How to boost my Iron & Ferratin QUICKLY!

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

I've been feeling like crap since Xmas and a blood test revealed I have low iron. I think my Ferratin was 35, and my other iron (haemoglobin?) was 40.

It's caused by heavy periods, due to fibroids.

I'm tired, breathless, anxious, dizzy. And I'm starting to worry my hair is falling out! It's certainly a LOT thinner recently.

The GP didn't offer me iron pills, just told me to take supplements.

Please tell me the best, fastest-acting type? And the best way to take them? On an empty stomach? Do I need to avoid caffeine (which I live on as I'm so knackered!).

Any help hugely appreciated. I'm 47 but I feel 97. 🙁

The problem is that no supplements will be as good or fast acting as prescribed tablets, generally the stuff you can buy is ok at maintaining iron once you’re at the right level but isn’t strong enough to give you a real boost if your levels are low.

Why didn’t your gp prescribe? Does she feel your levels aren’t low enough to warrant it?

Spatone x 2 per day, taken mixed with apple or fresh orange juice.

Loads of green veg and red meat.

Yes, the GP said my levels were simply on the "low side" and that they'd only be able to prescribe me the same stuff that I could buy in Boots.

I'm tempted to go back now my hair is thinning. I really, really can't risk losing my hair.

Can I just take more iron pills? I've read that taking too much iron can be fatal (!) but honestly, I feel like crap.

I'm currently currently prescribed 400mg of ferrous sulphate per day as my haemaglobin levels are 105, however I am 37 weeks pregnant which is why.

A sachet of spatone only contains 5mg of iron. Starting to take it now wouldn't really be a very efficient way to rapidly increase your iron levels, it's more beneficial as a supplement to maintain already ok iron levels or prevent them from dropping in the first place.

Unless you are exempt from prescription charges it would be far cheaper for you to go to a pharmacy and buy the highest strength iron tablets they will let you have over the counter.

Ferritin of 35 is normal
Serum iron or tibc of 40 is normal

Could there be another reason ?
((Consultant haematologist))

The problem is that no supplements will be as good or fast acting as prescribed tablets

I don’t think this is true at all. GP prescribes me ferrous sulphate (Ferrograd). You can buy this at a chemist yourself anyway.
It has a lot of iron in it, but most of it isn’t absorbed so passes through gut, often causing digestive issues and black poo.
Some GPs prescribe iron fumerate which is slightly better absorbed.
But you can buy iron bisglycinate yourself which is even better.

Dis you have your b12 and folate levels checked?

I was prescribed folic acid and iron tablets when I was feeling awful.

Also, most GPs won’t worry about a ferritin of 35. Their cut off is usually 11 which is very low.

Ferritin of 35 isn't too bad, NHS are happy with 15 unfortunately. I buy ferrous fumarate from amazon, and take 1 a day. This should make my ferritin go up about 10 points every month, and I lose 3 for every (heavy) period. Just don't take them with calcium, and try to take on an empty stomach (or 2 hours after food) with vitamin c

Ferritin can go up to 150 before it's marked as high so wouldn't think there's too much chance of a problem with taking them.

To be honest it sounds more like perimenopause than low iron - all of what you describe sounds very familiar to me, especially in early peri when me hormonal imbalance was off the charts. Come over to the menopause threads maybe?

Oh, and maybe get thyroid and vitamin d levels if you haven't already?

I'm on 400mg of Ferrous Sulfate a day (prescribed), but my iron and ferritin levels were a lot lower than yours (110 and 11 respectively), you are in the normal range.
Perhaps avoiding coffee and tea near mealtimes, and increasing Vitamin C intake will help you absorb iron better.

I am on 420mg ferrous fumerate daily. I was tested before Christmas and had ferratin level of 5. I went to the GP because my hair was definitely falling out. He gave me 630 a day, but it really upset my stomach so reduced to 420. Finished about 2 months ago, but my hair has started coming out in handfuls again, so GP has put me back on. I was taking an OTC supplement in between but was obviously not enough.

Helspopje, I’d be really interested to know whether you, as a consultant haemotologist, believe that a low but not technically clinically abnormal ferritin can affect fatigue?
I’ve just checked my last test where the cut off is 13ug/l and my result is 15. Would you really not think this could cause fatigue? (Not asking for medical advice at all, just in general terms.)

I would definitely say 15 causes fatigue, I only feel ok when mine is closer to 30. I've just checked and Medichecks say optimal for women is above 27. Many believe that for hair growth it needs to be closer to 40 or even 70. I personally think that proper iron supplementation for women should be a priority for the NHS.

I agree Paris. I think this is an area which is ignored or skipped over, leaving many women feeling dreadful unnecessarily.
And for the hair los aspect, I read research that suggested ferritin needs to be 50 to stop hair loss and 75 to allow regrowth. I will try to find the link.

Liver is really good if you could manage it. It not only contains high iron but lots of other essential vitamins & minerals. If you can't handle the thought of cooking liver, maybe try some liver pate?

I think ferrous sulphate is truly evil stuff that gives constipation and awful black tar poo. It is widely prescribed by GPs because it is the cheapest supplement.

Chelated iron bisglycinate is a good iron supplement, which is well absorbed and gentle on the stomach. If you can't find that, try ferrous gluconate.

Try and take any iron supplement well away from drinking tea. Tea inhibits absorption of iron. Vitamin C aids absorption, so try taking a Vit C supplement. I take 1 gram a day with my iron supplement.

I had low levels during pregnancy and I found Spatone worked quickly, and without the dreaded black poo and constipation side-effects of the tablets. It might be worth trying. I mixed it with orange juice to aid absorption, and don't forget your folic acid too.

Very interested in this post as i have Haemochromatosis, [iron overload] allegedly, but my ferritin is continually low recently.
I also have thinning hair, and fed up of going for blood tests in case my ferritin gets too high and need a venesection
,Last blood test ferritin 31,
Helspop[je can you throw any light on this please,also lost almost a stone in weight as ferritin has gone down,
I really want to up the iron, hair is biggest problem

For the OP, you can’t raise ferritin levels quickly unless you have an IV infusion (which I doubt anyone would suggest at ferritin of 35).
You can eat liver once a week.
Plus for supplements, Viridian Balanced Iron is good imo: www.naturisimo.com/products.cfm?id=6228&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx9GM8Ja11wIVEh4bCh0MhQx5EAQYASABEgIiQvD_BwE
Other good supplements that you can buy are attached as photo.
As others have said, take these away from tea, dairy etc and with vitamin C in some form.
You obviously don’t want your iron to go too high (although the ‘normal’ range is huge). And don’t assume all symptoms are due to lowish ferritin.

Following as I have a similar problem but my dr disagrees. Have been feeling like crap for 2 years and have lost about half my hair. I am a lecturer and get so breathless that sometimes I feel dizzy and can't get to the end of a sentence. Also ridiculously tired. My ferritin is 11 but my iron is normal . My GP insists that low ferritin is only a problem if it causes anaemia and so won't treat it. He says my hair loss (which you can really notice now) is genetic and will probably get worse. The other symptoms are down to anxiety. I don't know what to do. I have been taking supplements but they don't seem to make any difference. I can't change doctors and am feeling desperate that I will always feel this bad.

I've had thin hair due to low iron and low b12. I take biotin which helps with my hair.

That's really poor Norro, of course a ferritin level of 11 is a problem. I'd speak to a chemist or get a hold of some ferrous fumarate. OTC supplements aren't likely to make much of a difference. Is there a different doctor in the practice you can see?

I can't change doctors as they are all up to their maximum number of patients. I will see if I can get hold of ferrous fumarate, thanks.

OP I don’t know what my ferritin was but when I was pregnant I got my blood iron up from 97 to 114 in 13 days by eating red meat every day with broccoli and a glass of orange juice. The iron tablets hadn’t helped at all as I just threw them up and the liquid iron wasn’t much better.
So it can definitely be done through diet. Not sure how long I could have kept that up though, I ate a lot of steak in those almost two weeks.

Noroo, you might also find this thread helpful: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2626027-Help-Ferritin-of-6-but-not-anaemic-Feel-like-a-shadow-of-my-former-self

Paris, ferrous fumerate can be bought OTC. There really isn’t anything special about what is prescribed, except that it’s usually the biggest dose but hardest to absorb ie high-dose ferrous sulphate.