Low iron help!?

[Eden1990]

Hi, i had a blood test a few weeks ago after feeling quite unwell and these are my iron levels. My Gp wasn’t concerned at all and suggested I get some over the counter iron. I have been taking it but I feel awful and my hair is falling out in clumps, anyone have any good suggestions, I’m desperate 😢 thanks xx

Squeeze lemon juice over every meal you have. It will ensure you absorb all the iron that is there in the food.
Make sure you get a lot of leafy green vegetables.

I take floradix tablets with a glass of orange juice so that the iron is absorbed better.

I'd ask for a second opinion

Ask for a different GP. You need to have ferritin at around 70 for healthy hair growth so 12.2 is utterly ridiculous. And that's before you get to the first image. If you only have the one GP ask them to explain why being so far under the normal range they consider it "normal". Hopefully a different person can link you to the NICE guidelines for ferritin levels.

EDIT - if you take OTC iron then make sure you take Vit C with it to aid absorption, plus no caffeine for 2 hours before and after. I take mine just before bed.

I am feeling the same and my ferritin is 5 and my B12 is 69. I can't function. I know the cause and it's being addressed by my goodness I feel absolutely terrible. My brain isn't working, short of breath, brittle nails, cold, no joy. I'm getting a B12 injection tomorrow and an iron infusion next week in hospital.

It's a horrible feeling experience... hopefully you can get the help you need .

I take Spatone sachets. You can have two a day. It's made a huge difference to how I feel.

It's very (ridiculously) expensive but you could look into getting an iron infusion privately - in London for instance there's the Iron Clinic, I went a few years ago and it sorted out my levels immediately, having previously tried twice daily supplements under my GP.

My levels were about the same as yours back in January. I had days where I could hardly get out of bed with sheer exhaustion. I was prescribed an iron supplement but had such awful digestive issues on it that I couldn’t continue with it. Instead I took an over the counter iron supplement and it has slowly worked to bring my levels back up to the normal range. I used Floradix, and also another one from Boots in a red box that comes in slow release capsules (can’t remember its name). My GP has recommended I continue taking them, even though I’m now in the normal range.

ETA Feraglobin

I've pm'd my prescription from dermatologist I got for hair loss - they're otc. Iron info there too. My mother and I suffer regularly from this as we tend to forget to take care of ourselves.
Mum had ferritin 3 and ended up in hospital but still didn't have transfusion. Any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks for all of the replies. I have been trying some different things so hope it helps x