iron level

[ferritins]

hi
my hair has been thinning and i was advised by doctor to take 100 mg ferrous fumerate daily when i went to buy them though was told by pharmacist not to without blood test. had blood test doctor called to say dont need them. been taking multivitamin with 10 mg iron for a few months and now another blood test same result of 40 ferritin and am told this is normal range but doctor still pushing for iron supplements. Can anyone answer any of these questions for me please thank you in advance for your time.
why havent my iron levels increased after months of multivitamin?
is 40 within safe range?
any advice for vegetarian to increase iron easily daily?
anyone low in protein with thinning hair?

I am really surprised they haven't sent you for a blood test. As it could be low b12 or thyroid. My iron levels were 11 when my hair went thin not sure what they are now but it took over a year for my hair to thicken.

40 is within range for ferritin but low in the range (it is officially low below 30). You might well feel better if it was higher.

My Dr explained to me that not all the iron is absorbed from a supplement, which is why they supplement at such high levels (100mg+) if your levels are low. In any case 10mg is below the minimum daily requirement for iron which is 14 I think, so it might help you to maintain iron levels but wouldn't raise them if it is low. I guess he is suggesting the tablets because the thinning hair is a symptom.

You could maybe have a thyroid problem which can cause thinning hair,
Ferritin at 40 is quite low, the best level used to be 50 ,but now is 100,
I have to have regular ferritin tests, and been as low as 8, but before having venesections, [blood letting] on a regular basis it was as high as 1.900
I was tested for thyroid when i saw my Dr about thinning hair, but it turned out not to be,it was Haemochromatosis, so still had thinning hair at high ferritin level
Maybe you are anaemic if not thyroid

I had drastically low iron, in fact the doctor said my levels were the lowest she'd seen for a long time. No wonder I felt terrible!

Anyway I was on iron supplements but they made me extremely constipated, so I looked at my diet. I now eat plenty of iron rich foods like spinach which I eat with something like red peppers, vitamin C aids the absorption of iron into the body. To be fair there's loads of other things this is just an example. Also I stopped drinking tea as drinking this with food stops the absorption of iron.

I went back to the doctors a few months later and my levels were back to normal, I'd binned the supplements after a few weeks as the constipation was driving me insane. Dried apricots contain shedloads of iron plus help unbung you.

It may be that iron deficiency isn't the problem but re-thinking your diet might help. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.