Aibu to be worried about my iron levels

[Ffsjeez]

Got back the results of my blood test today. Ferritin levels are 19. I have had hair thinning for a while which is why I had them done. Receptionist told me when she gave me the results that this was normal and I was fine. I've booked in a appointment with my Gp. But I don't think she'll be particularly bothered either by it and not sure she will recommend any supplements.

I generally feel ok energy wise. Although I don't sleep great and tend to wake up most nights which I think might be due to anxiety. I can live with all this. But I am worried about my thinning hair and would like them to take it seriously. Don't think they will as even before my test my GP said it was probably not linked to my ferritin levels.

Just want to know how seriously I need to take these results.

I’d take it seriously, 19 is low and you’ll most likely be put on supplements to try and boost your levels back up.

Low iron can be such a killer to live with just the constant fatigue is enough to send you batty.

In my last pregnancy it took until my levels dropped to 6 for it to be taken seriously enough to give me two iron transfusions. Supplements didn’t work for me, they oddly gave me the runs so I never absorbed anything from them.

Mines low generally. In pregnancy it went to 17 supplements didn't work.. Ate more greens until I nearly vomited lol. And it still dropped to 5 - I then had a few infusions fortnightly to get them up. Keep an eye on it and get them re checked in a couple of weeks x

My ferritin has been lower than that and nothing suggested because it wasn't outside the reference range. It was the lowest number in the range. If your gp doesn't prescribe then obviously you can buy supplements but some can affect your bowels. Tablets give me constipation so I prefer liquid. There was another thread in chat earlier about vitamin d, you could see if your gp will other tests for various vitamins.

I don’t know much about this but I’m pretty sure that long term iron deficiency can lead to hair loss/thinning.
19 is at the lower end of normal.
You’re symptoms are clearly distressing you so I’d say push it!
Anxiety may not be helping either ( or could be a symptom)
You take care and don’t give up with your GP x

My ferritin was 7 last year and I was really not very good at all. They put me on iron tablets and it went back up to 18 and they were happy with that. Had them done again about 2 months ago and they were 25 and they were also happy with that. Your level is on the lower side of normal but still classed as normal. However, you could always take Spatone as it's not as if you are at risk of iron overdose or too high levels in your blood.

People often confuse HB and ferritin by the way, so you might get mixed responses.

If you had a baby not too long ago, it could be responsible for your hair thinning.

My last tests my ferritin level was 3.2

I had a blood transfusion

They’re now back up to normal levels, but require monthly testing

I’d worry if you start to get dizzy for no reason and tight chested.

I'm in the exact same position OP. Visibly thinning hair, some anxiety, some difficulty sleeping. GP tested iron, said no it's fine etc 🙄I have three kids so am always tired anyway.
So I've started taking some of those "skim, hair and nails" combined supplements. Been on them about 10 weeks and can definitely see new growth coming through. I think they contain iron but also other vits and obvs not as much iron as a straight iron supplement. Worth trying, I'm expecting To stay on them at least a year but I'm ok with that. I suspect like you, my iron is low enough for these symptoms but not outside the GPs "normal" range so they not very interested.
Also Nioxin shampoo/conditioner fab. Not cheap but again worth it. Although I'm sure someone will be along soon to say it's full of chemicals etc
Good luck OP

Your ferritin is too low,it should ideally be between 50 and 100,
My hair is thinning too, i have to have regular ferritin tests,
My last one was 51, before that 67 ,and before that 32,
I know it has affected my hair, and cant wait for it to go back up
My lowest was 8, far too low
I have iron overload, an condition, and they keep having me giving a pint of blood when it gets above 199, as too much can affect joints and organs, but cant do with the thinning hair
My sons ferritin is over 2000, far too high, but thir hair is like wire

My ferritin is on the low side. It was 8 at one point and I can't seem to get it much over 30 as I can't tolerate iron supplements. Ferritin is hard to raise. Both a dermatologist and a GP have said 30 is on the low side. Before supplementing you should get full iron studies done as it is possible to high serum iron and low ferritin and too much iron is toxic. You should then retest reasonably frequently to see how your supplementation is working. 210mg a day of ferrous fumerate should help. If you can't tolerate that you could try gentle iron or ferrous gylcinate. Or you can raise ferritin by eating 200g of liver a week. There is also a new Active Iron our that I may try. I am currently having 2xsoatne a day and as much lover as I can stomach and that is maintaining my ferritin but nit raising it. When my spa time runs out I will try the Active Iron.

Have you checked your vut b12, d and folate?

"Skin, hair and nails"

Hair thinning and anaemia can also be coeliacs disease which is something I'm exploring atm as I've had low ferritin etc for years now x

My gp wants to see 40-50 before she discharges. Professional sports peoplenaim for 90. Every day people should aim for 40ish. Yours is very low. They go by outdated guidelines for 'acceptable'. Acceptable doesn't mean 'good'. It just means you're not at deaths door.

Minimum97 you need to incrase your vitamin C levels and your iron should increase. Also ferroglobin was one of the best for me. Too much iron is quite hard for women to have if they still have periods. Only men or post menopausal women need to worry about iron toxicity.

My GP said I would need to be at 60/70 to see any change with my hair. I'm lucky if I can keep it at around 30. I started off with it being at 7 and it's been a battle since. Definitely read up about it. Ask for your b12 checked too, mine was cripplingly low, I was v symptomatic and needed the injections.

This is interesting. My level is 8 but the GP was not particularly concerned and said i need to eat steak more often!

I've noticed my nails are brittle and my skin is very red, and I'm also very sensitive to gluten.

The reference ranges for thyroid and also for vitamin D and iron are far too wide in the UK. If I’ve been at 19 ish in the past I’ve felt awful. 50 is really the lower limit for most people.

You can get the exact same iron tablets they would prescribe at the pharmacy and they aren’t expensive. Ask the pharmacist for the most gentle on the stomach.

Get vitamin D, thyroid and b12 checked too and get a printout of the result.

can’t you just start taking iron tablets yourself? if you buy ferrograd from the pharmacy they’re the exact tablets the doctor would give you.

This is really interesting to read. My ferritin was 2 at my pregnancy booking in appointment and hb 93 and I think at my last appointment (30 weeks) we'd managed to get it up a tiny bit but by no means back to recommended range. I am taking iron supplements but they do give me diarrhoea and I'm wondering if that is stopping me absorbing much of the iron.

19 is low, but not at a point that would be concerning medically or forcibly require treatment. Not everybody requires the same level of iron to function properly. The issue with low iron is that it came make you anemia. Anemia almost always makes you low on energy. If you don't experience this, then you are unlikely to be anemic. No harm in taking a gentle supplement though.

My understanding is that the level that triggers concerns for GPs is under 10.

Mine are 12 and my GP says that is fine but I have half the hair I had two years ago and I feel dreadful. I have been taking Feroglobin which is the only supplement that doesn't upset my stomach but it doesn't seem to be working yet.

My ferritin levels dropped to

Just buy a bottle of Floradix, iron tablets are useless and unpleasant.

If your blood results are low, it's ferritin that is the issue and the best treatment would be ferrous sulphate. These are certainly not useless and it would be abnormal if levels didn't go up after this treatment. They are available at any pharmacy counter.

They can make you constipated/give you an upset stomach but most can tolerate if you take one a day (rather than 3 as some prescribe when levels are very low).

There’s not enough iron in floradix to reverse anaemia. It’s only 7.5mg per dose. Spatone is even lower at 5mg. Both are fine for general use but won’t reverse anaemia

Iron tablets are horrible, but they’re not useless. And they are usually 100mg of iron.

I just want to strongly point out that iron toxicity is not wholly found in post menopausal women. I've been symptomatic of hemochromatosis since my early 20s, but due to periods my consultant won't start venesection till there's been a sustained high level for 6 months (I'm tested every 4 weeks unlike some).

Anyway, try to drink orange juice when you eat iron rich foods (aids iron absorption) and avoid tea in particular at the same time as it reduces iron absorption.

A PP is right about there being two different iron measures (in my experience some GPs don't even get it) -

"The essential tests that check blood iron levels include a hemoglobin test, a serum iron test, a total iron-binding capacity test and a serum ferritin test. Your doctor may order one or more of these tests as part of an iron panel. Each test has normal and ideal ranges, but in general the ideal Iron level should be 60 to 170 mcg/dL. Other key iron ranges include total iron-binding capacity of 240 to 450 mcg/dL and a transferrin saturation of 20 to 50 percent, according to PubMed Health. Both hemoglobin and serum ferritin tests have ranges for both male and female. Hemoglobin is ideal for a male if your level is 13.8 to 17.2 gm/dL and 12.1 to 15.1 gm/dL if you are female. The ideal ranges for ferritin are 12 to 300 ng/mL for males and 12 to 150 ng/mL for females."

It is possible because of the different measures to be anaemic and in overload simultaneously.

I know I'm biased but I would strongly recommend you do further research and obtain your full results from your GP before you begin taking in high doses of iron, especially as you are symptomatic.

Hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disease in North America and has a high prevalence across Northern Europe. Unfortunately it is also often misunderstood and goes undiagnosed for years by a number of GPs.