If you could suggest the one best thing that helped get your ferritin levels up

[mechanicalpencil]

Ferritin level of 11.

Feel so incredibly exhausted all the time. Blood tests fine but this was flagged up. GP recommended Ferrous Fumerate but found this harsh on my digestive system.

Have also tried:
Floradix
Spatone
Increasing iron in my diet e.g. spinach, more red meat etc
Taking iron supplements with orange juice before a meal and with no caffeine.

None of these things really seemed to help.

Iron IV privately

Ferrous fumarate every other day is gentler on your gut. Are you avoiding dairy when eating iron rich food or taking supplements? Calcium can inhibit absorption.

1 prescription strength iron tablet alternate days. Avoids the stomach symptoms and still works.
Stopping the source of blood loss - for me going on the mini pill to stop heavy periods.

I never found anything that worked without symptoms until I had an IV infusion when pregnant. It's stayed decent for a couple of years, declining over time. When it does inevitably 'run out' (haven't got to the bottom of the cause), I'll pay for another one privately if I have to

Ferrous sulphate every other day with vitamin C tablet.
Also taking tranexamic acid to make my periods lighter.

IV infusion is the only game in town when all else has failed or is taking far too long to work.

I know it's not readily available, but saving up for it is one of the best things you could do for your health and well being, where difficult to treat low ferritin is involved of course!

Sympathy OP! I had the same ferratin level but with hair falling out and permanently cold hands and feet etc I get on with ferroglobin but have just had to resume taking it with orange juice on an empty stomach as my hair is falling out in handfuls again and I am tired in my soul.

i have read that at that level a transfusion is the quickest way and should be offered by the NHS but I wasn’t offered one told to take tablets. I think it can take about a year to up your level with tablets alone, if you can absorb iron- apparently some people just don’t absorb from tablets and you may be one of them.

I believe that iron transfusions are available privately and will be investigating this through my private health insurance if my levels are as low at my next blood test. Perhaps worth a discussion with your GP?

Mirena coil

IV iron on NHS - now get one a year or once I go under 30

Sucrosomial iron if you can track it down. A friend sends it to me from the UAE. Zero digestive side effects, you don’t need to worry about timing around other foods and medications. My ferritin went from 17 to 73 in 10ish weeks taking x2 30mg a day. I went back on it again in pregnancy and it went from 23 to mid 40s in 3 weeks

@RedRosesforthewin and "tired in my soul" ... exactly this.

The physical fatigue is so severe that I can hardly get up the stairs at times.

Work is particularly bad. The fatigue seems to seep into my brain so that I can observe and listen but things just don't permeate. Any utterances or questions that come my way from others just seem to hang suspended in my brain ... no, not even in my brain ... waiting at the gateway to my brain ... waiting to be processed...

I know I just have to get home, get to bed early, sleep... but despite sleeping well, I wake up the next morning just as exhausted.

Not one GP I have ever spoken to about my fatigue troubles suggested an infusion so I am guessing it is costly. I will definitely look into this!!!

Add lactoferrin to your iron and vitamin c.. take it every other day. Good luck op!

I would try the gigi supplements Iron Bisglycinate. I take their hormone blend and it's been absolutely life changing. Women owned business, high quality ingredients, pricey but I've gone from literally collapsing in bed at 6pm to wanting to work out in my free time. My blood results before and after were like night and day too.

Have they checked other things like Vit D, folate (not done as standard - mine was picked up when I paid for private tests) and B12? These all work in combination. Also what is your thyroid levels like?

I took sulphate with Vit C, every other day can definitely work better for some... I had a little regime: Vit D first thing with magnesium, and alternated folate and B12 at the same time, then iron an hour before lunch with Vit C. Then K2 at tea time to work with the vit D and magnesium before bed.

Ask your GP to refer you to be tested for Coeliac disease, including B12. Also ask for an H Pylori test.

I was anaemic in both haemoglobin and ferritin terms for all my adult life, had a period of stress and a few attacks of diverticulitis after which I could no longer tolerate any type of iron supplements. Had a gastroscopy and colonoscopy which showed classic smooth gut which is gluten inflammation. Basically I wasn't getting any micronutrients espite my extremely varied and balanced diet. Positive for H Pylori which means it was nicking some goodness before my food got to the intestine, then the gluten was damaging the gut lining and doing the rest.

Long story short a strict gluten free diet watching for traces and cross contamination, normal multivitamins (and vit D in the winter), and I have more energy than every before. My ferritin is back well in the normal range. I also am on HRT but very much "training wings" level. Yes, eating out and grabbing lunch at work is a royal pain in the arse, but the alternative was miserable.

Feroglobin but I don't think mine were anything like as low as yours. It made a difference within a week.

I couldn't tolerate ferrous fumarate at all, awful stomach pain and headache, but iron bisglycinate is much better. I take tablets with some vitamin C included. I also take vitamin D and B12 daily.

You really need an iron infusion. In Britain they won't do them on the NHS unless you're practically at death's door, but they're commonplace in other European countries just for mild - moderate low iron. Just get it done privately if you can, it'll be the best couple of hundred pounds you ever spent.

A hysterectomy!!!

Ferritin went from 4 to 58 in 3 weeks!

Mirena coil for me. It was 6 when I first went to the GP with hair loss, fatigue, and restless legs. Ferrous fumarate did help - i took it once a day with apple juice. I also started eating meat for a while as well, as I'm vegetarian and it's apparently harder to absorb plant iron compared to haem iron that we get in meat.

I'm feeling much better now, although last time i had it checked it was still only 25 (the NHS say that's within normal limits, but there is evidence that it should be higher than this). Maybe I should restart the iron again, as I'm not as sprightly as I could be!