Low iron.. will I feel better

[Nelly44]

So I thought I was menopausal but tests have come back with iron deficiency. Looking at my history, it looks like they may have dropped 8 years ago after having my first child

questions….

• can you have iron deficiency for 8 years?
• how different will I feel after iron levels are restored.

main symptoms are feeling tired and brain fog

thankyou

I have taken ferrous sulphate and a different time, ferrous fumarate, with no issues, apart from poo going dark green/black. So I think whether your stomach will take it or not is pretty individual, and you won't know till you try.

I never seem to get my levels up consistently well, though, and currently it's stopping me from giving blood - barred for 6 months.

I've been tested for coeliac (runs in the family, but not me,) but I also read recently that Metformin can reduce it, which I am on for type 2 diabetes. So it might be worth checking if any meds you're on might have an effect, or if there could be conditions affecting absorption.

I've also had B12 pernicious anaemia, too in the past. I am a meat eater, including red meat and occasionally liver, and I est a fair few leafy green vegetables and so on. I've never drunk tea or coffee. I just seem to have crap blood as far as iron goes (because it predates the Metformin by a couple of decades.) I suspect mine was exacerbated by peri periods and their flooding glory, but I haven't had one for dome while. Obviously heavy periods do increase the likelihood of anaemia, but apparently anaemia also increases the likelihood of heavy periods, which doesn't actually make much sense to me, but there's bodies for you.

Good diet, regular exercise, etc, etc - but it can get hard to manage that if you're just knackered all the time.

That’s so helpful.. thank you!

Do you.. yes I have odd heart flutters at times

Yes, you can be iron deficient for 8 years. I’m in my 50s and have been on and off anaemic since my teens. A few years ago I was so tired and foggy, I thought I was going mad. My ferritin levels were so low, my GP sent me back to have them done again, twice, and they really were < 5. Coeliac testing was negative. Took about a year of supplements and vit c to get them to 50, but I don’t think they’ll ever be much higher.

Im shocked you had a colonoscopy and gastroscopy due to anemia.
Did you have other symptoms?

I wasn't offered any tests.

No. It was just unexplained anemia. My bloods went from being normal one year to quite severely anemic the next and I eat a healthy diet and don't have periods due to the pill so my GP wanted to find out if there was a cause.

Hi all, sorry to jump on but I had investigations for peri recently. The GP was very dismissive and I asked for my ferritin to be tested and she said no because if im anaemic enough to cause symptoms it would show on FBC, is this true? I just noticed that a previous poster said they felt they were developing dementia and that’s exactly how I feel. I don’t have heavy periods though and have never been anaemic before but I do have those symptoms.

My iron was never even lower than ‘normal’ but I was having hallucinations, palpitations and I was getting out of breath reading to my kids. Mine was 24, to get an infusion or even ferrous sulphate prescribed, you have to be below 11 in my area. I got mine up to 60 but have now dropped back to 40 and I’ve noticed the hair loss, and fatigue coming back. For me it’s that feeling of not being tired as such but just being absolutely wrung out, like every drop of life has been squeezed out of me. I’m taking 2 ferrous sulphate every other day on the advice of my gp who cannot officially tell me this because my levels are not outside of normal 🙄

I also agree that anxiety + iron are linked, my anxiety ramps right up when my iron is low along with palpitations, flutters, etc that make you feel anxious anyway.

i also found that when I gave up gluten I felt so much better generally and a lot less washed out. I’m not coeliac but I do believe I am gluten sensitive based on my cold turkey results

Following. I have taken prescribed tablets for ELEVEN months (with Vit C, avoiding tannins etc), and my ferritin is 26. I just feel so exhausted all the time. A random GP from my surgery (my excellent GP is on mat leave) sent a message to suggest “iron rich foods”. What a joke! I have a phone appt with another GP in two weeks, as I can’t go on like this!

My ferritin was 15 a year ago and GP prescribed iron tablets. After 3 months it got to 25 but now it's dropped to 10 so waiting to see doctor again and see what they suggest. My hb is on the lower end of normal. I have lots of headaches and migraines which I wonder if there is a link. Also , no energy or strength. I'm also quite anxious.

The relief when I realised that I could and would feel more normal was immense

It's a common misunderstanding but you can be very iron deficient prior to having a low haemoglobin.

NICE guidance states Ferritin of 30 as a minimum

Mine is 9 and was marked as ‘no further action needed’ by the lab. I put myself on iron tablets.

Can I ask what your iron level is or was. Gp said mine was life threatening at 45.

There was a Guardian article recently about how a massive proportion of women have low iron and it's not taken seriously by GPs.

Does anyone know what level ferritin is optimal? Apparently NICE say it should be 30+ and the NHS say 10+. I've wondered about my levels but I've been around 30 for a few years, so should that be absolutely fine or is it better to be higher, does anyone know?

for those that have paid for iron infusions, where did you get them done?

I was prescribed tablets when my ferritin dropped to 10, but taken off them once my level reached 21 - they said that level was fine even though I’m a peri menopausal woman who is still having periods. And they won’t test again to see if they’ve dropped again. I’ve bought my own supplements, which could be masking an underlying issue but I’m not sure what else I can do.

When you say “Iron level”, what do you mean? If your HB was 45 then that would be life threatening, as there isn’t enough blood to pump around your organs. For context a HB leave of 45 would absolutely require a blood transfusion there and then and if that didn’t happen I can understand why it would be life threatening. The normal HB level is above 130. Mine was 75 and required a transfusion immediately so 45 would be life or death unless it changed quickly and a blood transfusion is the quickest way to get the blood pumping back around your body.

Ferritin of 45 isn’t good by any stretch but wouldn’t be described as life or death as ferritin is the iron stores in your body. They’d give you iron tablets for that though an infusion would be the best option.

My ferritin levels dropped to 9 then increased only to 11 after 4 months of high dose iron tablets each day. I had low iron after having my second child with frequent bleeding for 12 months after then heavy periods which I feel had caused this. My GP at that time explained that iron stores can take literally years to build back up but it's important to remain consistent in taking them. After 3 years of taking them, mine increased to between 18-21 so it did improve. I did move GPs and was prescribed medication to reduce my bleeding on my period and I'm now prescribed iron in liquid form on a higher dose to really try to increase it further and I'm already feeling the difference. During those 3 years after my son was born I was also tested for vitamin d on and off, each time it was incredibly low, now with my newer GP I'm taking 5 tablets a day which has significantly improved my anxiety, mood and overall health including my fertility and ability to ovulate. It's really important to speak with your GP about everything, going back to the basics because I was tested for all sorts including menopause during these years causing further anxiety. Good luck!

Mine showed on the MCN test and percentage hyperchromic cells on full blood count - I was then sent for iron studies to look closer.

hope that helps

Thank you.. yes GP is being thorough with testing. I’m waiting for chest xray and bowel tear to come back but urine test was ok.

im convinced too this relates back to pregnancy

Im on prescription iron and can only take a third of the manufacturer's recommended dose as i have kidney problems. Just aware that this can be an issue if you're getting OTC supplements.