Low Ferritin Levels - Am I Being Utterly Pathetic Here?

[AtlasObscura]

Been feeling tired for last few months so GP did routine blood test and checked for iron levels.

In the last few weeks I had fainted a few times and the lethargy was increasing to the point that I had couple of days off sick from work and managed to work from home on the other days. I feel like collapsing into bed though and sleeping for a week and just the smallest amount of physical exertion leaves me exhausted and breathless.

I feel stoned, my voice is slurry and I can barely string a sentence together at times.

So it was no surprise that test results came back and Ferritin was low. I am peri - so very heavy periods which could explain it.

My Haemaglobin level is normal, as is TSH - so it's just Ferritin.

AIBU to think that my symptoms are a bit extreme though, given that I am not actually anaemic?

Or is this fairly normal and if it is how long before the iron kicks in? Been on 600mg daily for 5 days now.

Feel free to give me a motivating kick up the bum!

My ferritin is very low and I don’t feel that bad. Have you had vit d, b and thyroid tested?

I felt exhausted with low ferritin and normal hb. Mine was because of undiagnosed coeliac disease. I can't tolerate iron tablets and so I had an iron infusion and felt amazing within a couple of weeks.
I also chose to have endometrial ablation to stop my periods when they became v heavy during peri... best thing I ever did, haven't had a drop of blood since and my ferritin has stayed normal

I was going to ask about vit B too. My ferritin levels are chronically low and nothing improves it, I just don’t seem to absorb it. I also don’t absorb b12 and have regular injections which are life saving and I feel fine now and don’t really feel the ferritin deficiency, even when I was recently pregnant when it was about 10.

I was really ill before they caught my low ferritin. I was exhausted, my hair fell out and hasn't grown back in/ my skin would just peel off.

Even iron tablets didn't help. I had an ablation which made a huge difference to the non stop periods but it took quite a few months to feel more normal!

I felt very similar earlier this year, felt like I had been drugged. My ferritin also came back as low with everything else okay (although I didn’t find out my Haemoglobin so don’ t know if it is at the lower end of normal). I did start off taking ferritin but probably not for long enough. Looking back I wonder if I had some weird post viral thing as my symptoms were extreme. They have gone away now and I do feel normal again. The only other thing is I have lost some weight - dropped my BMI for 28 to 25, but I am not convinced that was the problem.

I had very similar symptoms to you OP I'm 53 peri menopausal very heavy periods. Brain fog. Extreme tiredness. Breathless and tingling - numbness in hands and fingers. Had blood test iron levels lowest doc had ever seen. My level was 6. I'm on iron tablets now and pay for b12 jabs every month. I don't think I absorb nutrients in my gut - my dad and my sister both coeliac- I guess I could be took. I have a healthy diet.

Same happened to me in January. Ferritin was 6, although hb only just outside normal. I felt awful and took time off work. I started the contraceptive pill continuously to stop periods. Mini pill didn't work and I don't want a coil.

Mine was 2, felt shite, tearful, exhausted, hair fell out. The iron tablets 200mg TDS, sat me on the loo 5-6 times a day so I took a month off until till my result got above 20. Mini pill continuously stopped my hellish periods. Now ferritin over 70 took a few months but I feel fine.

Thanks everyone, my Ferritin is 17 - so not as low as some of you have experienced.

I also think I'm just rubbish at absorbing nutrients as diet is pretty good

I went through a phase of falling asleep if I sat down for more than a few mins. My Ferritin was below detection limits.

I also think I'm just rubbish at absorbing nutrients as diet is pretty good

Have you bern tested for coeliac disease?

My Tsh is 'normal' but I'm still hypothyroid. Tsh should be at 1-1.5 to be ideal.

Get them to check your antithyroid antibodies and iodine levels. Also start taking selenium

I have had low ferritin I think, down to about 5 after last baby was born. My folate is in the red too. Docs this week said my haemoglobin was very low after 2nd child and should have been picked up. He's worried about coeliac disease and pernicious anaemia so I've got a fasting blood test to do. I don't feel particularly tired or at least I feel my normal for the last 5 odd years. I do keep getting huge long lasting ulcers that really get me down.

My ferritin hung around 6 or 7 for months and wouldn't budge even on iron, with me feeling worse and worse, more and more tired, weak, pins and needles. GP kept telling me I was depressed . Like you, my actual iron levels weren't too bad (at the bottom end, but not off the scale). My ferritin eventually dropped to 2 at the point I was too weak to walk from the bedroom to bathroom unaided, my heartbeat was all over the place, I was hallucinating with stomach pain and I was taken into hospital.

I was in there 3 weeks, they found loads of other levels were off the chart and had all been ignored by the GP as "one of those things". I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. It was a long road back to even some semblance of health.

Don't ignore it; they'd put me on iron but it made no difference, because the underlying issue wasn't being tackled. If you don't start to feel an improvement in a couple of weeks or so (it will take a bit of time for the iron to kick in) then go back and get further tests.

@fairies my low ferritin was down to undiagnosed coeliac disease, my antibody test was always negative, diagnosed by biopsy and gene test in the end but took far too long, about 15 years too long

My ferritin was extremely low (normal hb) when I was pregnant. Also felt like I'd been drugged. Iron tablets definitely helped.

Some people can be very aneamic and be absolutely fine, this is because if it happens insidiously your body adjusts. You assume that your ferritin levels are low due to bloodloss, so that's more sudden, not surprising you feel awful.

Iron supplements take ages to work though too, so you probably want feel better immediately.

I did have a blood test for coeliacs (about 4 years ago) which came back normal so not sure they would be happy to do it again but I'll keep an eye on things. Meanwhile, will keep slugging away with the iron x

cassie1976 - I have had had very heavy periods for several years so have assumed it could be related to that but no-one has confirmed this either way. Roll on menopause?

I have low ferritin, normal hb and hideously heavy periods.

I feel OK though and do lots of exercise.

I felt really terrible with Ferritin of 12. Apparently it's supposed to be 50-70! Totally exhausted, really struggled to climb stairs. Low mood, would have to hold my head up when sitting! Hope you've got some good supplements. Also if you're not veggie, red meat is the best source of iron. Eat with something containing vit c to maximise absorption.

I was going to ask if you’d had you b12 tested but someone beat me to it!

Bikerunski i do exactly what you do, everytime i sit down i seem to fall asleep, even when i have had a good nights sleep
I am supposed to have iron overload and told my ferritin levels are fine, also losing my hair,
I have been to the Drs and going back again as getting no answers
I dont believe my ferritin is high enough, although told its in range could be anything from 15 up,
Last year it was consistently low,well below 70 except for e last test 2 weeks ago when it was 194, after taking blood it dropped by 100, drops too much at once then takes months to get higher

@misssmiley I had a blood test for coeliac but came back negative.

My ferritin is currently 8 and my vitamin D is 20
I honestly felt like I was 90 years old and loads of my previously very thick hair has fallen out

I’ve already had the ablation it didn’t work

My HB is only 2 away from the low cut off zone though so although in ‘range’ it is close to not being

Iron tablets have really made me so constipated I now have fucking painful piles even though I told them I did not want to take x 3 a day for this reason could they give me something else like an infusion as I have IBS

I am taking 20,000mg of the vit D a week for however many weeks and I do feel a bit more normal now