Ferratin level very low...advice please

[3wonders]

I am 46 soon, and still having regular but heavy periods (very heavy for two days)

Just recently over the last 6 months, have noticed that my thick hair is thinning although my husband cant notice any change ( I can)

Hate checking things out etc with doctors, but have had my bloods checked and my Ferritin came back very low.

So have been given iron tablets to take twice a day.

I need to change my diet - so looking for some ideas other than red meats, spinach etc. Also what is NOT good to eat/drink with low iron?

Hopefully it wont be long until I feel more alive and my hair grows back like it was, as it is totally freaking me out.

Thank you for any advice

avoid dairy products and tea within two hours of taking iron or eating iron rich foods. Eat foods rich in vitamin C or take vitamin C supplements when taking iron supplements.

What is your ferritin level?

also what iron tablets have you been given and in what mg dose?

Natsku is right about the Vit C. Some say L-lysine can help absorption as well, but you should check with your doctor before adding in anything else.

I have low ferritin too, it's a pain

I have high ferritin so not supposed to drink orange juice,take vitamins or too much meat, specially liver,broccoli. etc.just do the opposite to me

Iron supplements from the docs can cause constipation.

Spatone is pricey, but worth purchasing for heavy periods.

You absorb very little of the iron in the tablets, but Spatone is iron rich water, and absorbed very easily, and much kinder to stomach.

My ferritin got to 6 a few years ago. I certainly recommend the spatone as much kinder on your stomach!

My friend has had some success using Feroglobin liquid. Has lots of lovely B vitamins in it as well.

Iron bisglycinate - elemental iron that is a much lower dose but has much, much better absorption than prescription iron. Floradix is also good!

Hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread for some advice too 3wonders?

I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia last week, with ferritin of 6, l have been given Ferrous Fumerate tablets (322mg) to take once a day.

Should l be doing anything else? I eat quite a varied diet, but feel absolutely bone tired every day, walking upstairs/up hills makes me feel lightheaded and faint, and l seem to wake up more tired than when l went to bed! I haven't noticed my hair thinning, but my muscles, especially my legs, ache a lot too, but not sure if that's a symptom of this or type 2 diabetes, which l also have...

The dietitian told my daughter that orange juice helps with the absorption of iron which she also had to have.

I had a Ferritin levels of 1 and then 5 when initially diagnosed.I felt so stupid that I'd left it so long to go to the GP as I was so bone tired and struggling every day to get up and run my business.It was a huge shock,but in hindsight my periods had always been heavy, and as I got older got worse ,and then closer together.So no wonder! I took ferrous fumarate x2 a day.But it was a long process to build my iron levels back up.Only when I had polyps removed and my periods stop did it get into the normal range and stay there.Amazingly my hair,nails etc were all healthy and apart from the exhaustion I had no other symptoms of anaemia.I now take Floravital (the yeast free Floradix) and a multi vitamin daily and for the first time in years have loads of energy.I had/have a very healthy diet and eat eggs,love green vegetables, nuts etc and all the iron rich foods and always did.One tablet a day doesn't sound enough to me.

I think the tablet dose is usually 200mg 3 times a day, avoid caffeine but take it with something like vitamin C which aids absorption

I didn't find iron supplements helped my ferritin that much (between 2 and 5) it's been quite a pain

Address the cause as well - in your case the heavy periods perhaps. You can get things like tranexamic acid OTC in boots or ask GP for advice.

Non meat sources of iron are harder to absorb

Floradix is pretty good

I had this , took the prescribed tablets twice a day and after 3 months my level was normal. I had orange juice with my am tablet but not for the 2nd but sometimes I had a kiwi as they are meant to have more vitamin c than oranges. They played havoc with my stomach (constipation then the opposite) but have settled down now. . Now I’m on them for another 3 months to see if my levels will rise further.

My hair has got slightly thicker but not as good as years ago - but I am perimenopausal. Sadly I am still tired all the time, but then I wake up between 4&6 every day!

I heard something on a radio 4 medical show how iron absorption and how it’s better to take to less frequently as if you take too much it just gets s stuck (hence stomach problems) - I mentioned it to the GP but she just ignored me!
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29032957
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wpg6n

I had a ferrotin level of 2 a few years ago.
My l8cal health shop got me into dried fruit. Dates and raisins eye are high in iron and easy yo snack on and add to dishes.
Dried fruit in curry, salads, eye. Dates make a nice topping on porridge or ready been- which has added iron.
Also if you get prescribed Ferrous Sulphate ask for Ferrous Fumerate - it's a bit kinder on the tummy.

DH has haemochromatosis which is the over absorption of iron so I suppose you’d best do what he’s told not to!!

Milk and tea with meals stops iron absorption so don’t drink these with meals. Vitamin c is very good at increasing absorption so if you can drink pure orange take supplements that’s good.

Eat shellfish, particularly mussels if you can (he misses this so much), obviously broccoli, spinach and greens.

And there are trace iron amounts in Guinness (ugh) but very little but if means you can pop out for a pint more often ENJOY!!

Another vote for feroglobin to keep your stores up after you’ve finished with the tablets 😊

Ah yeah dried apricots are good. PP have covered everything. The main thing I was told was the avoiding caffiene and dairy either side of taking tablets and to take vitamin C with it. I used to have orange juice or vit c tabs, 1 kiwi fruit contains all your vit c requirement for 1 day, cook chicken/fish in lemon juice etc anything to mix it up a bit. Eggs, pulses and beans, nuts, brown rice, spinach. I used to top up with feroglobin liquid and tablets too. Amazing how much different you can feel once it's boosted.