Giving up coffee... will it be enough to make it worth it?

[jenn-]

I am anemic.  I have always been anemic.  My iron level has always been described as good enough for me but not enough to share (I've tried donating several times and get turned away).  I have to take 2 supplemental iron pills when I am pregnant, but usually can maintain with only 1 when I am not. 

 

I was recently diagnosed with restless leg syndrome.  The sleep doctor stated that there is a correlation between ferritin levels (one of the iron tests) and RLS.  My count in June was 70 and he wanted it higher as the cutoff for RLS symptoms is 75, so I started with my second dose.  I was trying to be really good and take that dose around 130, because I know that coffee can interfere with iron absorption, but I kept forgetting it.  About 3 weeks ago, I switched to taking it in the morning with my other pills.  Low and behold, my ferritin level dropped a point instead of increasing.  He has now referred me back to my primary with instructions to get the level up and then try to wean off the RLS medicine.

 

The primary I trusted changed fields almost 2 years ago and I haven't found a replacement (kids have a pedi, but the grownups don't have anyone).  I went to someone back in March that I didn't like, so I called around and now have an appointment in 2 weeks with another new doctor. 

 

Yesterday I went and collected the test results from all three blood draws this year (so I can have them on hand for the new doctor to compare) and looking at them concerns me.  Things that are effected by anemia are definitely being effected. 

 

The only thing I can think of to do at this point is give up my one 14oz cup of coffee and that makes me sad.  I like my coffee.  I am not one that has to have it in hand before crawling out of bed, but rather I usually wait an hour or two before brewing it.  I know that coffee and tea are nutrition leaches, but does anyone know what part is the problem?  Would I be okay with switching to decaf, or is caffeine not the problem?  Does my one cup of coffee play a big enough role to make a difference?  I've only been a daily coffee drinker for the last couple of years, so I was anemic before the daily cup as well. 

 

I've also gone vegetarian this year, but I try really hard to make sure I get iron rich foods in still.  This was a switch from a low carb, eat all the meat you desire, lifestyle in which I was also still anemic.

[bethben]

For my restless legs, I gave up gluten. I'm not sure if it is gluten or wheat, but since I gave them up, my legs don't bother me. Previously, I had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep because I had to get my heating pad out to try to keep the legs from "crawling". I didn't answer your question, but the gluten thing really helped my legs. The results were almost instant.

[UmMusa]

Wow, I'm having similar issues. Iron, RLS, and recently considering giving up coffee. But I don't want to!!! I'm trying half decaf. Could you work with that for your daily brew? I should track my blood levels, it's been a year.

[Hikin' Mama]

I was severly anemic and the only thing that changed that was when I found out I have celiac and quit eating gluten. I wasn't drinking coffee at the time because I also had horrible diarrhea and tried everything I could not to upset my digestive system. Within two weeks of cutting the gluten, I had no more diarrhea and my iron, hematocrit, and hemoglobin levels are wonderfully in the normal range every year when I have blood work done.

 

Gluten may not be your issue, but I would look at other reasons why you might be anemic. I think my doc tested my folic acid levels and B12 levels, as those can contribute to anemia. They did other tests, too, but I can't remember what they were.

 

Good luck!

[shukriyya]

Are you taking a bio-available form of iron? This is a good one :: http://www.albionferrochel.com/ Cooking in cast iron also helps to add bio-available iron to your diet. Taking your iron supplement with orange juice helps increase absorption as the vitamin c aids in carrying it through the body, same goes for iron-rich foods combined with something high in C. Dairy inhibits the absorption of iron so you might want to look at your dairy consumption. As for coffee, the research suggests limiting it and making sure one to three hours elapse between coffee consumption and iron consumption. This would support you're experience of having your numbers drop after you started taking your supplement choose to the time you have your coffee.

[Ripley]

I am anemic, too, but my vice drink is tea.

I did eliminate it for awhile, but didn't notice a significant change; nor did my hematologist ;).

So I added tea back in because I had emotional and social withdrawals. With his blessing :D.

But I significantly reduced the amount I drank.

Might you try to cut your 14-oz down to, say, 6-8 oz? Maybe less as time goes on, if you're able?

 

I've been under the care of three different hematologists over the past 20 years. Each has attributed the anemia to my cycle.

I'll have to look more carefully into the diet connection, beyond the usual iron-rich and meat stuff typically mentioned.

Thank you Hikin' Mama for that suggestion.

[fairfarmhand]

Can you get a fecal sample to see if you are losing blood in your bowel? That's frequently one way that people lose it without realizing it. If you have IBS, celiac or something else that irritates the colon, you may lose blood unknowingly.

[jenn-]

Wow, I'm having similar issues. Iron, RLS, and recently considering giving up coffee. But I don't want to!!! I'm trying half decaf. Could you work with that for your daily brew? I should track my blood levels, it's been a year.

 

I guess one of my questions, is it the caffeine or something else in the coffee and tea? 

 

I was severly anemic and the only thing that changed that was when I found out I have celiac and quit eating gluten. I wasn't drinking coffee at the time because I also had horrible diarrhea and tried everything I could not to upset my digestive system. Within two weeks of cutting the gluten, I had no more diarrhea and my iron, hematocrit, and hemoglobin levels are wonderfully in the normal range every year when I have blood work done.

 

Gluten may not be your issue, but I would look at other reasons why you might be anemic. I think my doc tested my folic acid levels and B12 levels, as those can contribute to anemia. They did other tests, too, but I can't remember what they were.

 

Good luck!

 

I don't really have any symptoms that would point to celiac, but both my older brother and younger sister have symptoms I keep telling them to get checked out.  Is there such thing as silent celiac?  Noone has really ever tried to find the root of my anemia so folic acid and B12 was not checked on the more comprehensive test from back in March.

 

Are you taking a bio-available form of iron? This is a good one :: http://www.albionferrochel.com/ Cooking in cast iron also helps to add bio-available iron to your diet. Taking your iron supplement with orange juice helps increase absorption as the vitamin c aids in carrying it through the body, same goes for iron-rich foods combined with something high in C. Dairy inhibits the absorption of iron so you might want to look at your dairy consumption. As for coffee, the research suggests limiting it and making sure one to three hours elapse between coffee consumption and iron consumption. This would support you're experience of having your numbers drop after you started taking your supplement choose to the time you have your coffee.

 

We cook everything except pasta in cast iron.  I have gotten a little lazy in my diet recently about making sure I combine iron foods with vitamin C, but I am going to make a concentrated effort.  I am dairy free.  I've always just taken the iron from Walmart.  No one has ever told me to try anything different.  I'm hoping a new doctor will take this more seriously instead of having me live with status quo.  Do you think that as long as I get up and take my iron right away (7ish), that my coffee at 930 really isn't bothering me?

 

I am anemic, too, but my vice drink is tea.

I did eliminate it for awhile, but didn't notice a significant change; nor did my hematologist ;).

So I added tea back in because I had emotional and social withdrawals. With his blessing :D.

But I significantly reduced the amount I drank.

Might you try to cut your 14-oz down to, say, 6-8 oz? Maybe less as time goes on, if you're able?

 

I've been under the care of three different hematologists over the past 20 years. Each has attributed the anemia to my cycle.

I'll have to look more carefully into the diet connection, beyond the usual iron-rich and meat stuff typically mentioned.

Thank you Hikin' Mama for that suggestion.

 

Maybe if I don't feel the right vibe from this new doctor, I will try finding a hematologist to help.  Most GPs just don't think I fall low enough to be bothered with looking for other issues.

 

Can you get a fecal sample to see if you are losing blood in your bowel? That's frequently one way that people lose it without realizing it. If you have IBS, celiac or something else that irritates the colon, you may lose blood unknowingly.

 

Eww!  No symptoms of IBS or celiac, but who knows, maybe this is the problem.  I get to spend the next two weeks playing Doctor Google and trying not to freak myself out.

[shukriyya]

We cook everything except pasta in cast iron.  I have gotten a little lazy in my diet recently about making sure I combine iron foods with vitamin C, but I am going to make a concentrated effort.  I am dairy free.  I've always just taken the iron from Walmart.  No one has ever told me to try anything different.  I'm hoping a new doctor will take this more seriously instead of having me live with status quo.  Do you think that as long as I get up and take my iron right away (7ish), that my coffee at 930 really isn't bothering me?

 

 

I would encourage you to try the item I linked. We had good results with it here. Floradix is another option though I don't have much experience with it, only that various midwives and acupuncturists like it as an effective and gentle supp.

 

Could you take your iron supp with orange juice? Or coconut water with a good amount of lime squeezed in? What is your digestive fire like at that hour of the morning? In terms of the timing between iron and coffee...that seems like an adequate amount.

[Pam in CT]

Are you taking a bio-available form of iron? This is a good one :: http://www.albionferrochel.com/ Cooking in cast iron also helps to add bio-available iron to your diet. Taking your iron supplement with orange juice helps increase absorption as the vitamin c aids in carrying it through the body, same goes for iron-rich foods combined with something high in C. Dairy inhibits the absorption of iron so you might want to look at your dairy consumption. As for coffee, the research suggests limiting it and making sure one to three hours elapse between coffee consumption and iron consumption. This would support you're experience of having your numbers drop after you started taking your supplement choose to the time you have your coffee.

 

Also chronically anemic.  

 

This is exactly what my doctor advised - take the iron supplement late in the day (hours after the last caffeine), on a full stomach, with an orange or a glass of orange juice, to help with absorption.  I have it with dinner.  No magic about taking vitamins in the morning.

[J-rap]

I wonder if it is more the caffeine kicking in at night and aggravating your RLS rather than the caffeine being the iron-absorbing culprit.  Once I was anemic, and was told I needed to take it with vitamin C in order for it to be absorbed.  I have RLS too, and during those few months while I was taking high-dose iron, I had absolutely no RLS.  But once my iron levels were back to normal, my doctor advised me to discontinue the supplement.  Ever since then, I have struggled with RLS again -- but only when I'm tired.

 

I love sipping a hot cup of coffee, and have never been able to find a substitute I like.  However, I recently discovered Matcha powdered green tea -- which is apparently lower in caffeine.  I mix it in with a hot cup of water, a little almond milk, and honey, and for some reason it satisfies my coffee craving.

 

 

[mathnerd]

I would encourage you to try the item I linked. We had good results with it here. Floradix is another option though I don't have much experience with it, only that various midwives and acupuncturists like it as an effective and gentle supp.

 

Could you take your iron supp with orange juice? Or coconut water with a good amount of lime squeezed in? What is your digestive fire like at that hour of the morning? In terms of the timing between iron and coffee...that seems like an adequate amount.

I use Floradix as it is gentle on the stomach. Floradix also has enough Vitamin C in it to help iron absorption. And most iron deficiencies go hand in hand with B12 deficiencies and this one has the daily requirement of B12 too. To the OP: you need not give up your coffee. Just drink it as early in the day as possible. The tannins in the coffee act against the iron absorption. But, if you drank the coffee in the morning and then had a couple of meals after that and then took your iron supplement at the end of the day, the coffee would not affect the iron intake.

I could see improvement in my energy levels within a week of taking this supplement. And the RLS disappeared in 3-4 days. I also drink coconut water at night to keep the electrolytes up.

[Azalea]

I take magnesium for RLS. Have you tried that? Completely solved the problem for me and also has other benefits.

[mommymilkies]

I take magnesium and iron for this and other problems.  My ferritin was 12.  No wonder I didn't feel great.  Doctors wouldn't even test it-I had to order and pay for it myself! They'd only test my RBCs.  I'm taking a multi with iron (Rainbow Light), plus ferrochel at night.  I usually eat fruit at night, so I figure the vitamin C helps.  There's no need to take it in the morning with your coffee!

[Harriet Vane]

Chronic anemia is a way of life for me and for my son. Ds has been exhaustively tested and they cannot figure out why he struggles with this. In my case, I have Ehler's Danlos syndrome but I have no idea if that affects anemia or not. (It's a new diagnosis.)

 

I feel best and sleep best when I take my iron supplement in the evening.

 

I learned years ago that caffeine is really hard on me. I don't have any scientific research to say why. I just know that I experience myriad irritating issues with caffeine, and am free of those issues without.

[Norah]

I don't really have any symptoms that would point to celiac, but both my older brother and younger sister have symptoms I keep telling them to get checked out.  Is there such thing as silent celiac?  Noone has really ever tried to find the root of my anemia so folic acid and B12 was not checked on the more comprehensive test from back in March.

 

Eww!  No symptoms of IBS or celiac, but who knows, maybe this is the problem.  I get to spend the next two weeks playing Doctor Google and trying not to freak myself out.

 

Celiac can present with a lot of other symptoms that are not at all related to the digestive system. If you think you have family members with it, it might be worth checking into. Given that malabsorption is one thing it can/does cause. Also, I've seen some recent info suggesting that non-celiac gluten intolerance can also cause some of the same symptoms. 

 

Not to say it's gluten related at all. Just wanted to put that out there. 

[jenn-]

I actually take two separate doses of iron. I've always taken the one at night, but I have added the second one first thing in the morning. I cannot drink OJ without wanting to vomit (thank you DD pregnancy), so that is not an option. I do have a large list of foods high in vitamin C that I am trying to do better at consuming with my iron foods. I will ask about switching to a different type of iron when I go in. I don't want to make too many changes at the same time or I will never know which one is truly helping. I think I will add a vitamin C pill in with the one first thing in the morning and the one at night. I usually take the second one on a fairly empty stomach because I take it right before bed.

[kitten18]

I would try the floradix and look into gluten intolerance or celiac.

 

The coffee is not the root of the problem.

[jenn-]

I would try the floradix and look into gluten intolerance or celiac.

 

The coffee is not the root of the problem.

 

It's official.  The coffee is staying until a doctor tells me otherwise.  I will remain mindful of making sure it stays spaced away from my morning iron dose though.

 

So now a new question about stuff with vitamin C.  While label reading for lunch I saw that my sriacha sauce had 25% of the DRV in just a single tsp.  What percentage am I looking for, for it to be helping?  Any amount is bound to help, but if I remember a glass of OJ is really high % wise.  Needless to say, today's lunch consisted of 4oz of bake tofu (good in both iron and protein) smothered with some sriacha sauce, some pickled okra, and some leftover freekah that had tomatoes, corn, and garbanzo beans in it.  I just have to keep up the good eating and not get lazy again.  Lunch can be hard for me to motivate to eat and I am known to call peanut butter on a rice cake a meal.

[HSmomof2]

Agreeing that you don't need to give up your coffee.....you're not drinking that much, and as long as it's spaced out from iron, it won't matter. For the vitamin C, my dr. told me to take a vit C gummy vitamin with my iron. It has 200% DV. I can't drink orange juice or any citrus juice because of reflux. This seems to be working, and my ferritin is improving (mine was at 10).

[shukriyya]

I use Floradix as it is gentle on the stomach. Floradix also has enough Vitamin C in it to help iron absorption. And most iron deficiencies go hand in hand with B12 deficiencies and this one has the daily requirement of B12 too. To the OP: you need not give up your coffee. Just drink it as early in the day as possible. The tannins in the coffee act against the iron absorption. But, if you drank the coffee in the morning and then had a couple of meals after that and then took your iron supplement at the end of the day, the coffee would not affect the iron intake.

I could see improvement in my energy levels within a week of taking this supplement. And the RLS disappeared in 3-4 days. I also drink coconut water at night to keep the electrolytes up.

 

Sorry OP to hijack your thread though perhaps the ashleysf's response might be of benefit to you?...

 

Ashley, do you find the Floradix effective at upping iron? I've recently been diagnosed with anemia and this was the suggested supplement for me to take. It seems like such a mild supplement whereas the ferrochel is as bio-available but not a whole food. Does it cause constipation issues? I'm a little put off by the reviews of the taste, too. How do you find it?

[kitten18]

Sorry OP to hijack your thread though perhaps the ashleysf's response might be of benefit to you?...

 

Ashley, do you find the Floradix effective at upping iron? I've recently been diagnosed with anemia and this was the suggested supplement for me to take. It seems like such a mild supplement whereas the ferrochel is as bio-available but not a whole food. Does it cause constipation issues? I'm a little put off by the reviews of the taste, too. How do you find it?

I took floradix for awhile. I didn't have my iron levels tested because I didn't have particularly low iron at the time.

I didn't have any problem with constipation with it, I think that's supposed to be one of the benefits of this form.

I thought the taste was fine, it's a little metallic but not horrid. I can have a pretty strong gag reflex to some meds, for example I can't take any kind of cough syrup or large multi vitamin pills.

[scwendy]

Are you taking a bio-available form of iron? This is a good one :: http://www.albionferrochel.com/ Cooking in cast iron also helps to add bio-available iron to your diet. Taking your iron supplement with orange juice helps increase absorption as the vitamin c aids in carrying it through the body, same goes for iron-rich foods combined with something high in C. Dairy inhibits the absorption of iron so you might want to look at your dairy consumption. As for coffee, the research suggests limiting it and making sure one to three hours elapse between coffee consumption and iron consumption. This would support you're experience of having your numbers drop after you started taking your supplement choose to the time you have your coffee.

I can attest to the benefits of eating iron rich foods with foods rich in Vitamin C.  I am a life long anemic (hct in the mid-20s routinely).  I never cared for supplimenting and just made do.

 

I stopped eating all animal products (flesh and fluids) over a year ago, and I started paying attention to the quality of food I was eating (whole foods, mostly plants etc).  I routinely have a green smoothy with 1-2 servings of fresh greens along with some fruit that contains a good amount of vitamin C for breakfast.  And guess what...my hct is consistently in the mid to upper 30s (for the first time on 40 years!) with no supplements, and I am a coffee drinker as well.

 

I hope you get it sorted out soon!

[mathnerd]

Sorry OP to hijack your thread though perhaps the ashleysf's response might be of benefit to you?...

 

Ashley, do you find the Floradix effective at upping iron? I've recently been diagnosed with anemia and this was the suggested supplement for me to take. It seems like such a mild supplement whereas the ferrochel is as bio-available but not a whole food. Does it cause constipation issues? I'm a little put off by the reviews of the taste, too. How do you find it?

 

Yes, Floradix was effective in upping my iron. My Ferritin level was tested after 4 months on it and it went up from borderline to 40. I took it twice a day (lunch, dinner time) 30 mins before the meal as instructed in the bottle. It is mild on the digestive system and that is one of the reasons I take it. I was taking time release tablets before this and did not like them. I am vegetarian and during that time, I was also eating iron rich vegetarian food as well.

 

It does not cause constipation at all (I am also on probiotics and that could be the reason I am not constipated?). I was recommended this brand by my doctor because it is gentle on the stomach.

It smells strongly (smell of iron) but I can tolerate it and gulp it down with a beverage or a cup of water. I would suggest that you try the smallest bottle you can find and see how you can handle the smell.

 

(My 6 year old and I both take it and no issues except the strong smell - but, most liquid iron supplements have the same strong smell as well).