing and I felt better within 2 weeks. My haemotologist told me not to bother with tablets as it would take too long (plus I was having surgery for fibroid removal). I’m 6 months in from having the infusion and I feel absolutely great. Don’t underestimate the toll anemia takes on the body.

Maybe look into iron infusions?

Ask for a coeliac test. A lot of chronically anaemic people aren’t absorbing iron due to coeliac disease.

@CovidCorvid

Ask for a coeliac test. A lot of chronically anaemic people aren’t absorbing iron due to coeliac disease.

Sorry for my ignorance, but is this something that you can randomly develop in your 30s?

I find ferrous Fumarate is gentler on my tummy, and I take it with fresh orange juice.
I also upped my red meat, so ate steak and lamb.
Try an Epsom salt bath too, it’s good for energy.

@ItchyHeadNitOrNot. Yes, totally. And you don’t need other symptoms either. Quite a lot of people are what’s called “silent coeliac” so they don’t get the stomach pains and the diarrhoea, etc. Don’t be fobbed off my an ignorant gp if they say this. Some people get really odd symptoms such as itchy scalp, brain fog, muscle aches. But some get nothing. Dd had chronic anaemia for years, nobody looked at the cause, just kept bunging packets of iron tablets at her. Even when she did get other symptoms such as throwing up every day nobody connected the dots for years.