mommyx4 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I was having some issues with dizziness, brain fog and numbness so I went to the doctor. She blew me off as being an exhausted mom and suggested I drink more water. I knew it was more than water and asked her to check my iron levels and B12. It ended up that I was low in iron. My ferritin level is 9 and my b12 is 354. Her partner (I wouldn't deal with her anymore after this) said I was very low in iron, but my hemocratic and hemoglobin was normal. He attributed it to my heavy periods+fasting from meat products during Advent. He suggested an iron supplement and b12 supplement. I found the b12 I want to take, but am having a hard time finding the iron. He suggested ferous gluconate, but everyone I find has food coloring, etc. Do you have a suggestion for one? I have looked at iron bisglycinate as well with mixed reviews. I also looked at the MegaFoods Blood Builder as a supplement. I just feel kindof lost on which one to take, but want these issues resolved..like yesterday! (: Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx4 Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 I wanted to add that I am still nursing my 20 month old, so not sure if that will change the recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 My obgyn recommended SlowFe when I was very anemic while during my 2nd pregnancy. Not sure if that have food coloring but it did keep my iron levels decent during pregnancy and is safe to take while nursing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 It depends on how low your B12 is. Mine was significantly low so I needed to do shots 3 times a week for a few weeks, then twice a week for a while, then once a week for a while, then twice a month. When the levels were back up to normal I was given the option of switching to daily supplements or sticking with the shots. Daily supplements cannot get low levels of B12 back up to normal. Testing should also be done for intestinal problems causing the absorption problems if there's no strong genetic history. Mine's genetic. B12 helped with my anemia. I only need an iron supplement a couple times a week. Follow up tests are necessary. There are other causes of anemia, including one that requires bone marrow transplants to fix, so we needed to eliminate that as a possibility because no amount of supplements or vitamin shots can solve that. I also had a hysterectomy because the fibroids causing the heavy menstrual cycles were so big they were interfering with the draining of my ureter on my left kidney (felt like a kidney stone.) I was 41 and 16 years past having any bio kids and 9 past adopting kids. I fell so much better now just going in for a B12 shot twice a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 What was your iron level? All of your levels that you posted are very low. In order to absorb B12, your ferritin level should be around 80 or 90. Recommended B12 level should be at 500 or above (according to the book, Could it Be B12?) I'd consider taking folate also. I've been taking the Seeking Health Iron supplement. I just re-read. Ferritin level is your iron level. It should be around 80 or 90. Yours at 9 is very deficient. Folate is also needed. Did they test that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I have no idea why the text of my posts have been turning out the way they have the last few days with all the . nonsense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx4 Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 I don't know what my iron level was. He said all my other levels were normal except my ferritin and my B12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx4 Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 He did say my levels of b12 were not low enough for the shots and added that the sublingular (not sure if I'm saying that right) b12 has been shown to be just as effective as the shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I've heard good things about SlowFe as well. I just use a generic I got at the drug store. I highly recommend eating plenty of red meat, liver if you can stand it (I find it's most palatable in fajitas- a local restaurant puts it in their beef & seafood fajitas, split 50% between steak and liver, and coated in chipotle sauce, I could barely discern it), orange juice, and cooking in cast iron pans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 SlowFe worked for me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocassie Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Iron tablets make me very sick so I started making spinach smoothies - half of a banana, 4oz orange juice, half a greek yogurt, and a cup to a cup and a half of spinach. My iron levels tend to be quite low, but the smoothies have increased my iron levels better than anything else I tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I take bis-glycerinate/ferrochel. It is the only iron that I can tolerate in large amounts. I also take other meds to decrease my periods, but that wouldn't be an option if you are nursing. Make sure that in follow-up the doctor checks your iron saturation. If you don't get your iron saturation up you won't maintain a normal ferretin level over time, and therefore you won't maintain a normal hemoglobin. I only have my iron levels checked every six months, but my iron saturation is checked about every 2-3 months on average. Supplementation will continue until that level is stable. I have struggled to restore my iron saturation for almost four years now after major blood loss, so it might be a long haul depending on the reason for the anemia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I'm also having to supplement my iron due to low ferritin. I plan on using thorne - either the iron bisglycinate or the ferrabsorb. (which also contains methylcobalamin/three forms of b12. and mthf for folate.) we do have naturemade ferrous sulphate 65mg that dh used and his levels did go up. it just says natural food dyes (is specific there are no artificial dyes.) . also - the best form of b12 is methylcobalamin (subcutaneous ;p) or sublingual. eta: for straight folate supplementation - use folinic acid. it is the natural form you find in food. folic acid is 100% synthetic, and you will not find it anywhere in nature. folic acid is easily absorbed (not used) - BUT - there are a limited number of folate receptors within the cell - and if your body struggles to convert folic acid to folate - you will use up the folate receptors and still not get adequate folate you can actually use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I don't know how it would do with nursing, but Floradix Iron + herbs has been a miracle worker for me. I have struggled with chronic anemia and low ferritin for years, and Floradix has been in the only thing that really helped. Some nice WTMer suggested it in a thread, so thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I'm also having to supplement my iron due to low ferritin. I plan on using thorne - either the iron bisglycinate or the ferrabsorb. (which also contains methylcobalamin/three forms of b12. and mthf for folate.) we do have naturemade ferrous sulphate 65mg that dh used and his levels did go up. it just says natural food dyes (is specific there are no artificial dyes.) . also - the best form of b12 is methylcobalamin (subcutaneous ;p) or sublingual. I wasn't familiar with Thorne Ferrasorb, so I just ordered some to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Puritan's Pride http://www.puritan.com I also searched high and low for Ferrous Gluconate, and this is the only place I found it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I don't know how it would do with nursing, but Floradix Iron + herbs has been a miracle worker for me. I have struggled with chronic anemia and low ferritin for years, and Floradix has been in the only thing that really helped. Some nice WTMer suggested it in a thread, so thanks! :) My OB recommended this when I had anemia while pregnant because iron pills made me so sick to my stomach. It worked well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Someone already mentioned, but ferrous bis-glycinate is also what I use. I use Solgar Gentle Iron, which is free of the junk. What mixed information did you find? I'm curious, because it is, by far, my favorite iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Are you still taking prenatal vitamins? They are often recommended during breastfeeding also. I thought that Stuart's Prenatal were the ones that had the most accessible iron for me. And they did not make me constipated like pure iron pills did. They are probably not enough to bring you back from being so low, but I would suggest starting to take them daily and adding other iron sources temporarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IfIOnly Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Blood Builder worked incredibly well for me. I highly recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx4 Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 Lavender Girl is Blood Builder the one from Megafoods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IfIOnly Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Lavender Girl is Blood Builder the one from Megafoods? Yes, it brought my levels up super quick in a pregnancy which amazed my OB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IfIOnly Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Just checked and it has a 5 star rating and 336 reviews on Amazon! Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I always used Floradix during my pregnancies. During this last one we were concerned about my iron levels and platelets due to a medication I was on, so I tried a different (less expensive) iron supplement. The side effects were (OK, constipation mainly) were awful and I quickly realized that the Floradix was worth every penny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I take Alive! vitamins with Iron in addition to slow Fe and a B vitamin supplement. People will probably respond that is too much iron but I do have to take that much iron to even stay at normal levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn121 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Puritan's Pride http://www.puritan.com I also searched high and low for Ferrous Gluconate, and this is the only place I found it. i buy my on Amazon. Never mind I missed the not wanting food coloring part. Sorry OP, I had a iron level of 8 on Ferrous Sulfate supplemements. I have gotten to the normal range but only if I take the ferrous gluconate. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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