GP says my iron levels are 6! I have to take a supplement - any advice please?

[violetbloom]

I had some blood tests at the GPs because my nails are very broken and ridged, suddenly so. She called me with the results today and said my iron levels are 6 which is very low apparently and also my vitamin D levels are very low.

She's given me a Vitamin D supplement to take and I have to take iron tablets but I noticed that the side effects are severe nausea and I have a terrible fear of nausea / vomiting.

Has anyone got any experience of taking these supplements or any good tips I can try?

Should I be really worried to have such a low iron level. Could it be fatal?

OMG bella that was really low. glad you feel better.

I asked my GP if it was worryingly low and she said she sees quite a lot of people with iron that low.

Is there any other way of getting iron other than taking supplements? Can you get injections or anything like that?

I've been googling it all and am very confused about iron and anaemia. One website said that anaemic can be caused by things other than low iron so in that respect, can low iron not be related to anaemia?

Should I have other effects of anaemia like pale inner eyelids? Pallour?

Also with the supplements, do you feel less sick as you take them over time? So that after a week you might not feel sick at all?

Everyone reacts different to medicine, some people can take Ferrous sulphate three times a day without a problem, others struggle with one a day. You won't know until you try taking the medicine. Your poo will always go darker when taking iron as old red blood cells are discarded by your body into your poo so the more iron in your blood the darker your poo.

So take what the doctor has given you and if you find the side effects (if any) unpleasant then contact your doctor so she can prescribe you an alternative.

Forgot to add, go to your local pharmacy and ask to speak to your pharmacist about your concerns.

So if I take one I'd know straight away if I was going to have side effects do you think? They would start with the first tablet I took?

violet.
you can have hydroxycobalamin injections which help iron production. also ask the doc about vitamin C (500mg per day) as this apparently helps the absorbtion of iron.
Drink less tea and coffee and eat lots of water cress as that is high in iron.

Anaemia is when your haemoglobin levels and red blood cells are too low. Ferritin is your iron stores. You can have low iron stores without being anaemic, but when the iron stores get too low, your red cells and haemoglobin will get lower and you will eventually get anaemic. I've had low ferritin but normal red blood cells etc and it still made me tired. I get heavy periods and get low iron stores fairly regularly. My diet isn't great because I'm stressed quite a lot and eat rubbish when I am. I also get ibs and am also scared of being sick, but I've been OK on Ferrous Sulphate - my ferritin level dropped to 5 and I was slightly anaemic too about 6 weeks ago - I felt awful before the iron, with tiredness, breathlessness, chest pains etc. It does make my ibs feel worse from time to time, but I'm taking less than the doctor said, figuring that 1 tablet is better than no tablets and it will just take longer to go back to normal. I also take it after food, not between meals, as this protects your stomach. If I feel my tummy is irritated, I just have a break for a few days and then start again. I began to feel better in about a week or two.

Do take it though - long term low levels of iron can be dangerous to your health - as well as the fact that you will be wiped out. Just start with 1 tablet, take with juice for vitamin C, don't take with milk, tea or coffee, make sure you increase your vitamin B too (Marmite?!). Good luck.

Thank you so much OWSB you've explained a lot to me there. My GP has said I should take 3 tablets a day but if I can't tolerate 3 then definitely 2. From what everyone has said I will start with 1 and see how I get on I think.

Do you think I would feel sick within hours of taking it? I'm trying to work out whether to take it for the first time on a day when I'm at home or at work. Once I know what to expect I'll be able to plan around it I'm sure.

And do you think the side effects get less the longer you take it or more?

Also ... is a ferritin level different to an iron level? I was looking at th elist of bloods my GP sent me for:

FBC & DIFF
25 Hydroxy Vitamin D Level
Vitamin B12
Ferritin
Bone Profile

Apparently my D was very low at 8, she said my iron was 6 and my calcium was slightly low. Could she be referring to ferritin rather than haemoglobin?

I didn't feel sick and I think if you take it with food and start slow you'll be OK. From what I've read, starting slow and seeing how it affects you before increasing the dose is a good idea. For me, the side effects I've had are a bit of heartburn/irritated feeling if I take it on an empty stomach, so I take it after food and that stopped. I haven't really felt anything more than that - sometimes I get ibs, but I probably would have that without the iron tablets, so it's hard to tell. They can make you constipated, but they can also have the opposite effect, but again it's different for each person. Drinking plenty of water helps with the constipation and also eating plenty of fruit and veg.

If you're worried, I'd take it after a meal on a day when you're at home but go and do something nice to take your mind off it! Hopefully you'll be fine with it. I know how you feel because I HATE taking medicine because I'm scared how it will make me feel - but in this case I had to make myself and I do feel better for it. I had a blood test this week and get the results on Monday, so I'll soon see how quickly my levels have come up or not on the reduced dose!

I think when she says iron, she means ferritin, your store of iron. If your haemoglobin level was 6 you'd probably be feeling really poorly, which makes me think the 6 refers to ferritin. The normal range for haemoglobin is 11.5 and above. Mine was 10.5 last time, which is slightly low, but it was my ferritin that was very low at 5 - normal range for that is about 11-14 I think. My red cells were 3.69 and the normal range for that is around 3.8-4.8 (can't remember off-hand), so I was slightly anaemic. But seriously I felt awful!

If you iron (haemoglobin) is below 8 then you need a transfusion. I think it must be ferritin. I was in hospital 3 weeks ago with a HB of 7.2 and had to have 4 units of blood to get it back it. I also had a low B12 level too.

I got very breathless and was having palpitations and a racing heart.

Yes I think it must be serum ferratin too. Mine was 4 once and they were not really worried. My hb has been 9 and I felt rubbish. I also had hb of 3 once when I was in hospital after serious hemorrhaging and needed multiple transfusions.

OneWaySystemBlues hope you don't mind me saying this but I know two people (I am one of them) who put their low iron down to heavy periods but actually they had underlying Coeliac disease. It just rang a bell when you said you had IBS. I went on the mirena coil so periods stopped but I was still always anaemic so they tested me. I have had IBS for years but nothing else obvious. If you keep getting low iron may be worth asking for a test (or do a home one).

Can your dr not give you an anti sickness tablet to take as you sound like being sick is a phobia which shouldn't be taken lightly.

Good luck with the iron, hope you're ok.

I would second speaking to a pharmacist. They can advise on a non Sulphate salt. And on a practical level, I take my tablet late afternoon so not a really empty tummy, with something fruity or veggy (I found that orange juice was too acid with them). It has taken me over a year to almost get into the normal range for circulating iron, according to my gp you can only build stores when circulating iron is in the normal zone. If tablets are making you nauseous, try a different type. If you don't, then you will stop taking iron, your stores will be low, and your gp will be cross. In my experience

I had an op recently and levels went down to 5.8 due to blood loss. I've been taking two iron tablets a day with fruit (increases absorption and didn't seem to upset me). I didn't take the max dose of three a day as that can play havoc, so ate my way better. I found this list really useful (I have no idea if it's sound or not, I just googled and found it):
www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/iron.html
Some foods are incredibly high in iron. eg: tofu, seaweed. Others lower, but if you just make sure you get a fair few in during the day - 5 figs/ bowl of bran, etc you'll soon get there. I was 12+ again within two weeks quite easily and felt loads better after just a few days. Oh and I'm a veggie who tends to feel sick a fair amount too.

Thanks Jellybeans. I was tested for coelic at the same time as testing for anaemia (and a load of other stuff) and it came back negative. I was sort of disappointed in a way (not because I think being coeliac is good) because it would have been nice to know that if I just stopped eating something particular, the symptoms would go away! My ibs can be fine for ages, then something triggers it off and away we go. Can you get false negatives for coeliac tests?

Separate issue, how did you get on with the Mirena coil?

there is ferrous fumarate and ferrous gluconate for anaemia...speak to doc to get aprescription

Well, I took a tablet today and felt awful. Really travel sick nauseous. I didn't take it with food though which I know is a bad idea but I was worried about being sick. (Yes I do have a sickness phobia as someone pointed out - it's a big deal to me).

I went to Holland and Barret this afternoon and got some Floradix which I've taken (so far, so good), a big jar of black strap molasses, some Vitamin D, a multi vitamin and some dried apricots.

I know those measures are going to give me nothing like the levels I would get from the tablets but I thought I would do this over the weekend rather than nothing and go back to see the GP on Monday for a different supplement.

I feel like my head is very tight and stuffy and I was weak and shaky this morning. I've been putting a lot of my symptoms down, i realise, to stress and lack of sleep as my ife has a lot of stresses at present.

i would be really suprised if your hb was 6 and your gp was not concerned... i agree more likely this refers to ferratin

in most nhs hospitals you would be having an immediate blood transfusion with an hb as low as that. also, you would be having marked symptoms of anaemia and feeling very unwell

why don't you ring the surgery and ask for some clarification/explanation to put your mind at rest?

OneWaySystemBlues ah that's good that you have been tested. I know what you mean about wanting it to be positive as I felt the same, didn't want a disease as such, but wanted some reason for feeling so rubbish and something that had treatment!! I think the blood tests can rarely be negative, it could be asking for another/further tests especially if any other family members have it or other immune disorders.

I have got on great with the mirena coil, no more periods! (had severe flooding/very heavy periods) I came off my first one years ago as thought that was why I got acne and gained weight but it turned out I had thyroid issues. I got the acne back again after DS3 (before the mirena was fitted) so think that it was just coincidence with the first mirena and that I would have got post partum spots anyway since they occurred at the same time after each baby even when i didn't have the mirena).

I have had it for 12 months now and not gained any weight or had any symptoms (mild acne that i had before fitting has remained the same). I like the fact that it is reversible, even though we do not want more children it is nice to be able to choose that. And, of course, it has meant no more suffering and embarrassment every month and not being able to go out for 3 days a month. i would highly recommend giving it a go!

I've set my mind to a trip to the GP on Monday morning for clarification about what the 6 actually stands for. She said my iron levels were at 6 but she didn't specify whether that was haemoglobin or ferritin.