Hair loss - ferritin

[Blackandwhitehorse]

I’ve been shedding hair and my blood results show ferritin at 37. GP said aim towards 70 and said buy over the counter iron tablets.

However I’m seriously considering paying for an iron transfusion privately as I’m worried I will have lost too much hair by the time tablets take effect.

Has anyone gone down this route?

I have had a couple of iron infusion (not in the Uk). I would recommend it because the affects are more instant. Plus I found my hair continued to fall out for couple of weeks after the infusion. Then it calmed down. So you will potentially lose less hair from an infusion than taking tablets.
plus ist’s amazing to feel less tired so quickly.
After the infusion drink lots of water and rest for the remainder of the day (advice given by my doctor every time I have had one)

I'm experiencing hair loss and I think it might be because I stopped eating red meat and dairy.

anyway, in answer to your question... I had very low ferritin at around 17 when I had my first child and lost a lot of blood. I had an infusion and it fixed it immediately.

Chelated iron. Supplement with this and you won't get constipated and it will build up v quickly.

Biotin also works to support your hair

My hair has been falling out and I bought floradix. I could sleep for Europe
Any thoughts OP?

B12 deficiency maybe?

I had an infusion privately in the UK. My ferritin was hovering in the 30's despite twice daily iron as guided by my GP. I was experiencing hair loss (alopecia areata) which I was told was unrelated to the ferritin but also a dermatologist told me it would be better for my hair if ferritin was higher.
Now the alopecia is gone - the initial trigger has also gone, but I'm certain the ferritin helped with regrowth. I went to the iron clinic in London - they were great.

I took ferrous Fumarate tablets for low ferritin. I felt the effect within a couple of weeks.

I am prescribed ferrous fumarate but buy it here as it is cheaper. I take 2 pills a day.

My ferritin has hovered between 11 and 18 for years and I can't get it higher. How much does an infusion cost?

Biotin really helped my overall hair health and thinking from hormonal problems I use this one.

Different things he'll different people though I hope this helps you hon

From what I’ve looked at so far around £700-800. For me it’s worth a shot to stop any more hair loss asap

I have infusions on the NHS and for some reason they're useless for me 😢 I always go back to low levels quite fast

My ferritin is 13 and has been for about 9 years. I find it very very hard going

Hi this is interesting, also shedding hair and sane iron levels but GP said was normal ?! Will try iron tablets.

Yes so apparently there is normal but then also optimal for hair growth is 70. The normal range seems way too big.

Hi op I’ve had hair loss and my iron level was 56. I was told I wasn’t a candidate for an infusion but have also heard that 70 is the optimum level for hair growth so am a bit stuck! Have been taking 20mg iron supplements but suspect this is too low to make a difference. It’s all so frustrating. How is it going for you?

My hair was falling out recently, I had a blood test and found my ferretin was 10. I'm on prescription iron tablets now and my hair seems to have stopped falling out excessively (it's been 2 weeks since I started them)

Watch Jo Jones and Nadine Baggott on Instagram. Jo had this issue with iron and ferritin and was put on a supplement regime by a trichologist. She explains exactly what she takes.

www.instagram.com/tv/CdppM6ClOBV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Thyroid problems can cause serious hair loss and exhaustion too @Monty27
Ask the GP for a blood test. I don’t think Floradix has enough iron to boost you if deficient though, ferrous fumerate is prescription strength. Stop supplements before a blood test though as they may skew the results.

Op I’d love an iron infusion but don’t have the ££ spare, have you somewhere in mind to have it done? Just wondering if there is a company/group of clinics better value than £500.

My hair is still shedding but I’ve decided to see a trichologist in London instead, just in case the root cause isn’t iron levels. It’s a lot of money if that’s not the issue. At the moment I’m just taking floradix.

The place I looked at was a Nuffield in Cambridge but it was £££!

Mine floats between 9 - 13 and it's quite knackering. It will take a very long time to increase your levels with any significance via tablets.

I've had infusions and people said it would take about a week to feel the benefits but I didn't really notice anything; I had a blood test three weeks after the infusion and it had dropped down to 14 again, so infusions might not be the answer to your problems.

Many things affect iron levels and hair.
How is your diet? Doing some sort of keto?
Or the opposite, a diet lacking proteins?
Do you take supplements, such as turmeric?
How old are you? Close to menopause?
Do you drink coffee/tea even decaffeinated with your meals?

Biotin is the supplement most effective for hair, but you need it to be high in the 10.000

I remember my ferritin being 6 and yes I also lost a lot of hair. This was a few years ago before the covids. The GP just started me on 20mg of ferrous sulphate and never had a transfusion.

I felt a bit tired but was ok!!

@Thenightcircus Hi, sorry to hear this! Have your blood tests also checked your levels of Vit D, B12, and folate? They are haematinics, i.e. the other components of red blood cells, so if you are deficient in any of these then supplementing iron alone won't help. Realise you may be all over this but just in case - I think B12 and Vit D are the most common culprits of anaemia without an iron deficiency. Worth supplementing those if you aren't already. x