low ferratin stores

[choclab]

Hi , have been feeling so tired , light headed , brain fog ....so had bloods done , i have ferratin stores of 9 , doc said I'm not anaemic but bit low , all other bloods came back normal .

what is the normal range for ferratin anyone know ?

bump

looking n here 9 ferratin is quite low ....doc said was ok ...bloods all normal , just said to eat more iron rich foods ...

got some spatone ,

anyone els felt same

my stores used to run low regularly. now I just take an iron supplement from the high street when I'm on my period (easier to remember). haven't have low iron since pregnancy.
you could also try floradix liquid iron, it didn't agree with me (made me burp/bloated) but many are happy with it.

thanks , yea heard about floradix ....bit baffled as doc said levels were ok , but been looking levels up and seems quite low ..specially when others have double figures ...

have v heavy periods ...and exercise daily ...this can sometimes deplete iron apparently ...

I don?t know where you are, but here in the West Midlands our range starts at 15. You are seriously deficient and you will have symptoms, which will continue until your level gets above 70. You really need it to be 90 or so to be optimal.

At this level you actually need some serious supplementation, possibly even infusions or injections.

I have been through this myself ? my levels were right at the bottom of the range, but because they were in range, I was told they were ?normal? and ?no action required?. When I finally saw a consultant his opening words to me were ?You must be feeling awful? and he referred me for treatment. I didn?t get it (that?s another story) but I have finally managed to raise my levels (it?s taken three years) and I feel so much better for it ? oh and my hair?s growing back too.

Please, for your own good, check out the reference range in your area ? GP should be able to tell you this ? and if you are below, or right at the bottom of your range, as I am sure you will be, go back and demand a referral to a haematologist.

D

Your body is considered to have enough iron in storage until the ferritin drops below 10. Then you are considered iron deficient. Being iron deficient doesn't necessarily mean you will be anaemic, but as far as I can tell most people feel pretty crappy when they start dipping to 10 or below.

I have real trouble with this too. Floradix is my lifesaver.

I was told by my doctor this morning that I am 9 and need to get up to 11 I think she said. So started on the liquid iron today. I have heavy periods and am veggie so have always been prone to anaemia. What I did not connect till recently was the link with depression and anxiety if you are low in iron. I wish I had known this a while ago.

thanks , yea i think 9 is low ...i got some spatone for time being and taking 2 sachets a day ,
i have an appt next week with lady doctor who i like much more and will talk it through with her ,

he just seemed very blarza about it all ...said i wasn't anaemic , just low ,

i have very heavy periods to ...

feeel shattered , spaced out foggy thinking , always cold hands and feet ...and dizzy when i get up ...

My trichologist told me that at levels of 49 i was borderline as far as healthy hair was concerned. Within four months i was up to 103.

wow ..really was that ferratin serum levels ?

I have low ferritin, like you, but I'm not anaemic. Anaemia is when your red blood cells are low. Ferritin is your iron stores - like a sort of emergency back up. So you can have normal red blood cell count, but low ferritin. If your ferritin isn't built up, then gradually your body will use that up and then your red cell count will go too low and you'll be anaemic. You need to take iron now to keep your stores up. I tried ferroglobin, which is an iron and vitamins supplement you can buy over the counter (Iron tablets make me feel horrible). It got my ferritin up from 9 to 11 in a month or two.

thanks oneway ....that makes sense ....

he said blood count was all within normal range , thyroid , diabetes all fine ,

just my ferritin that was little low ...to just increase in diet ...

i don't think just with diet this will help at all , i eat very healthy have a high exercise routine which i believe as i have read requires iron to help oxygen in blood and this is why some sports people have commonly low iron .

I'm looking to get my levels way above 10 if poss ...as i feel lousy .....few years back i had this think was 6 and felt so bad more palpitations then to ...so i know my body is not right ....

I keep forgetting mine - I was good from Christmas for a couple of months and remembered. But I've had horrendous palpitations and I'm suffering from anxiety too, so I think I need to pay attention to it again. I also seem to be lacking in energy - but I know I'm not anaemic and my bloods have all been fine. Ferritin, although up to 11, still needs to be higher according to my gp. I hope you feel better soon. This thread has given me a kick up the bum to get my act together and start taking my iron again.

Thanks , i suffer from anx to although not to bad at mo ..(fingers crossed )
pulps can be part of that to i find ....
my energy levels low although I'm training every day if i can , thats my help with anxiety , keeps me level ...

will keep on the spatone and talk with doc on wednesday ...

hope you feel better soon to ..

Have you checked for underlying health conditions that can cause low iron stores? Coeliac is one.

well , i have very heavy periods , ibs to ...but as bloods ok doc said not concerned

lunatic, my DS2 is being tested for coeliac at the moment. He tested negative on the blood test, but because he is under 3, the antibody test is not very reliable. The paediatrician said that his anaemia and low ferritin were likely coeliac symptoms (he has other symptoms also, and his brother is coeliac) and has referred him to a gastroenterologist for further tests.

Basically the coeliac causes malabsorption which reduces iron take-up and results in low ferritin over time. Are you on a gluten-free diet? If you are gluten-free, and have been for a long time (2 years plus) then your iron levels should be normal again.

choclab, I feel just like you describe when I don't take floradix for any length of time. Sometimes I forget that I have low ferritin & can't think what is wrong with me, I go to the GP, blood tests are done & my levels are dragging around at 8 again. Within about two weeks of being back on the floradix, I feel like a new woman.

Oh, and I've got IBS too. I wonder sometimes if that affects absorbtion. I also drink too much tea & that definitely affects absorbtion of iron. I always take my floradix when I'm not having tea to drink!

Postbell - didn't see if you said if you've had a coeliac test? Many people with IBS are incorrectly diagnosed and actually have coeliac, which could be causing your other problems!

Hi Wolves, yes I've had a check for coeliac disease - thankfully tests came back negative. I'm definitely wheat intolerant though - it sets off my IBS badly.

I think spatone or floradix/ferroglobin will be fine with ferritin levels of 9, providing you're not anaemic too - it is just to get the ferritin levels up so that you don't become anaemic. If your red blood count was 9 or your haemoglobin, that would be different and you'd need the iron tablets. It's interesting how many people also have ibs too - I do too and have been tested for coeliac, but I'm not. I do find that too many refined carbs set me off. I knew that being anaemic could make you anxious and depressed but didn't realise that low iron stores could too, so that's been a useful piece of info too.

Im going to give the spatone a fair go , 2 sachets a day i could get some iron pills over the counter but there also full of many other things , least spatone is pure iron 100% , i emailed them and apparently each sachet is the equivalent of 5mg of iron , 65mg of feurrus sulphate ...so hope will boost things up ...

is very confusing ....

also the docs have had to cancel my appt so now got to wait another 2 weeks to see my doctor ...
not happy ...