Low Ferritin

[rubyslipperss]

Hi I've read through a few threads on here as I have low ferritin - it's 28 , it came up in my NHS app.I think it's always been a bit on the low side but feeling really fatigued , going to bed after work, can only work part time etc ,not able to socialise unless I've had a rest , day off etc . Palpitations , hair thinning, headaches. Feel generally rubbish . So fed up, I cried when I went into surgery to ask for blood tests.

I've called my GP surgery to discuss but the receptionist said it might not be looked at for a week. I'm worried it will be dismissed . All other bloods fine including thyroid , though they didn't do full screen , and Hb, folate, B12 all ok just the pesky ferritin .

Should I start taking iron supplements anyway ? I've seen some gentle iron on Solgar website.
I've read on here that you should only take iron every other day . Can anyone advise ? Thank you .

@MrsKwazi interesting study thanks!

Hope you feel better soon 💐

I’ve struggled with low ferritin for years. Lowest was 11 and I felt like death warmed up. Pale face, dark circles, breathless on exertion, hair falling out, palpitations when I drank alcohol. It was awful. Hb is always normal! I have endometriosis and heavy periods so I blame that (other causes like gastro have been ruled out).
Range seems to vary massively but I find I feel rough under 50. Interesting about taking it every other day, I’ll make a note of that. Yes you shouldn’t take it with tea, 2 hours either side so I take mine in the evening. I would say any supplements like Spatone or the like won’t help enough, you can buy ferrous sulphate OTC. I just went and asked to buy a box (it’s less than £2) and said I know my ferritin is low and I was planning to discuss it with my GP but wanted treatment ASAP.

That is true as well - thanks and good luck

I went private for this and had a trichologist (Philip Kingsley).

Take 200mg ferrous fumurate;
Take l-lysine;
Take Vit D3.

All daily.

Longer shot, if you've got a copper coil, whip that out (that was a real jump for me).

Off the back of the other thread I checked the results for my recent blood tests (taken because I am Tired All The Time (they call it that when they request the tests)). My ferritin is 15. Signed off as 'normal' because it's above 10.

When I say that I am shattered, run down, often ill, hair is falling out... I am not kidding. And this is normal?!

I started taking an iron spray a couple of days ago, but think I should go and see my GP.

I recently had blood test as was feeling dizzy and lightheaded regularly when I stood up, as well as exhausted all the time. Suspected my ferritin was low (have had this previously) - blood tests came back showing ferritin 24,GP said low side of normal (above 10 counts as normal) so try ferrous sulphate or fumerate daily with a vit c to aid absorption. Within a week of starting ferrous fumerate I feel so much better, the dizziness is going.
So in short, if your ferritin is low end of normal then worth trying supplements. Buy pharmacy ones (not the ones on the shop floor in the vitamin section, they hardly have anything in them).

Similar @CeeCeeDeeBee

I don't understand the difference between areas. Surely it should all be the same? And why don't they treat if WHO and NICE say so?

These are the nice guidelines - I'm not sure why the normal levels differ so much between trusts !

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-iron-deficiency/diagnosis/investigations/#interpreting-ferritin-levels

Screenshot

Those who have really low like @greenredyellow have you been investigated for anything else ?

I had blood tests last year, and discovered my ferritin level was 6. I was put on iron tablets until an acceptable level of 20 was reached.

I have this OP and am also on lansoprazole. Found out two weeks ago that my ferritin is 8! When I felt fine several years ago it was 28, so no wonder my hair is thin and I always feel exhausted- clearly I've had an issue with low ferritin for years but no one has bothered to tell me! The 'normal' range for ferritin is huge btw - anything from 10-300 apparently - but the lower end of that is very, very low indeed.

My GP has been good and got me onto iron supplements straight away. I also have IBS-C (constipation as the main symptom) so I'm taking Active Iron, which is a non-constipating formula, but it's very low dose (25 mg) so I have to take several a day and it's quite expensive. I just looked up the Solgar Gentle Iron and that's only 20 mg. The iron supplements that the GP can prescribe are 210 mg, which would obviously raise your ferritin much more quickly, if you can tolerate them. I've been told it will take 3-6 months for my ferritin levels to rise to a noticeable degree and that I need to be patient and will probably need to take supplements long-term to raise and then keep my ferritin levels up.

My ferritin was 40 in January. I’m otherwise ok but suffering with hair loss for nearly 2 years.
last two months have taken ferrous fumarate daily, last thing, with orange juice. Definitely noticed a difference (less so without the orange juice) in the hair loss, but not been able to get the actual ferritin retested yet

ps you can get ferrous fumarate tablets very cheaply online

My GP was not interested at all. In the end, told me to take iron supplements and come back if I had the same symptoms.

I spoke to my GP this morning and he's prescribed iron, so let's see how that goes!

@CeeCeeDeeBee that's great! Hope it brings energy levels up.

@ladybirdsanchez ah interesting- are you still taking normal dose of lansoprazole or reduced? Have they mentioned low iron stores as a side effect ?
I also have IBS which is why I've used Solgar in the past.

In my area normal range for ferritin is 10 to 300!
My levels have been below 20 for years despite decent diet and taking supplements. Post-menopause. GP not interested.

At last test a few weeks ago mine was 10. My record low is 3 a few years agox I took ferrous fumerate for 6 months that time and it was still only at 18. Turns out I don't absorb it very well (Mum & Gran are/were the same). It went down to 9 during pregnancy & I had an infusion which was incredible, I felt like a new person. Back on tablets again & going to ask for a retest after a month rather than waiting the suggested 3 months. Hoping I may be able to get an infusion again if it's really slow coming up this time. Mine was 36 in December & was told that's fine, seems to be 24 & under the consider low where I am.

I’m sorry you’re feeling so bad. Low iron can make you feel terrible.

When you get your doctors appointment, I would keep emphasising the symptoms rather than mentioning possible iron deficiency. Hopefully the doctor will check the ferritin on your test results and given your post menopause and on Lanzaprole, will put a plan in place to help bring ferritin up. If they don’t mention it, that’s when you have to be brave and advocate hard for yourself.

While NICE guidelines say under 30 is deficient, there is only a management pathway once your become anaemic. So it’s on a doctor by doctor basis whether they will address this. And then also there are different cultures within different GP practices and different thresholds for treatment also vary between trusts.

The main thing really is that your symptoms needs investigating and treating, so it’s fingers crossed for a good GP who will take the time to look at the whole picture.

With regard to taking iron every other day, thats only true with high strength formulas eg 210/320mg that doctors prescribe. For standard over counter doses, you are fine to take every day.

It takes a few months to recover from iron deficiency; my hb and ferritin got into the normal zone within six weeks and I stupidly stopped supplementing. Even though I still felt terrible 🤦‍♀️ I just felt so bad, that I then assumed it couldn’t be anaemia that was the problem now it was ‘fixed.’

Good luck - hope it goes well with GP.

For high strength supplements, research shows once a day is more effective than two/three times a day.

More recent evidence shows that every other day is as effective as once a day and is better tolerated by patients.

I would advise people to strongly avoid The Iron Protocol Facebook and community. It’s a huge source of misinformation. There are much more reliable places to find information about iron deficiency.

I’ll be shocked if they do anything. Ferritin level of 10 and I don’t have periods (mini pill) ‘That’s just your natural level.’ concluded by 2 different GPs and nurse practitioner.

Palpitations, out of breath going up the stairs, hair snapping off, brain fog, anxiety for no reason, constant feeling of lightheadedness, achey, exhausted and the list goes on.

Can any GPs/nurses enlighten us on here as to why nothing is usually done, even when women are symptomatic? Is it because some people are fine with those levels? Is it because it genuinely can’t be the ferritin making us feel that lousy?

Got my latest result today - ferritin 7.9. To be honest, that’s higher than last time, it’s usually between 3 and 5. I now take ferrous bisglycinate so this must have had a very small impact, so I’ll continue with it. Feel like my body is used to such low levels and I just run on empty continuously. GP said some people would be barely standing at my levels but still don’t refer me for an iron infusion. Most standard iron tablets make some part of my digestive system bleed but they don’t seem to care about that either.

Its awful to read your posts @RatATatTatty and @DollyTots .

@DollyTots Can you change surgery or try with a different doctor at the same surgery? Am I right that your HB levels are within normal range? That’s the only reason I can think why doctors aren’t investigating further - though it’s a really crap reason. The fact that you don’t have periods and your ferritin is so low should be an instant red flag. It’s so hard to keep pushing, especially when you feel awful, but the right GP could make all the difference.

@RatATatTatty - I can’t imagine how bad you must feel with such low iron. Scanning guidelines, they only give infusions under certain circumstances: pre-operative, or if patient doesn’t respond to oral iron and causes of deficiency have been investigated and ruled out. Have you had a GI referral? And all the other investigations like caeliacs etc?

I wish you both luck going forward. And everyone else on this thread too.