To wonder what on earth is wrong with me at the minute?

[ScaryBiscuitz]

Incredible tired, restless legs, sore slightly swollen tongue … feel a bit shite if I’m honest! Any ideas?

Not sure but have recently had Covid & am waking every night with awful restless legs & body, shattered but jigging about all over the bed, I read it’s a thing with Covid.

I get all of this but it's side effects from medications, could it be that?

Apologies if insensitive but Could you possibly be pregnant? I had all of those in pregnancy

Definitely not pregnant.
just done a Covid test which was negative.
not on any medication apart from iron tablets which I havnt been taking due to awful constipation

B12 deficiency ?

I got restless legs with low ferritin.

Could be? I was lower end of “normal” last time I actually managed to get an appointment - they refused to treat it (despite nhs “normal” actually being deficient in most parts of the word 🙄)

It's probably your lack of iron. That can cause "beefy" tongue and tiredness, and restless legs sometimes.

What tablets were you given?

I second a B12 deficiency.

What do you mean by beefy? My tongue feels like it has been burnt, it’s so sore 😞

I was given ferrous fumerate for ferritin deficiency but havnt taken them for a couple of months 😬

Also b12 and iron deficiency can be related

Beefy - red, smooth, thick - and sore.

You need to find a way to take the iron! Could you look at changing diet or take a supplement to alleviate the constipation?

I think I had a sore tongue when I was low in iron.

Oh shit well thanks for posting this thread! I assumed mine was side effects due to timing but am also anemic and don't take the tablets (same reason as you op) gosh its probably that then.

These are classic low iron (and also anaemia) symptoms.

If the prescribed tablets didn't work for you, there are alternatives- a good Google will give you more info.

The liquid iron e.g. Floradix has been so much better for me and my partner than the tablets and my mum had the same experience. Definitely sounds like B12 or Iron

With iron supplements is actually better to take them every other day for better absorption - the body can only absorb a certain amount of non-heme iron per day (non-heme = not meat). You could also include some Spatone sachets and make sure you are taking vitamin C alongside all iron supplements and not taking them around the same time as tea or calcium.

You need to consider upping your intake of red meat / black pudding and also think about taking some digestive enzymes to help you absorb the heme iron as it’s more bio-available to your body.

If you’re anaemic due to heavy periods - you need to get those investigated.

Anaemia is no joke and once your hb (haemoglobin) is low, this means your stored iron (ferritin) will be quickly depleted too. Long term deficiency can lead to many serious health issues, including brain and memory problems.

There is so little actual iron in floridex it’s not worth having if you actually have a deficiency

use the iron tablets you have been given and have one tablet on alternate days. Your body can actually absorb more that way than taking three per day and it’s much easier on your stomach so you will stick with it

almost no one needs B12 injections that’s why they don’t really offer them - take a high dose supplement of B12 you can get in the shops.

My friend just had covid and she had a swollen sore tongue - keep testing!

I had all of these symptoms and had a folate deficiency. Please go back to your gp and insist on a blood test

@FullBush and @Smilingwithfangs make good points.

Take the iron with high dose Vitamin C, you need more than a glass of orange juice. Do not take with foods high in phytic acid (eg oats) as this can inhibit absorption.

A plus of taking high dose vitamin C is that it can make you go - seems to counter the iron constipation issues for some people.

Best if you can iron take on empty stomach but if that causes digestive issues, better to take with a meal than not at all.

Takes a while to raise iron levels so be prepared to give it 3 months, then go back to go and recheck your iron levels and talk about why they are low (is it heavy periods etc). You will keep going low iron until you work out and deal with the root cause.

I had a few sores on my tongue when I had Covid in late July. Extreme tiredness and achy legs too.

I just started taking 'gentle iron' supplements as I have low ferritin but also have a bad stomach and didn't want to make my existing issues worse. I can recommend them - I haven't had any constipation. I think the brand is Solgar?