I’m really struggling and need advice/ hope.
I’ve been digging into my health recently after feeling something has been off with me, pretty much the whole of my 20s. My dad says I’m a shell of who I used to be and that I seem scared of the world, and he’s right. As a teen I was full of life, loads of friends, class clown, grade A student, etc. At uni about 10 years ago I got terribly depressed and remember the doctor saying my iron was low. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Was put on an SSRI and have been on and off of them for the best part of a decade now. Fast forward to now, my ferritin has been decreasing year on year since 2022 and reached a low of 9 earlier this year. I’ve been on sertraline for 3 months and don’t feel any better.
Throughout my 20s I’ve felt terribly depressed, anxious, low, flat, no motivation, no excitement anymore. I just wanted to hide away from the world and get through each day. Whilst Im sure I can’t blame it all on low ferritin, I’m wondering how much it might have been contributing to my terrible mental health?
I have also struggled with things like feeling love, deeply connected to someone, even my boyfriend who I’ve been with for years now. I was wondering if anyone has found low iron to contribute to an inability to feel love, sexual connection, romance etc? My boyfriend is kind, caring, soft and loving so not an issue on his part.
i had an iron infusion last Friday which I was really hoping would lift my depression, but today I am feeling extremely depressed, hopeless and can’t stop crying. I have asked my gp for a medication review, maybe to try a different med but I hate the sexual dysfunction SSRIs give me.
anyone with low ferritin, how long after an infusion did it help lift your depression?