Ferritin levels and bloods results

[Starrr123]

So since i had a baby and covid. My body has been achey. Hair falling out , SOOOOO tired and very dizzy!
the drs have done my bloods and my ferritin was 13 in 2021 and now its 20 but i still feel soo shit!
The dr put it as satisfactory, but im not sure if its normal ?
i rang up and they said well its in the ok range. Any experiences please comment :)

Mine is currently 7. And I'm 32 weeks pregnant. Not fun! Keep on fainting.

@Starrr123 Doctor didn't mention HB - just said 22 was too low and I needed to take the ferrous fumerate tabs for 3 months and do another blood test.

My GP shouts at me if I mention anaemia but I went from ferritin 6 to 12 on fumerate 300 once a day. I want to try an iron infusion but it's £1000 as I can't even get out of bed most days. Problem is I've knocked my front tooth out on the radiator(fainted) so need to save for bloody dentist.
it's shit.

@Starrr123 I actually feel ok at level 22 - got two kids who get me up in the night so being knackered is my default setting!

It dropped to 16 once and it was awful - I was breathless, jittery, faint, exhausted, sensitive to light. Can be really debilitating day after day.

Really feel for the poster with a level of 6! Hope everyone feels better soon!

@ShadowKitty i am wondering if mine has dropped again as i felt ok. It was 13-16 then went upto 20. That was is sept, so maybe in dropped again. I will start taking some iron tablets and see how i go.
all my friends are around 70-80 xx

Watch and read this. Gives you a list of supplements, as recommended by a Phillip Kingsley trichologist.

www.instagram.com/tv/CgFGc3hIFfX/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I’m in a similar situation, but saw a private GP and she said for hair growth your iron needs to be around 50-70. She recommended ferrous gluconate as it’s easier on the stomach than ferrous fumerate, and she said a tablet every other day is just as good as daily and can reduce the likelihood of constipation.

Why is your vit b12 so high? Are you taking supplements? Too high B12 can cause neurological symptoms like dizziness too?x

@Lolacat1234 yes i was taking it but the gp told me to stop. So i have now , but the dizzyness is still here 😩 im so fed up with it x

@SBAM is your only symptoms losing hair or are you getting others also? Xx

Hi op my ferritin was 16 and I was flagged on my results as 'in range but investigate reason for low iron'.

I am now taking ferrous sulphate once a day ( I take it as soon as my alarm goes off so I can have coffee on the school run two hrs later)

I was feeling atrocious faint, nauseous, dizzy, no energy at all.

You can buy iron from the pharmacy. The and Holland and Barratt types aren't strong enough.

If you find iron pills give you constipation or other side effects, you can try taking them every other day (or less if necessary), even once a week is better than no supplement at all. There's evidence to suggest that taking it every other day might actually be a better recommendation for most people anyway.

@Dogsgottabone so the gp gave it to you due to the ferritin? I honestly feel sooo rough! Its a horrible feeling! How lo g have you felt like this?
also how long have you been on the iron tablets? Xx

Yes absolutely! They showed a lot of concern, said that even though I was within NHS normal range, it was of concern and it needed dealing with.

Then she looked at all my last few blood tests and my ferritin was v low since I had children 15yrs ago, so explains a lot of tiredness.

Mine has been made very low due to flooding periods and peri menopause (Dr said this)

BTW I've had no issues with ferrous sulphate. Just upped the fibre and water.

OP why is your B12 level so high? Are you taking supplements?

I note the labs comments about low ferritin in the presence of a raised CRP. Was the CRP tested?

Look to take 200mg of Ferrous Sulphate. Taking a normal 14mg dose does nothing. It’s like pissing in the sea.

I have been prescribed the 200mg tabs a few times and then when my iron levels go back in the ‘normal range’ I am told to come off them. Then my symptoms come back again. Now I just keep taking them because I felt I was on a merry-go-round.

@spuddel yes i was taking it, and the dr told me to stop. So i have now x ill check x

Ah that's good because a high B12 level without supplementing is often a sign of some underlying disease like liver disease.

If the CRP is normal, I think I'd want to know if there were any auto-immune antibodies for Hashimotos thyroid disease as this can lead to low iron levels. I guess in the meantime a supplement of iron is worth trying to see if it helps the symptoms. I had a ferritin of 12 years ago, felt absolutely hideous until it was raised.

@spuddel crps was normal, thyroid all ok. I get very heavy periods. To the point i wear 3-4 maternity pads at a time. Ive been to the drs soo many times regarding my periods x

@Dogsgottabone my periods are AWFUL ! Soooo heavy! To the point i wear 3-4 maternity pds at a time ! Glad your feeling better, how long did it take to kick in x

The range is huge though and you’re only just within normal. I was similar and started taking feroglobin daily and that made a huge difference

@Starrr123 not just hair loss, cold all the time and fatigued too. But that’s not unusual for me, I have hashimotos thyroid disease, which I believe often occurs with low iron so it’s an ongoing thing for me.

@Starrr123 ive been on them for just over 3 weeks but had a break last weekend when I had a horrible virus.

But I do think that the dizzy spells are easing a little bit. I think it's a long way to go before the hair loss slows down, I'm assuming I need to take them for the long haul.

I think you need to sort the bleeding out. Mirena coil or get a gynae referral.