Dizziness - Ferritin level 4

[Ginsodden]

Just looking for some advice as GP not really interested.

For the last week I have had constant lightheadedness with frequent dizzy spells. It’s affected work, can’t focus and I haven’t felt safe to drive. Have felt tired for some time before this, worse around my heavy periods.

Anyway, asked for a blood test on Monday and got results today. GP says I’m not anaemic as iron levels an haemoglobin normal, but my Ferritin is a little low and my B12. Ferritin is 4 and B12 is 174, folate is 44. Vitamin D is low at 42. He has prescribed ferrous sulphate and told me to come back in 6 weeks if I still feel unwell.

Felt a bit dismissed really and he didn’t seem to believe low ferritin would make me feel unwell. Later googling seems to indicate this is a very low level and ferrous sulphate may not cut it, or may take months to have any impact.

I really don’t want to go on feeling like this and I need to work and drive the kids around. Should I just wait and see if it improves or ask for a second opinion? Anyone else experienced this.

Thanks for reading.

Second opinion. With ferritin that far under range you need a referral for an iron infusion. Ferrous sulphate, even if you can (a) tolerate it and (b) remember to take it with orange juice four hours away from any other supplements or meds, could take years to raise your ferritin level to the 100 or so it needs to be.

You also need checking for pernicious anaemia with B12 that low and vitamin D needs a boost.

I hope that's not what your GP said. Ferritin is iron level! At 4, it is very low. Your B12 is also very low, so although sorting out the ferritin is good, you should be treated for B12 deficiency too.

Oh my goodness, your ferritin is not a bit low it's EXTREMELY low. If your B12 and VitD are low too no wonder you're feeling so unwell. Ferritin levels like that will produce anaemic symptoms. I don't know if they'd do a transfusion in the UK but you need to find a good iron that you can tolerate and stick to a regime of supplementation. Take with vitc and apart from tea/coffee/dairy. Prescribed iron is high mg dose but not much is absorbed - it will raise your levels though. You'll need to be patient and careful if you're losing a lot of blood during your period. I've used Floradix and iron bisglycinate (lower dose but more 'bioavailable') for low ferritin. Supplementing with a good B12 and vitD too and you will eventually see a big improvement. Do some reasearch to find some good quality supplements (Jarrow methylcobalamin B12 is good). Your doctor has been very dismissive! X

Second opinion

Are you vegetarian?

You want a haematology referral and also a gynae referral for your heavy periods
Vit D tablets should be prescribed
An iron infusion would help you enormously but they also need to look for the cause of your low ferritin and low B12

My ferritin was 8 last year and my gp just said to take iron tablets, I took them on and off because they really made me feel sick and recently had it tested again, it was 7. GP made no mention of iron injections etc, just recommended I try Spatone instead of the tablets and that was it! My b12 and vitD are also low I'm taking vitamin supplements for that now. I constantly feel wretchedly tired, fluey, in pain, and the doc reckons it's my low vitamin D so I'm really hoping a few months of supplements will help. I'm on them about 2 months now, i can't see any difference yet but I guess it's probably too soon.

Thanks for your replies all. I’m going to contact the dr today and insist on a test for pernicious anaemia and a gynaecologist referral.
AveEldon I’m not a vegetarian, though I don’t eat much red meat. Lots of iron in my diet though.
TyrionLannistersShadow that’s awful for you, you’ve been suffering a long time. This is what I am afraid of. In my experience women’s pain is often underestimated or disregarded by medics...hop you feel better soon.

Ferritin should be at least 100, i have haemachromatosis, and was told earlier that ferritin should be no less than 50 ,now its increased to 100,
When i had blood taken once it went down to 8, and that was far too low
Your Dr should know better,i would see a different one if i were you

dizziness is my first symptom of low ferritin. last time i was tested it was 11. i got it up to 24 and the dizziness went away.

i also get exhaustion, palpitations, RLS, brittle nails and breathlesness

Your ferritin is through the floor. I’m amazed you can function!

YES you need urgent treatment for that.

And checks for absorption issues.

It might also be worth having a bowel/GI/gynae check to make sure you’re not losing blood from somewhere - a family member has severe anaemia and ended up needing a fibroid removed as it was causing constant blood loss. How are your periods and digestion?

tyrion spatone is very low in iron. It’s fine for maintenance if there are no other issues but it simply cannot raise levels from such a low baseline. You need the (hideous) 100mg supplements to actually raise levels. If it’s critically low you need infusions.
Ditto vitamin D supplements if they are normal OTC ones. You need a VERY high loading dose of tens of thousands of units at first. Then you can think about maintenance doses.
If your levels are not improving after months of treatment they need to look at why - there are some people who have mutations that cause inbuilt defects in absorption/metabolism of some of whose things.

I find all these levels very confusing, just had a blood test due to feeling tired all the time and GP said my iron levels are a bit low, ferritin level of 19. He said it was only a little bit out of range.

I also have 3 monthly B12 injections and have done for 2/3 years now, not had my B12 tested since the initial blood test when it was 97.

I have been sick for a while and they just keep saying we are watching your levels and may be giving you ferritin by IV. I have bloodwork done every two months and the terrific has fallen by 1 every two months consistently. No appt with doc until mid July. I want to know what happens when it keeps falling. Are their negative values. Silly question but I have to ask.

Auto correct keeps changing terrific to terrific

I'm just going to say ferrit iron

When my ferritin dropped to 2, that was my first symptom - dizziness when I climbed the stairs. I had an iron infusion and it was amazing! Hope you get some proper treatment soon

Yeah try should be way more. They also ching bone marrow if the levels don't rise....not sure what they are waiting for though. What should I be cautious of now. I am not driving obviously and have trouble with memory and tremors and freezing cold as well as I could fall asleep talking I think. Seriously I have fallen asleep sitting on a chair several times

Any medical advise from a qualified physician would be appreciated.

Gosh your GP is shite

Please get a second opinion.

You need to find out why you aren’t absorbing what you need

I would also taken a good Vit D3 supplement and also magnesium and re-test that in 3 months.

The answer longer term lies in your gut health

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I think I will go to emergency room maybe.

I take D3 four tablets (4000iu) daily and B12 1200mcg daily as well.

The doctor I am seeing is an interest who also specializes in the heart. Thanks for your help I just thought someone might give me the answer I have been looking for. Thanks again!

Oh goodness, this just happened to a friend of mine. She has heavy periods and her ferritin was in the early teens I think. She collapsed at work from the dizziness. Her doctors say her iron is fine. So cross on her behalf and your's OP. I had the same symptoms when my ferritin was 29 and I had a transfusion (neither of us are in the U.K.). Take the tablets if you can tolerate them but get a second opinion

I have chronic anaemia (although my haemoglobin levels are within normal range 🤔) but recently I had several fainting spells in a few days, felt very unwell and GP sent me to A & E immediately where I got an iron infusion. I felt amazing a few weeks later!

Thank you for the advice. I am getting somewhere now. My hemoglobin is borderline low but ok its the stored iron the ferritin that is depleting day by day. I have blood clots in my right upper lobes of the right lung. I have done research tonight a have found a physician in Toronto who can help me. I hope he is taking patients. Thanks again so much! I will be going to my family doctor to get referred from one specialist to a new one .

Some GPs don’t take low ferritin seriously. Mine was 14 which isn’t nearly as low as yours thanks to heavy periods since my teens (not anaemic). On my heaviest flow days I’d feel a bit wobbly. I was exhausted but I assumed it was due to my long term anxiety and depression. My work performance was tanking and I had nearly constant brain fog and my arms and legs felt as though they had iron weights attached. Worst of all I’d collapse into bed at 8pm some nights, too tired to even watch TV but thanks to restless legs and insomnia would take hours to get to sleep.

I Insisted on an iron test mainly because my hair is thinning (this may not even be related to my low iron). After a month on supplements I feel like a new woman. I can think clearly and perform at work again. So much more energy. I even find it easier to get out of bed in the morning.

Luckily I’m in Australia where ferritin is considered too low if under 30. I’d probably be told I had ‘normal’ levels by some UK GPs!

Part of me wonders if there’s a bit of a placebo effect going on but I guess feeling better is the main thing. I get my ferritin levels retested in a couple of months.

Forgot to add that I’ve started taking transexamic acid for my heavy periods. If you haven’t tried them before they’re well worth a shot. On my heaviest days I had to stumble bent right over to the toilet when I got out bed in the morning to prevent massive flooding (I don’t usually bleed overnight) and had to change my pad at least every couple of hours during work on my heaviest days.

My periods have always been heavy (they were even worse as a teenager).