Have you had an iron infusion?

[notsureaboutyou]

I have had low iron for years and I’m always tried etc.

I am considering getting an iron infusion, I just wanted to hear from others that have paid privately if it worked well and if you had any side effects?

also how much did you pay?

Had two ok the NHS three months apart - it restored me to feeling like a whole human. Total game changer.

I had one on the NHS some years ago. I also had a blood transfusion and my blood iron was very low. It really did pick me up. Took about 2-3 weeks before I began to feel the effect. It took about an hour and a half so take a book or something to do.

No side effects.

From google: A private iron infusion in the UK generally costs
a few hundred to around £800 per session, depending on the dose and clinic, often including a consultation, with prices ranging from around £390 for a lower dose (500mg) to £790 for a higher dose (1500mg), though some full services with assessment start at a similar total. Expect costs for consultation, the infusion itself (which varies by iron amount), and a post-treatment observation period, with some clinics offering packages or lower prices for follow-ups.

Did she ask you for prices... Nooo

She did ask for prices .
I had one 2 years ago as my ferretin was only 3.I paid £750.Best thing I have done .It took a few weeks to feel better but it was just what I needed.Obviously my ferretin has dropped a bit now but nowhere near as low. My body started to feel better.I was able to loose weight and my teeth have stopped crumbling. I would recommend if you can afford to do it.

Thank you all for the replies, and glad to hear it help. I’m just so tired all the time and I hate taking iron tablets as it messes up my belly.

I’ve started looking into clinics and I’m hoping to find somewhere that isn’t too expensive in london

I have then regularly as part of a chronic condition. They do help but just be aware they aren’t ’quick fixes’ and it will take a couple of weeks to feel the full affects

I do always feel better after having them though!

It’s in her first post! “Also how much did you pay”

@Chexton if you don't mind sharing, what is your chronic condition?

I've been to the Iron Clinic in London a couple of times. Experience was very good on both occasions, but their set up seems to have changed...
Previously the clinic had more space & I had the infusion in a private room.
More recently, the set up was more...communal, more akin to a health spa - no privacy & felt less clinical. Just a curtain between each patient, can see everyone being treated at once as you go in. Not that it makes a difference to the effects of the infusion, but I found it a bit strange.

Yes it changed my ferritin from 4 to 175 within a month. As other said it’s not a quick fix.

mine was covered by work health insurance so not sure of cost

@bigsoftcocks Can I ask how you got an iron infusion through your work health insurance please? I had a blood test recently and my ferritin is 5, my GP suggested more iron rich foods in my diet but that’s going to take forever! I have BUPA through work but don’t understand how to go about getting a referral.
Love the user name by the way!

Ferritin of 4 and felt like death, mentally and physically. It was truly awful.

I went to the clinic in Cambridge that focuses on b12 and iron and it was about £1k I think. I had 1200 or 1500 as the dose.

Best money I’ve spent. My ferritin was 113 6w later.

Be careful on your choice of clinic because you really want experts doing it to minimise the risk of the rare but serious side effects, plus the risk of permanent staining of your skin. I really like the Iron Clinic because the supervising doctor on the day for me was a lovely anesthetist both times, and of course they're really expert at making sure that canulas are perfectly placed which is so important for an iron infusion. The clinic is also overseen by a top haematologist.

I really like their new set up. I prefer the spa vibes to the medical ones. I think they switched as allowing the doctor and nurse to have visibility of more than one patient at a time means they can treat a few people at once and keep costs down.

It works out at around £1200, but if you have health insurance you can normally get them to cover it.

I've not had any side effects, and it has made me feel so much less tired and resolved my brain fog .

I first checked whether the insurance would cover an infusion, if that was required after some investigations. That was because it wasn’t entirely clear to me why my ferritin was so low.

They require a GP referral and back then we had a private GP service through work that was very efficient at creating private insurance referrals And they did it, and it was arranged quite quickly.

I couldn’t tolerate iron tablets very well, and they didn’t do much to increase my levels so this was the best result.

A definitive cause of the low iron was never really found. I have to assume it was a menstrual thing.

PS, glad my username made you smile 🍆

I did this. Use virtual Bupa GP. Explain you have low ferritin, supplements haven't worked and ask for a referral to a haematologist. Then put a request through on the app for approval for a consultation with the Prof specifically. Following consultation put in a second request for approval for the infusion Job done. Took me a week from virtual GP to infusion.

The codes etc are on the pricing page of the Iron Clinic website.

@bigsoftcocks @Tiptopflipflop Thank you both so much for your help. I’ll start the process with BUPA. Iron supplements make me so unwell it’s almost as bad as the anaemia.

I haven’t had one, but was considering an infusion when my iron got to 5. There’s a group on Facebook called the iron protocol and I found some really good resources and experiences on there of the different clinics. Most people seemed to have a great experience, but there were a couple of people who were allergic as apparently there’s different types of iron they can give. So definitely worth going to a reputable clinic :)

I paid for one almost 2wks ago at the Iron Clinic on Harley Street for my teen DD. It was £200 for the consultation, and £390 for iron - she only had 500ml due to her low weight. Think it would have been around £800 had she had a max dose. She isn’t hugely better yet, but she’s had issues for 5yrs and had a blood transfusion in the past. They did she may need a second and I think she had absorption issues so time will tell whether it works. Glad we have tried as A levels coming up and she was really struggling and cannot wait for the NHS to decide she qualifies.

Yes, she did lol

Has anyone had one in the West Midlands?