Need help from low ferritin ladies

[Tiramisu]

Dd went through a period of fatigue following a virus in the fall and winter. We got bloodwork and though her hemoglobin was normal, her ferritin was on the very low end of normal. Someone here linked and article to a study which showed low ferritin can cause fatigue that is improved with iron supplementation.

 

Dd's tired again and I was wondering if it was allergies, but dh mentioned anemia because she's so pale. It turns out dd has not been taking the iron that I got recently.

 

What I'm wondering is if someone is low in ferritin or anemic would they be more likely to show the effects at a certain time of month? Is it worse shortly after Aunt Flo, for example?

 

TIA!

[Katy]

Well, heavy periods can cause anemia, so it would seem to follow that your iron levels would be lower right after a period.

 

Some kinds of iron supplements cause stomach upset, gas, and constipation. Ask her why she's not taking it. If it's because of stomach upset try a kind that's gentler on her stomach (don't switch if she's not having stomach upset, those kinds are also not absorbed as well). When she does take it, give it to her with a little vitamin C or some orange juice or both - the acid helps absorption. Have her avoid dairy for 2 hours before & after taking it. Watch her gums- pale gums are a sign of anemia. With me, when I'm anemic my gums are very light. When I'm not, my gums are a shade or two pinker than my lips.

[dancer67]

If she has borderline low ferritin, her Dr should be monitoring her. I also would not switch any iron, if it is upsetting her stomach without checking with the Dr. on dosing. Most people with low ferritin(like me) have to take much higher doses of iron then what is on the bottle. If her hemoglobin is fine, then you want to keep it that way. Low ferritin will eventually cause low HGB, HCT, High RDW-CV counts, Low Sat rate's. And every Dr's opinion on "borderline low" is different. Mine like to see it over 50. The highest I have been is 44. The lowest I have had is 8. But, most Dr's are happy with it over 20.

[HSDCY]

Low ferritin is an indication of low iron store in the body, and it usually takes a while for the level to come back up with supplement.

 

I have had iron deficient anemia for the past 4 years despite having a very healthy diet. The first time I was diagnosed I went on iron supplement for 3 months until the blood test came back normal then I stopped taking the supplement. The next year I was tested to be worse then the first time so I went on iron supplement for 6 months until the blood test came back normal then I stopped taking the supplement. It happened again last year and my level was even worse than before. This time I learned my lesson and take supplement daily and did not stop even after the blood test came back normal. Since then I've felt much better with my fatigue level, heart palpitation symptoms, and I didn't feel as cold this past winter as I used to.

 

Another thing beside taking supplement that helped me is to stop drinking tea and coffee. Both of them hinder the absorption of iron. I used to drink multiple cups of tea a day, now I am down to maybe a cup a week.

 

Solgar Gentle Iron(iron bisglycinate) 25 mg is what I take daily. I can take them on an empty stomach without any problem. There is no need to change iron supplement if there is nothing wrong with the pill your dd was taking, but you do need to make sure she takes them daily for at least 6 months more after her blood test comes back normal to be sure her iron store is sufficient. Even after that you would still want to watch out for signs of anemia. My doctor said for people with history of anemia, it's very common to have them happen again sometime in their life.

 

To answer your question, yes, I used to feel really really tired (not-wanting-to-get-out-of-bed tired) for the first 2 days of my period.

[Isabella]

Yes, my period (which was very heavy) always wiped me out for up to about 3 days afterwards. I didn't have great energy at the best of times, but it was worse at period time.

 

If she wants to feel better, she will have to get aggressive with treating it, otherwise as a woman and losing blood every month, it will NOT get better on it's own. Some of us, and that's evident with low ferritin, cannot absorb enough even from a healthy diet. It demands some sort of supplementation. Iron tablets alone for me were not very effective, and they can be harsh on the GI tract and for constipation.

 

My latest regimen which got me from a ferritin level of 3 to 11 in just over 2 weeks, is by coming at it with a multi-pronged approach. I've been on it about 3 months now, and I have my blood test in about a week which I'm anticipating will be at least 30, probably quite a bit more. My energy is 5x what it was....still a way to go, but GETTING THERE, which is so important. My nutritionist said the body functions optimally, and energy is optimum at a level of about 100. That is my aim!

 

So FYI here is what I'm doing...just off to copy and paste it from elsewhere...back soon.

 

OK here it is..

Each evening (because the liver caps repeat on me if I take them during the day.)

 

1 Tablespoon Unsulphured Black Strap Molasses

4 Dr Ron's Ultra-Pure Liver 500mg capsules

2 Nutrition Diagnostics Formula 3

2 Blackmores Bio Iron (just an off-the-shelf iron supp)

1tspn Wonderfood Vitamin C, Hesperidin & Mineral Powder

 

I have no problem whatsoever with constipation, either. The molasses (I think) reduced my period from 8 days to 5 days. Bleeding was still pretty heavy, but I'd only been on it about a week by then, so hopefully that will even improve. (ETA: it has improved a lot, and my period is now half as heavy as it was! :) ) I was having bladder issues because of a large fibroid, but that has also resolved (the bladder trouble) in the last 10 days, again, I think because of the molasses.

[dancer67]

I think I feel the need to add this. Women who still have their periods, and have a history of iron def. anemia, can NEVER stop taking iron. Even if your levels are fine after 6 months. Once you stop, you are still bleeding once a month and you are going to go back to square one. As long as you are bleeding, you need to be on iron for the rest of your life until you hit menopause. If the bleeding slows or you start to skip periods, then your dosing needs to be adjusted. You cannot overdose on iron as long as you get at least 2 periods a year, and you are on the correct dose. With that said, you NEED a Dr. to check your iron levels every 3 months for a while, then at least every 6 months after. I have been on iron for 3 years, I am 46. I will be on iron until I hit menopause. But, I might be able to lower my dose if I start skipping periods or bleeding less. It is not a good idea to dose yourself(or your child) with iron as you really do not know how much you need, when to add more, when to cut back, or possibly make a switch. I see a hematologist. A primary care can follow your treatment, but they are not as well versed in iron then a Heme Dr.

[dancer67]

1 Tablespoon Unsulphured Black Strap Molasses

4 Dr Ron's Ultra-Pure Liver 500mg capsules

2 Nutrition Diagnostics Formula 3

2 Blackmores Bio Iron (just an off-the-shelf iron supp)

1tspn Wonderfood Vitamin C, Hesperidin & Mineral Powder

 

I have no problem whatsoever with constipation, either. The molasses (I think) reduced my period from 8 days to 5 days. Bleeding was still pretty heavy, but I'd only been on it about a week by then, so hopefully that will even improve. (ETA: it has improved a lot, and my period is now half as heavy as it was! :) ) I was having bladder issues because of a large fibroid, but that has also resolved (the bladder trouble) in the last 10 days, again, I think because of the molasses.

This is a very good regiman. Molasses helps me "go", plus has the extra iron. Just an FYI, my hematologist told me that when your iron def, is starting to correct itself, many times it will slow the bleeding. So it may not be the molasses. But, then again it could be. Either way, who cares because you are feeling better! Reaching a ferritin of 100 is REALLY hard. Especially if you are bleeding every month. But if you do, please let us know! I will follow your plan(with my own iron dosage of course, and I may have to change due to some GI issues, don't know yet). But never thought of the liver pills.

[lailasmum]

I found it pretty hard to get better from a ferritin of 4 but one of the best things I have done recently is adding a high quality multi vitamin as the iron alone wasn't quite doing it. I guess there was another deficiency going on that wasn't being identified. It's really helped get my stamina back so could be worth adding to the daily regime

[Tiramisu]

Thanks for all the information and advice. I think dd's ferritin levels were 18, I think, and her doctor really wasn't concerned. I was worried about it and posted here, and that's how I learned you can have lower ferritin, under 50, though not officially low and still have problems. I did contact a doctor online who agreed that her ferritin was "tanked out: and she needed supplementation at low doses.

 

I have older dd who was always borderline anemic with lower ferritin, too, but not as low as my younger dd. Our pediatricians weren't concerned about her either. Her RDW was always flagged as high on her blood tests but no on could tell me why. For the first time, we went to a different lab, and she was found to be anemic. Her hemoglobin was the same as always, but that lab had a different cut off. So if we had been going there all along, perhaps her doctors would have paid attention, as sad as that is. With her, we supplemented for a few months and finally her RDW was normal. Her color was better, too. Weird.

 

I do have the type of iron recommended above. Got it because it showed up in another thread. :)

 

I'm just going to make sure she takes it everyday and see how she is. It's very hard to deal with this directly when you have a kid who had bad reactions to blood draws. I may call my pediatrician and see if they'll do a finger prick.

[dancer67]

I found it pretty hard to get better from a ferritin of 4 but one of the best things I have done recently is adding a high quality multi vitamin as the iron alone wasn't quite doing it. I guess there was another deficiency going on that wasn't being identified. It's really helped get my stamina back so could be worth adding to the daily regime

 

What multi are you taking?

[lailasmum]

What multi are you taking?

 

 

Higher Nature Advanced daily nutrition complex.

[dancer67]

 

Higher Nature Advanced daily nutrition complex.

Thank you.!! Where do you buy it from?

[lailasmum]

Thank you.!! Where do you buy it from?

 

Amazon but its easily available here from quite few places online.

[dancer67]

Thanks so much!

[Guest mluln]

In 2001 I suffered from extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle and joint aches. The doctors were puzzled and could find nothing wrong with me. When they finally did a complete work up on my blood they discovered my ferritin levels were 3 while my hemoglobin remained normal. They immediately put me on iron supplements and I quickly discovered my system just did not respond well to it. I then began taking a liquid, herbal iron supplement and it worked miracles! ...and quickly. 

 

Recently, following a nasty virus this winter, I was not recovering- Fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle & joint aches. All blood work was normal. I finally asked them to check my ferritin levels and the doctor was surprised to see the results in the single digits. I am now back on the herbal iron and I feel better after just a few days of taking the daily dose. Floravital and Floradix are the two brands that I take. You can buy it online or at your local health food store. 

[trulycrabby]

I don't think my ferritin levels have been over 18 in the last five years. I take ferralet 90, which is a carboxyl iron with stool softener. It never upsets my stomach.<br /><br />Isabella's protocol sounds really good, I will definitely try it.

Are her periods heavy, or is she extremely active and/or athletic?

I second the statement that the more anemic you get, the heavier your menstrual flow can get.

You can get finger stick iron level tests, however I don't know if they are as accurate as a blood draw. A few weeks ago, my finger stick test at the doctor's office showed my hemoglobin at 12, and a blood draw several days later showed it at 11. However, if your daughter reacts to a blood draw, the finger stick test is the way to go.

[TXMomof4]

Shoot!  I've always been anemic but I finally got to see the numbers this last January.  My ferritin was at 2 in January and is up to 4.7.  My iron saturation was at 2 as well.  No wonder I felt like dog doo.  I didn't realize how out of whack my numbers were!

[KungFuPanda]

Just chiming in with some non-medical tricks to ingest more iron. East cream of wheat. It has 50%RDA of iron per serving. Cook everything in a non-enameled cast iron skillet. Take some blackstrap molasses. Make your salads with spinach instead of lettuce.

[Tiramisu]

So interesting that this old post was resurrected now. Dd was finally diagnosed with a lot of allergies this week, so that is probably why she hasn't been feeling well for years.

[raindrops]

In case it helps someone, I 've been taking Ferretts Iron (Ferrous Fumarate) after trying other iron w/o success.  This has slowly increased my ferritin levels.  I take 200 mg (2 pills) elemental iron with Nutrigold Vitamin C.

[Jenn121]

I am anemic and for years was told to take an iron supplement. I would take the common one found in the stores which is usually Iron Sulfate. It still did not work well and I found my self during, this pregnancy, really ill and my test indicated I was at and 8.  

 

My Ob told me to take ferrous gluconate instead as if it is more readily absorbed into the body and is less likely to cause the bowel issue most iron supplements cause.

 

It has worked like a charm. I take 325mg three times a day.

 

Jenn