Gentle iron supplements or private iron infusion in London?

[Exhausted647382LND]

In short: Can someone please recommend iron supplements that are VERY gentle on the stomach? Or has someone paid for an iron infusion privately somewhere in London?

I'm horribly exhausted (not the sort cured by a good night sleep) and in a lot of pain (PGP, back, hips) since I had my daughter TWO YEARS AGO. I've had blood tests, MRI, X-ray etc recently because of how much agony I am in. Absolutely everything is fine except "slightly" low iron (ferritin of 12) and some inflammation in my pelvis.

GP told me to take iron supplements. I've spent ££ on various ones and they leave me so sick, I actually had to call in sick at work once, which is very unlike me.

I do have a very sensitive stomach after a series of food poisonings and then ulcer in my early 20s.

So I gave up on the iron supplements. But my new physio (I have a new physio helping with my PGP who is brilliant) told me today that low iron can contribute to inflammation and could be part of why my PGP is so bad.

I'm close to a breakdown, I'm so tired. I already know the basics about avoiding dairy and caffeine with iron, eating lots of meat, take iron with vitamin C etc.

Posting in AIBU for traffic as I'm desperate and close to quiting my job, I'm so tired.

No advice on iron infusions but wow, ferritin of 12 is very low. Mine was 34 and I was shattered, managed to get it up to 75 and I got a new lease of life BUT I could tolerate Ferrous Sulfate easily. I assume you’ve tried taking them on a full stomach etc? If you’re a candidate for a private iron infusion then I would.
I also corrected my B12, folate and Vit D privately and got them all up to optimum levels. I get regular B12 injections for £29 a pop. Worth also considering if any of these levels are low. I hope you find an answer and start feeling better soon!

B12, folate and vit D were all OK, right bang in the middle of normal. Where do you get injections?

GP has said flat out that ferritin of 12 is normal and no injections are necessary.

Try the Better You oral spray, I’m tolerating that really well.

Spatone is fine for me too but I don’t think it provides enough iron to really improve your ferratin.

Also, recent studies have shown that taking supplements every other day rather than daily improves absorption. If you Google it you’ll see loads of info on why that is.

My ferritin was 11 and I have stomach issues. The best ones I've used with no side effects are Boots Gentle Iron. They have risen my ferritin to 25 so far. I have all sorts of stomach/gut issues and no side effects at all.

Thank you @CanaryLibra and @Tink3rbell30 , I have made a note

NHS reference levels are very low. They don’t try and get you up to optimal. I read a study that said if you have symptoms of low iron and your ferritin is below 75 then you should be supplemented but the NHS hasn’t caught up on this! They do the same with all levels, they told me all of mine were fine but they were just ‘ok’ - yours is much lower. I get mine at a local pharmacy down the road. I will find some links for you

My ferritin was 5 back in January which my GP marked as borderline 🙄 Similar to you, iron supplements have always caused stomach issues so I used my company private health insurance to have an iron infusion. I felt hugely better within a couple of weeks - the brain fog was gone, my hair is starting to thicken up again, plus lots of other things I never attributed to my low iron.

I also ordered some heme iron supplements from Three Arrows in the US. They are great with absolutely no side effects and none of the usual list of things to avoid whilst taking them.They aren’t vegetarian though if that’s a consideration for you.

I had my infusion at The Oxford Iron Clinic.

Hi, I take iron bisglycinate, which seems to be quite gentle. I take it on alternate days as that’s meant to help with absorption. I take it with vitamin C and lactoferrin, which is also meant to help. My ferritin is 41, just in range, but not optimum to feel well. Optimum is meant to be above 70. I’ll get retested in a few months.
I’ve looked into infusions. Hard to get on the NHS, and they seem to cost around £1000! Good luck

Spatone?

My 18yr old had a private infusion at the iron clinic in London, I recommend them.

hers was £600 as she had a smaller dose due to her weight.

I had an iron infusion on the NHS a few years ago and whilst I was fine during the procedure, I had crippling stomach pain a few hours later. I couldn't get off the sofa to feed the children it was so bad.
I'm currently taking spatone. My ferritin was at 9 a couple of months ago.

Floradix liquid iron is brilliant. And rosehip tea if you can't handle orange juice for the vit c boost.

I’m about to have a private iron infusion after years of issues exacerbated by/with under active thyroid and heavy periods for years due to perimenopause. Ferritin hasn’t been above 50 for about a decade and frequently dips to 10/15. I’ve been permanently exhausted, fobbed off with iron supplements until ferritin gets to 20 ish then left until I can’t cope any more and go back to doc for more supplements (round and round) and I’m fed up of it! I’m paying for my infusion and I appreciate it’s a privilege but I’d give my right arm at this point to just feel human. I wish I’d known that this was an option years ago as my quality of life would’ve been much better: I think my issues started when I lost loads of blood having my eldest (currently sitting GCSEs!) which has never properly resolved. I’m using the iron clinic in Leeds. Edit to add: if your ferritin is 12 you will likely not be able to resolve this by anything other than the stronger supplements.

I've just started taking carbonyl iron, having had iron levels of 24. I don't know how well it's working yet, but I've read it's a good form to take iron in, and gentle on your stomach - and I haven't had any digestive issues, which I always got with ferrous sulfate (and which put me off taking them).

Interesting to hear from pp that taking the tablets every second day can be better.

Better you iron spray is ok. Spatone didn't touch the sides for me.

I had an iron infusion when I was pregnant and it was absolutely amazing. I felt like I could run a marathon compared to the week before. I was literally on my knees for months as they didn't properly check my blood (checked Hb but not ferritin) til it was nearly too late and I had the iron infusion at 39 weeks.

Eat red meat, liver, green veg like broccoli or a deep green cabbage. Have you tried changing your diet? It’s the obvious thing to do.

Things like spatone and the oral sprays aren’t strong enough to make a dent in low ferritin. They are for maintenance only. A general multivitamin will only give you around 14mg of iron which is 100% of your RDA and therefore will not increase your Ferritin level. Something like Ferrous Sulfate has around 66mg of available iron I believe and it still took me taking those for at least 12 months (one a day) to get my ferritin from 34 to 75

ETA: Changing your diet won’t help at this stage either except in the case of maintaining already optimum levels. God knows how much red meat you’d need to eat to increase your iron stores to where you need them to be!

I had dreadful periods but it wasn't perimenopause. I actually had a fibroid which was a bit elusive on scans and it was discovered when I was having an ablation. They removed it and did the ablation. My iron levels went up and my hair thickened back up. It really was life changing for me.

Here you go OP
I know this thread was about Iron but for you or anyone else who wants to look in to private B12 injections

https://www.vitajab.co.uk

@VanGoSunflowers Diet is always a good starting point. Many people have no idea about what are iron rich foods. Why have interventions without trying diet changes?

Do you find these easier on the stomach than the Solgar gentle iron (if you’ve tried them?). I found solgar has made my IBS worse and not sure what to try now

It’s never a bad idea to optimise diet of course. But sometimes it’s never enough. OP could have very heavy periods or lost a lot of blood when she gave birth and/or be vegetarian. It’s incredibly common in women to have low iron and it almost never gets taken seriously by GPs.

Yes! I have tried those too. Definitely recommend the Boots ones for anyone lumbered with stomach problems.

As another comparison, I had a blood test a month ago and my ferritin was 17 - doctor immediately offered me an iron infusion, but we decided I'd try for a month of iron supplements and if the needle hasn't moved much at my next test (Monday) then I should book for an infusion.

Where is your GP please? I'd very much like to sign up! I've never had an NHS GP offer an infusion. You always get fobbed off with tablets due to cost.

OP I could have written your post. I've been on my knees since February now and I've still only been given tablets by the GP. It's so bad I'm signed off sick as I can barely function. My ferritin has just gone into the 30s after 4 months on tablets and I feel no difference. GP today has suggested we double my dose of tablets to 2 a day but I'm so constipated on just the one. I need to get my ferritin up closer to 100 I think before I feel better and at this rate it feels impossible. I've begged for an infusion but now my ferritin is above 30 and I'm not anaemic they won't do it. Does anyone know for a private infusion how high your ferritin can be? I'm worried I'll get told the same as the NHS after I've paid for a £200 consultation!