Does anyone know anything about ferritin levels?

[Anddrumrollplease]

I've had bloods recently as I've been tired, hair thinning, generally feeling awful and run down. Suspected low iron but Gp said all normal.
I've had a look at the actual numbers on NHS app and my ferritin level is 39ug/L when the normal range is listed as 15-300. So I'm assuming although I'm in the normal range I'm in the lower end and could still benefit from an iron supplement or is that not how it works? All GP will say it's it's normal so doesn't matter.

I think over 100 is meant to be a better indicator of wellbeing. There's a mad big Facebook group called the iron protocol which has some guides on it. I am not sure what to think about the supplementation levels they advise, but some good info. If you take a non heme iron supplement make sure to take it more than an hour before or after food, with vitamin C and without any other vitamins. Otherwise it doesn't absorb at anything like the rate you need.

Below 40 is borderline according to NHS. You might as well try a low dose of iron for a few weeks and see if you feel better.

Get a supplement. You need to be at 70 for healthy hair growth for starters so your body is definitely struggling at 39.

EDIT - If you do get a supplement remember to take Vitamin C with it, and no caffeine for 2 hours either side, as caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate etc) stops it being absorbed.

Iron needs to be (from memory) over 70 for hair shedding to stop and around 100 for new hair growth to begin. I was at the bottom end of the scale several years ago and had to persuade the GP to give me supplements. She said that because I was in the normal range it wasn't necessary. The normal range was 11-314 and I was 11! Seriously, exactly 11.

I was given ferrous fumerate and after several months, my iron levels were on the up.

Definitely speak to your GP again about having iron supplements.

Thanks for this.
Is ferrous fumerate what you get in a standard over the counter supplement?

I feel so tired all the time and just like a shell of myself

This is me at the moment my eyelashes are coming out in clumps, I am short of breath and I have such sore lips. My ferratin is now 19 it was 6 but came up with ferrous sulphate. Trouble is it is a 3 week wait for me to see my GP. I have heavy periods which is why my ferratin is low.

This has been going on for a year. I am so fed up with how my eyelashes look.
I think ferrous fumarate is very similar to sulphate.

Low ferratin is so awful. I wish I had some suggestions to help you.

Also my GP now uses the range 30-300 as I was previously ignored when it was 19 as they were using 15-300.
I do feel women should have a higher level.

@Anddrumrollplease my levels are pretty similar to yours - I had them done last year for a few reasons but exhaustion being one of them. They came back fine so I just carried on as normal. I actually saw a TikTok last month about the levels of normal etc and when I looked back at my bloods from last year, mine were 33. Safe to say I'm still tired. I also keep meaning to get some iron tablets to see if that helps

This is all really interesting. I've had bloods for peri as well as my periods are really heavy now, so it would all fit together.
I think I'll get a supplement tomorrow - are they all kind of similar? My hair is fine anyway but is very thin and breakable, keep getting dry lips, very tired, often cold, and just a feel a bit zoned out a lot of the time!
Sorry to hear others are struggling - the 'normal' ranges seem so broad.

Solgar gentle iron is good, I've been taking it for a couple of months and I have more energy.

Thanks @Livedandlearned how long did it take to see results?

It's hard to tell because I've had other things going on but I would say about a month. Take the vitamin C at the same time and I cut down my caffeine intake as well,

I like that supplement because it's never given me stomach issues and it's often on offer from Holland and Barrett.

Hi op. Mine were 16 two years ago, they are now well over 100.

I had a mirena fitted for my HRT, and took ferrous sulphate every 48hrs with a vitamin C tablet, two hours before consuming anything at all.

Super easy in the end. My iron was low due to period flooding.

Buy your iron from the pharmacist, the Holland and barrett stuff doesn't touch the edges.

You can only absorb so much per 24hrs so no point in taking multiple tablets each day.

Same thing OP, I was 1 point over anemic for years, fatigued, breathless, etc and no one told me a thing as it was ‘normal’.

Dickheads.

Also - don’t bother with standard otc iron, go to the chemist and get ferrous sulphate. Also, take two tablets every other day rather than one a day – this is more effective and helps prevent side effects.

Get a supplement. You need to be at 70 for healthy hair growth for starters so your body is definitely struggling at 39.

This is bang on. I was told as much by the Philip Kingsley clinic. Mine was at 29 and I was so weak I was out of breath climbing up stairs and getting palpitations. Definitely get supplements.

Solgar products are good. I take magnesium chelated and is great

Ferrous Sulphate 200mg tablets

Speak to a pharmacist first to check you're good to take them, but anything less punchy and there's just no point IMO (eg spatone etc).

I can’t believe no one ever told me this – I saw recently my GP actually made an unsolicited observation on my notes about thinning hair (mid 30s!) while failing to even mention to me that my iron levels were a hair’s breadth above clinical anemia.

I don't understand this. My ferritin has been under 30 for years yet I lift heavy weights, have lots of energy and my hair is growing really fast. No negative symptoms at all. I only have it tested as part of an overall panel for another reason. I guess low iron just affects people differently. I am wary of taking iron supplements as there is a fair bit of research on the harms. I would rather address through diet first.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC340385/

I was pretty much on one never-ending period for years. Leafy greens just aren’t going to cut it.

Iron supplements really hurt my stomach which is quite common. I also wonder about how easily you absorb what is basically iron in tablet form.

Try to incorporate more iron rich foods. Ensure you are getting adequate vitamin c.

I quite like spa tone, it's a shot of naturally iron rich water and they add vitamin c. There's are some studies on pubmed which showed it is well absorbed. It's often on 3 for 2 at boots.

I find it loads more easily tolerable when I double the dose but alternate the days (rather than taking daily)

Sorry if this isn’t what you asked, but have you had your b vitamins checked?

I’ve been struggling with my iron/ ferritin for years, but a few months ago a new dr checked my b vitamins, some of which Wes also (unexpectedly) low. He gave me some high doses and I’ve never felt better.

I will be interested to see how things look next time because I think some deficiencies go hand in hand.