Anyone got low iron, ferritin, folate, B12?...

[AbsentmindedWoman]

I get really confused about all the different components that have something to do with 'iron' , and then B12 on top. My ferritin, folate and B12 have been low end of normal for years, docs all said it's fine.

Now ferritin is 32, which is the lowest it's been I think, and iron, which was always ok before, is just scraping into the normal range - down to about 40 from 100. The transferrin saturation index came back last year with a red exclamation mark attached at 14%, as did the folate. The doctor who authorised this test is unbothered and this time only checked iron and ferritin.

I'm hypothyroid (those numbers looking better after medication) and was feeling better but now very tired again since Christmas, which I'd been assuming was stress. Could the tiredness be something to do with iron though?

Vitamin D is always low, and doesn't seem to respond to sublingual spray, and not sure what to do there either!

Anyone with experience of this?

I'm low in all of these too op. I wonder if I have a stomach issue which affects absorption.

Anaemia can be caused by low iron or by low B12 I believe. Are you being treated with supplements op?

Yes, sometimes I wonder about the absorption too!

My thyroid doctor wants to treat the B12, I've had a loading dose injection but then the pandemic happened. He prescribes it so i can do it myself but I'm not organised enough - so I was trying B12 lozenges, though not for months.

Are you considering B12 shots?

I had to go on a course of B12 injections for a few months and take strong iron tablets. Worked way better than plain multivitamins. Once the levels came back up, B Complex tablets kept the levels up but I had to get bloods done every 3 months to make sure they weren't dropping and they did sometimes so had to have another course of injections.
I think mine was related to diet. I have IBS and a gluten intolerance, was trying to manage it so my diet was really restricted.

@belimoo ask your Doctor if you can be tested for coeliac disease.

I have all these too! Along with low vitamin A&D. The only thing that keeps my iron steady is to get Cosmofer injections as I have known malabsorption. I also get B12 and D injected, and take mega high oral doses of Folic Acid and Vitamin A.

Regular blood tests and treating each deficiency separately is the key as they can mask each other apparently. Plus don’t forget vitamin C as it’s needed to absorb your iron.

And if you’re deficient in D ask for your free calcium levels to be checked also as if you’re deficient for a long time and it’s not reversing then your body will pull the calcium it needs from your bones.

I have low b12 - don't know about the others. Interestingly though trying to get my regular 3 monthly injection is proving impossible.

My current levels are normal but I still get symptoms because I have very poor absorption. Doctors want to see how long I can go without but at the moment I feel more like an experiment than a patient...

You almost certainly have an autoimmune malabsorption of some type

You need to start sublingual methylcobalamin again but also start taking folate and vit c

You will not absorb the B12 without adequate levels of folate and vit C and they are co-dependent for absorption

Vit D is also very important as it’s a seco steroid involved with immune regulation

Have you had your thyroid antibodies checked? In autoimmune thyroiditis (hashimoto disease) B12, vitamin D etc are low because of problems with their absorption.

I suffer the same things you need to keep up with your b12 injections or you will not feel as you should! Honestly made such a different to my life also using almond milk instead of cows milk and raw spinach Has helped me a lot x

The iron protocol Facebook group is amazing for iron levels. I know my ferritin was 25 and I felt exhausted and my hair was falling out. Doctors don't get that much training on nutrition and I think the healthy ranges for things like ferritin / vitamin D / b12 are broad which doesn't help if you need yours to be higher to feel healthy.

Have you also been checked for if you are thalassemia carrier. This can make you present as low everything on blood tests.

Also echo asking for a coeliac test.

I would get a b12 injection privately for £20 in the meantime and join the Iron Protocol on Facebook. Taking iron lowers your b12 and taking b12 lowers your iron, so it's a dance. If you've been taking any b12 supplements within 4 months of your test then your level is artificially inflated and will be much lower. In Japan anything under 500 gets you injections. We are backwards in this country about b12 deficiency and loads of fibromyalgia patients just need b12 and a good gp.