Quickest way to up my iron levels?

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My last blood test had my iron at 26. This is the lower end of the normal range. Want to get up to 50-60 as soon as possible. What's the best way?

I've got Ferroglobin capsules, boots own iron + vitamin C & Floradix and just take a dose of one of those a day depending on which one I want. Also trying to eat red meat at every opportunity.

How long is this going to take?

I wd try to do it gradually, not quickly or you might have unpleasant side effects of suddenly having a lot more iron.

Just take whatever iron product you like with vitamin C to help absorption.
Otherwise it just stays in your guts and gives you side effects (constipation/diarrhoea - can go either way).
You cannot force this, it takes a little time (to refill your stores take iron supplements for 2-3 months).
Having said that, provided you are not losing blood anywhere, your blood count will respond fairly quickly.

Why the hurry?

The only thing that's make any difference to mine is ferrous fumarate x 3 every day and tranexamic acid to help my heavy periods and even then it's taking months!

I tried spatone and ferroglobin for a good year but it never seems to work. Tried ferrous sulphate too and it made me feel awful. Have a,ways eaten fairly well with plenty of meat and green veg.

Ask your doctor to prescribe something.

The only thing that worked for me was ferrous sulphate (200mg), 3 a day. OTC from the pharmacy.

I tried ferriblobin u floradix before but their dose isn't very high and it didn't really help me.

Hi sorry for disappearing. Thanks for the comments. I'm almost finished the ferroglobin, and I've got a bottle and a bit of Floradix plus 2 bottles of Boots iron + vit C. So when I finish all that I'll get another blood test and see where I'm at. I've also been eating as much red meat as I can (within reason!).

I instinctively feel like I've probably been anaemic since my teens (pale, crap nails, crap thin hair, crap circulation) but although I've had supplements prescribed along the way for short periods of time I don't feel it probably got fully sorted.

It's the thin hair that most bothers me and I've just got to the point where I've had enough and want my iron levels to be UP ALREADY! Ive read that 80 is the optimum for hair growth so at 26 I've a long way to go!

Ever been tested for coeliac? If you don't get heavy periods you may have a digestive absorption issue. Coeliac disease can present 'silently'.

Yes they need to find the cause of it, not just treat the symptoms!!

Mussels have Hugh amounts of iron, more than liver. I adore mussels in white wine or garlic sauce with crusty bread and green salad.

Lots of leafy greens in a Tuscan bean soup

Use a little drop of ok in water with your meals, to help iron absorbing

My iron levels are 7, and I am on 3 iron tablets a day, and floradix. The iron tablets give me an upset stomach, so gp said to take less, but would take months to get iron levels back to normal.

Floradix, the iron is in a form that is really easily absorbed and utelised by the body, no nasty side effects like ferrous sulphate. Available from boots and all good health food shops

Bought a bag or mussels from Tesco. I love mussels so any excuse to eat them!

Dark green veg, orange juice, apricots.

Reduce milk products.
And eat eggs!

I found that cutting out milk for a month rose my iron from 70 to 130! And eating pink steak and iron rich foods. I cut back on gluten at the same time but not religiously so I think it was the milk.

I switched to coconut milk.

(70 was fine but gp wanted to see what I was like with no iron tablets for one month as they really disagreed with me). We assumed it would drop but it rose!

Never heard that about milk- do you mean just actual milk? Or cheese too, not sure I could give up the cheese.
You can get a little iron fishy to put in with you vegetables; supposed to be good!?

With me it was because I had developed quite bad ibs and was loosing weight a bit. So after checking gall bladder gp suggested I look at ibs triggers. I looked at the FODMAP diet for which milk and gluten are one triggering food but hard cheese is ok. Soft cheese isn't. (I can't remember if it's lactose that's an issue?) I'd already suspected milk as an issue.

However, after looking online (!) dairy can be a bit of an issue with iron absorption. Gp said if it can be if you're not suited to dairy.

I was able to reintroduce milk though and it's been ok but I'm going back for another iron test. If it's down again I might have my culprit (unless it's gluten!)

Milk and cheese I think.
I learned about it because toddlers are often iron deficient. Cereal is enriched with iron but eaten with milk which is counter productive. I gave my toddler an egg, a weetabix made with hot water and a small glass of orange juice for breakfast. That was a day's worth of iron in one meal. Now I know the sugar was bad but hey ho, those were the days!

I always wondered that re cereal.

By the way quinoa is very high in iron.