Low Iron levels. Can anyone help?

[PineappleSnoz]

For as long as I can remember I have always had low iron levels. It seems impossible to get them up. I am only able to take low level supplements of Iron due to another problem I have in my gut (I need to avoid getting constipated and the Iron my dr has prescribed me in the past has caused really bad constipation. )
I've been taking an over the counter supplement but my results came back today and my levels are lower again despite taking iron every day. The iron stores are at 9.

I feel like crap, I am always tired, have no motivation to do anything because I just have to sleep for hours afterwards. I feel sorry for my older kids because I am tired all the time and moody. I just want to feel normal.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation and found a solution?

Can you take the iron supplements with a laxative or lots of fibre and water?

I tend to get low iron levels and was anaemic in last pg, and was given iron tablets.

I am waiting to speak with my GP to see if perhaps we try the ones the Dr prescribed but perhaps taking them 3 times a week. I have been taking ferroglobin but we have realised that these are just not strong enough and my levels are going down, not up.
I have already had a flare up during this pregnancy of the problem in my gut and I was bed bound and in agony with only paracetamol for relief which was horrendous - it barely touched it. I am used to much stronger pain relief. I am really scared of triggering another flare up as my gut is definitely already inflamed and I am managing to keep everything moving along with careful management of my food and drinking lots of peppermint tea.

It feels a bit like out of the frying pan and into the fire, I can fix the iron issues at the expense of my gut just frustrated with the whole situation and having no energy all the time.

Ask your GP/midwife to check your ferritin levels. These are the levels of stored iron in your blood cells or something like that.
Having low ferritin can stop your iron going up (sorry if I explained unclearly, i'm not very techie).
Also I tried several different iron tablets because they all made me constipated. I found that Ferrous Sulfate was the best- didn't cause constipation at all.

Floradix is gentle and effective

Hi Op, I’m in a similar boat to you. What was your haemoglobin level? My ferritin (iron stores) is 10 so not far off yours but my HB is ok.

I’m going to ask a consultant on Tuesday if low ferritin makes your eligible for the iron transfusion so I’ll let you know what they say. I’m on prescription iron tablets but they haven’t helped and my ferritin has actually gone down since taking them!

I have the same problem. Spatone is gentle and may raise it a little. It’s not going to work wonders but may make enough of a difference so you feel a bit better. In tablet form Ferrous fumerate is generally better tolerated than other preparations. All iron is best taken with plenty of vitamin c to aid absorption. Mine is also absorption rather than dietary intake. I drank a funky spinach smoothie every day for 2 weeks with very little effect on my levels so know how frustrating it can be.

so my iron and stores are both very low. The midwife I spoke with today didn't mention my actual iron levels -they were checked about a week ago and they lost the iron stores part of the test so I had to have it redone at the end of last week. I know she said the iron levels were very low last week and my iron stores came back at 9 today so I am really running on empty. i have ordered some Spatone. I am just so fed up of feeling so exhausted. Its really having a crap effect on my mental health. Last week I had to go into work for half a day and when I got home I had to sleep for 2.5 hours to be able to carry on working when I got home.
I am eating all the things I can, although I can't eat red meat but I had shed loads of broccoli for my dinner. I will try the vit c thing too. I just want to enjoy this pregnancy as much as I can

I'm in the same situation as you OP, I did not
take the iron tablets because of constipation and the associated pains, and don't eat red meat too. I had iron levels at 9.4 at 12 weeks, so since then for breakfast everyday I have a green smoothie (cut out caffeine completely), 1 cup spinach (iron), 2 mejood dates (fiber), 1 tsp chia seeds (iron), 1 banana (magnesium), 1 1/2 cups orange juice (i prefer innocent brand, vitamin C) and sometimes fresh mint for taste, then my iron was tested again at 20 weeks and it's at 11.9. Eat fruit and veg raw as much as possible (and organic) nutritional value is mostly lost is cooked veg. It is also good for bowel movements too.

Spatone and floradix are both gentle on the tum but not very strong. Do you know about taking it with vit c like orange juice and not with caffeine?

Do you Take any antacids or Have a lot of diary in your diet?

I struggled to keep my iron levels up during pregnancy too- I took spatone daily in orange juice Or Ribera for the vit c, but it wasn’t till one of my last antenatal appointments that a midwife Linked my chronic heartburn and iron deficiency.

Calcium stops the absorption of iron, so all the antacids and milk I was drinking to help my acid reflux were cancelling out the iron! (But I couldn’t drink orange juice without needing antacids)

So I then avoided having diary an hour or 2 either side of any iron rich foods/supplements which did make a noticeable difference to my iron levels

Dairy not diary!

Hi OP, I'm also always borderline anaemic and was prescribed iron tablets early on in my pregnancy. I have found i can take 2 or 3 a week only without getting side effects but the thing that has made me worry less is knowing that my hospital will give IV iron at the start of 3rd trimester if my levels are still not high enough. I still take my iron tablets, and alternate with spatone sachets but I'm less worried about what my actual level is at the moment! Is it worth asking your midwife whether IV iron is an option if you can't have oral?

My ferritin was 8 at 35 weeks and I’ve just had the ferinjet infusion intravenously. I feel so much better! But they will want to wait until near the birth to give it to you, as the point is to get your iron levels to where they need to be for labour.

thanks for all your replies.

I have been fighting to get help with my iron levels for a long time. As I said they have always been low no matter what I do or eat. I don't have much dairy as (guess what) it doesn't agree with my gut!
I have wondered for a while if gluten could be an issue too and I have read this can effect your Iron absorption so I might ask if this can be checked. Just feels like they are blaming it on poor diet but I am eating so much iron rich food and it isnt making the slightest bit of difference. I just want to have a bit of energy to live life and get some enjoyment out of it.

My iron is low in every pregnancy, last time I had to go in for iron infusions a few times. They can do this and only takes about half an hour to infuse x

As PP mentioned, have you tried different forms of iron? The ones prescribed by the doctor are usually the cheapest form and the most likely to give you constipation.
There are gentle iron forms out there, like Floradix and Spatone. These didn't give me constipation but also didn't seem to be as good at raising my iron levels. The best one I've found is iron bisglycinate in pill form - this does not give me constipation providing I eat a good diet, and is cheap and easy. It seems to 'work' better than the Spatone and Floradix.
You might be different to me, but definitely try them all before giving up.

@PineappleSnoz I'm the same and currently 33 weeks pregnant. At one stage my iron levels was 8.4, I also suffer from low platelets and a couple of other blood conditions.
I have been on two tables of Galfer (ferrous fumarate) daily since 12 weeks. Luckily my stomach can tolerate it. I take it with orange juice or just water. I also upped my leafy greens so the likes of kale, spinach broccoli chopped in omelette or fish if you can stand the taste and smell. Try to have a glass or half of orange juice. I don't take caffeine and although I take minimal dairy I don't take it around the same time as my iron tablets. My Hb levels are currently 10.3not great but better than 8.4. The exhaustion is unbelievable, I feel like I want to drop dead. Make sure you're eating as best as you can as although my iron levels are very bad during pregnancy, this time I have suffered with nausea up till this week so I struggled to eat. Worse case there's always iron infusions.

Hey op

Haven’t read all the replies, but I tried betteryou iron. It’s a mouth spray. You can buy it on Amazon and it really helped.

No gut problems, definitely improved my energy levels. I combined with the B12 spray. Highly recommend it.

I don't know if it has been mentioned yet but have you tried active iron? Apparently it doesn't cause constipation. Not as strong as galfer but stronger than spatone as far as I know. They are expensive compared to galfer but might be worth a try?

I've had iron of 9 and felt awful. Spatone won't cut it I'm afraid, look at the dosage. Its (expensive) iron rich water. I currently have to take 600mg of iron daily. Sometimes I need a laxative with it. Speak to your doctor asap. You may need a transfusion if no other option.

@Notavegan was that a ferritin level of 9?

Have you tried Floradix liquid iron? You can take quite high doses of that without it causing constipation. It's quite expensive but well worth it. Cheaper and similar is Boots own brand Feroglobin liquid iron.

@Teakind yes ferritin, I should have said. It was down to 6 and I took two weeks off work! My hb was actually only borderline.

I really dislike that spatone is ripping people off (for 5mg a sachet, just checked). As above I have been needing 644mg a day roughly and follow the NHS advice which I'll post below. It's taken me years to get my ferritin up to 70 on my last test.

.......

How much will I take?
The dose of ferrous fumarate depends on why you're taking it and whether you have tablets, capsules or liquid.

To treat anaemia
The usual dose of ferrous fumarate for adults and children over 12 years old is:

210mg tablets – 1 tablet, taken 2 to 3 times a day
322mg tablets – 1 tablet, taken 1 or 2 times a day
305mg capsules – 1 capsule, taken 2 times a day
liquid (140mg/5ml) – two 5ml spoonfuls, taken 2 times a day
For children under the age of 12, a doctor will use your child's age or weight to work out the right dose.

Thats a massive dose. I just really can't get constipation. I have diverticular disease and it will create a flare up and i'll be stuck in bed in agony for a week with no pain relief.
I am waiting for the antenatal team to call me back, I am hoping they will just offer a transfusion. I can't carry on like this. It can't be doing me any good to constantly have such low iron, its been years and years of this (10 years plus) and I just keep getting told to take supplements.

It is massive isn't it. I struggle too as have bowel problems (though nor as bad as yours). Hope that you can get them to take you seriously. It took me so long, I wish I'd pushed for infusion 2 years ago. I just wasn't taking enough.