Need to hear success stories of hair regrowth after low ferritin! Am so worried.

[Twoanklebiters]

Hello I have got fine curly hair and have always shed a lot, but recently have noticed my hair is coming out heavily. If I’m stood under bright overhead lights you can see my scalp through the hair at the front, and there are super thin areas at the sides and the temples where you can now see my scalp.
I had a blood test at my ferritin level was 13, (I have also been feeling pretty spaced out but assumed that was down to having two kids and upping my exercise recently.) I’m now taking ferritin tablets, 200mg twice a day but am only two weeks in and already panicking that my hair will just continue to get worse.
Can anyone offer me some hope that things will improve? I feel panicky every time I have to wash and brush my hair as so much comes out. I hate tying my hair back as yo can see the thin bits and I just feel unable to enjoy life! I’m so worried and sad about it all.
I’m really hoping people can reassure me things will improve and let me know roughly how long it might take? I’ve just ordered some vitamin D tablets as well.
Thanks so much to anyone that can help me!

Has ferrous sulphate made you feel ill @LuLuLimon ?

Yes it does go back to how it was.
I have my lovely thick hair back now but during perimenopause with periods from hell it was in a bad way.
The iron tablets can bing you up, you might want to look at other options if that happens. I used one called hema plex which also has B vitamins in which I take at half the recommended dose. Now out the other side I still take it, had a load of blood tests done in the summer and had lovely results all round, not an excess of anything.

Just found this thread and it’s very interesting! I just made an appointment with my GP for fatigue and hair loss but I have to wait three weeks.

What blood tests should I be asking for? Are there two different ways of measuring iron?

As far as I know I’m not perimenopausal so I don’t know what could be causing it. I don’t have particularly heavy periods. I don’t have a great diet though and DH is vegetarian so I don’t really eat much meat as we tend to eat the same.

@blueberrylace it might be diet then.

I think mine is a combo of periods, diet (v healthy but I drink decaf tea and coffee all day which stops you absorbing iron from your diet apparently) and maybe a bit too much exercise.

My GP just sent them off so didn't tell me what tests she was asking for.

But ask them to check your iron stores as a priority.

I’ll look it up but am taking Perfectil hair extra which says this replaces all the other vitamin formula

@LuLuLimon the haemoglobin would normally shoot up with the infusion too. So please do get those levels checked before infusion as you don’t want to go on the opposite side. Am still waiting for hair fall to stop 3 months after infusion 😔

Iron tablets, whether fumarate or sulphate or gluconate, work best once a day and the lower dose is much less likely to cause stomach problems.

Unfortunately this info is slow to spread so people are still prescribed it twice a day or even 3 times a day. The NICE guidance is once a day.

More is not better - each tablet contains masses more than the iron you need for the day and you just don't absorb it.

Hi op. I had ferritin of 5 a few years ago, my hair was coming out in clumps and was very thin and lank, once my levels got up to about 25 it had stopped falling out and now looks like it did years ago.

Some studies show every other day is optimal:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31413088/

Does that mean take one 200mg tablet every other day or 4 200mg tabs every other day?

I'm currently prescribed two 200mg tabs a day which I take at 5am when I get up so I can have coffee at 7am and then 3.30pm so I can have a cup or tea before I do the school run. I'd be much happier with just the morning tablet!

Hi ladies, am so so sad that it’s not stopped yet. My iron level have been back since the last 3 months now so am wondering what else is wrong ? Am crying my eyes out and asking for help but the GP has said there is nothing they can do apart from doing my blood tests every few months. Taking perfectil hair tablets. Is there anything else I need to take? Please help me ladies am so worried am going into depression

@Mia5 what’s your diet like? Do you have enough protein? I had a phase of hair loss due to anemia, which which slowed down
snd stopped after iron infusion. I’ve had a recent phase probably triggered by stress and poor diet. I started eating chicken/meat 5 times a week and it’s stopped. Also, the hair goes through a natural shedding cycle.
Has your thyroid been tested?

Hi, I had ferritin as low as 7 and haemoglobin right at the top of the normal range. I lost about 30% of my hair and felt like crap with all the symptoms of anaemia. The Iron Clinic in London confirmed that this Ferritin level was severe Iron Deficiency without Anaemia (IDWA). For hair regrowth Ferritin needs to be back up around 90.
I had an infusion which was expensive given I also had to fly to London for it. However I would do it 100 times over. BTW haemoglobin does not necessarily shoot up as your iron stores will be replaced first - my haemoglobin has stayed the same and even dropped slightly.
I felt dramatically better within about 3 weeks but they did advise hair would take months, and 6 months on I‘m finally seeing regrowth.
FWIW the consultant at the clinic said if going down the tablet route it takes many months to get Ferritin up to 90 - there is a max amount the body absorbs in 24 hrs and any more is wasted and will cause gastric upset. He recommended 1 x Ferrous Fumarate 210 mg tablet per day max.
If anyone suspects this is an issue for you, you need to ask GP to test specifically for Ferritin on top of the normal iron function tests. If they tell you it’s “normal” but it’s less than 50 then you are deficient according to latest guidelines and you can buy Ferrous Fumarate OTC in a chemist. GPS not always fully up to speed on this.

@Mia5 its still early days - hair can take several months to recover. Have you also had thyroid checked? I hope things get better for you, I understand how distressing it can be.

Thank you @CSJ113 . I too had the iron infusion in August and then blood tested in first week of September and the ferritin was back by then. I am watching my meals carefully and eating more fish, red meat and eggs. I can see new hair coming out 3 more on but the long ones are falling like crazy like there is no stopping. @Shitfather my thyroid levels are bang in middle and I also did full blood count including hormones. Is it just a waiting game now ? I am taking perfectil extra hair support. Do I need to take anything else ? More Biotin, collagen, anything else ? How do you ladies distract yourself ? I get so distressed seeing hair falling all the time.

Sorry meant can see new hair growth after 3 months since the infusion but the old ones are still falling like crazy

I've got the same issue- ferritin is 44 and I have hair loss. I've started taking ferrous fumarate 210mg daily. Remember iron needs Vit C to be absorbed so make sure you all take Vit C around 1g with any oral iron preparations.

I am in a similar boat @Mia5 ! First noticed shedding in May, spent about 3-4 months on normal hair supplements and nothing happened so got a blood test at Drs. My ferritin was 56 (and suspect was lower earlier in the year when it first started shedding as I was virtually vegetarian and have heavy periods with flooding etc), so not awful but low enough to potentially cause issues. Started taking 20 mg iron a day for a while and nothing changed so moved to Ferrograd C, which is a higher level and also has vitamin c to aid absorption.
Ferritin is now 69.9 so I was hopeful I’d start seeing some slowing but no. I’m so so stressed about it.

My thyroid TSH was 0.7, so borderline, had further investigations but Dr (now seeing private GP to speed up process) thinks am within normal range.

Hormone tests have proved am on the low side with oestrogen and on the high side with testosterone. I have previously been diagnosed with an androgen sensitivity so I suspect perimenopausal hormone fluctuations are perhaps becoming an issue if the oestrogen isn’t balancing out the testosterone so much. I don’t understand why it would cause continuous shedding though - surely it would fluctuate a bit more? So I wonder if HRT or going on a pill that partially blocks androgens will help. Just feel so stressed that I’m trying things that take months to help.

Since the summer I’ve massively overhauled my diet- eating more red meat, protein, eggs, avocado, nuts, seeds, water… drinking less coffee and diet drinks etc… Has made no difference.

Tried changing to sulfrate free shampoos, and nothing helps. Hair is also super dry and tangles as soon as it washes which is also v unhelpful.

I’m SICK of seeing hair on my clothes all the time and constantly looking at other people and their hair. I used to love my hair so am really gutted about it.

Sorry not to have been of much use! :(

ps have also been taking biotin, collagen, evening primrose, magnesium, a multi vitamin and a vitamin D spray! So fed up! I feel like I’m literally pissing money away and nothing is helping.

@YouSetTheTone rubbish isn’t it. I feel for you.
just to mention - you need to stop Biotin a couple of weeks before thyroid function tests as it can interfere with the test results. Apologies if you knew that already.

@CSJ113 thanks so much. I stopped the biotin 2 days before the test as that was what I was advised by Medichecks, should it have been a week?
And I wonder if I should try ferrous fumerate rather than the Ferrograd C… will look into it.
Glad that you are seeing regrowth!
Did you have symptoms other than hair loss and was it quite a lot of hair loss?

I've had low ferritin (under 20) with associated hair loss. It comes back but after 6 months. I also lost a lot of hair following my 2 Covid infections. Same thing, after 6 months I stopped shedding hair and it's growing nicely now. It's normal with viral infections to,lose hair, your body focuses all its resources on virus fighting instead of non essential functions (like nail and hair growth). Hair has a 3-6 mon5 growth cycle which is why it seems to take so long to grow back.

@YouSetTheTone I’m not sure, maybe next time give it longer to be on the safe side so you don’t get a false low TSH. But medichecks lab probably have correct advice for them.
Yes I had lots of symptoms other than hair loss but I had Ferritin of 7 and also have autoimmune thyroid disease (and peri-menopause - the triple crown 🤣)

Ladies here I am again asking how long does it take for the hair fall to stop once the iron levels are up ? I am on month 5 since hair loss started. I can see slightly less hair on brush compared to when it began but hair wash feels like a carnage. I literally cry every time. It’s so so hard and a very lonely thing to go through.

Lysine helps with the absorption of iron along with vitamin C.
I got my ferritin levels up to over 100 very quickly with this combination.

Thank you @samthebordercollie your message gives me a hope to wait for more time. Did you use minoxidil or any other products ? I am told minoxidil is not recommended for tellogen Effluvium which I am diagnosed of.