Low ferritin but not anemic, supplement suggestions?

[sassenach]

Just tell me what to take, Hive. I don't have it in me to do the research. I'd prefer something gentle and non-constipating; I have a bent toward tummy troubles.

Edited April 18, 2021 by sassenach

[melmichigan]

I take a combination of Thorne Ferrasorb and Novaferrum capsules.  They are two different types.  If you are not anemic I would stick with a bisglycinate.  The polysaccharide formulations tend to target your hemoglobin, which you wouldn't need.

Edited April 18, 2021 by melmichigan

[ktgrok]

I am JUST now finding one I tolerate...taking Bariatric Advantage 30mg Iron with Vitamin C. Others I've tried either constipated me OR gave me nausea/bloating (bisglycinate). I used to tolerate bisglycinate so was super annoyed it was making me sick when I tried taking it this time. The Bariatric Advantage 30 mg chew is a form I hadn't heard of before, ferric orthophosphate. For whatever reason, this one I tolerate. (I do take their Multi EA chewable which has another 45 mg in it, which is blend of types, but that wasn't doing it as far as getting my ferritin into normal range, so they wanted me adding more)

https://www.bariatricadvantage.com/item/chocolate-raspberry-iron-chewy-bite

[Katy]

If you have a Mexican restaurant open near you, order beef fajitas takeout. They’re half liver, they have enough spices that you can’t taste it, the peppers and onions will have so much vitamin C that helps you absorb the iron that if you eat a whole order (even skipping the rice & sides this takes me at least two meals), your iron will be up to normal in hours, vs weeks of supplements.

When I’ve had severe anemia after a miscarriage I’ve done this twice in a week.  My gum color and energy were always back to normal by the time I finished the second order. 

You can also cook liver yourself, but it’s messy and gross and hard to not overcook. Also you need the onions & peppers to absorb the iron, so I’ve always found it far less frustrating to just order takeout.  Or go out to eat pre Covid. 

[ktgrok]

36 minutes ago, Katy said:

If you have a Mexican restaurant open near you, order beef fajitas takeout. They’re half liver, they have enough spices that you can’t taste it, the peppers and onions will have so much vitamin C that helps you absorb the iron that if you eat a whole order (even skipping the rice & sides this takes me at least two meals), your iron will be up to normal in hours, vs weeks of supplements.

When I’ve had severe anemia after a miscarriage I’ve done this twice in a week.  My gum color and energy were always back to normal by the time I finished the second order. 

You can also cook liver yourself, but it’s messy and gross and hard to not overcook. Also you need the onions & peppers to absorb the iron, so I’ve always found it far less frustrating to just order takeout.  Or go out to eat pre Covid. 

Or, some fried chicken or barbecue places sell fried chicken livers - I try to get them a few times a month at least. 

[wathe]

Cooking in cast iron can increase the iron content in foods by a small but measurable amount.  Especially acidic foods.

Probably not enough by itself to reverse a deficiency.   But, like many daily habits, it might make a meaningful difference over time.

[Tap]

DD who has this issue alternates between Nova Ferrum and Now brand of Iron Bisglycinate. Her favorite is Nova Ferrum. She feels the benefits fastest with it. Her naturopath wants her on iron bisglycinate though, so that is why we alternate. DD is getting ready to get her levels tested again, and if they are not high enough, we are switching to a beef liver form. 

They suspect dd has intermittent internal bleeding so she always has to take some form of iron, or her number plummet quickly. She is very prone to constipation, and the IB form is good for that. She also takes vitamin C with it. 

 

[Soror]

6 hours ago, Tap said:

DD who has this issue alternates between Nova Ferrum and Now brand of Iron Bisglycinate. 

 

I've used the Now brand of Iron Bisglycinate with great results of bringing up my ferritin quickly without any ill effects.

[KungFuPanda]

Supplements tend to make me nauseous so I often drop the ball on taking them.  If I'm feeling depleted I do things like eat smoked oysters, or cook everything in cast iron for a few days, or have cream of wheat (50% RDA iron in one serving) for breakfast a few days.   If you're low, but not full out anemic you can sometimes fix it by paying attention to packing iron into your diet.

[Tap]

15 hours ago, kand said:

Can you tell me any more about this? I'm anemic (they didn't test my ferritin for some reason, though), and have been taking iron biglycinate since I was diagnosed last Fall, and I feel like as soon as I miss taking it just a couple times, I'm really dragging again. Even with it, I still don't feel back where I used to be. I don't now anything about polysaccharide formulations, though.

This is why dd alternates daily between the two formulations. She feels perkier on the Nova Ferrum, but her ferritin numbers are better on the IB. Her hemoglobin is never high, but not critically low like her ferritin. Targeting both areas works great for her. The IB form takes longer to make a difference, but makes a longer contribution to her ferritin stores.

She hates taking pills, but she knows if she goes off for even on month her numbers plummet. She cooks in cast iron almost exclusively and is conscientious about adding iron rich foods in her diet. She eats meat and she doesn't menstruate so she isn't losing blood in the most common way for women. For some reason, she has to supplement and she has to use big amounts. This is why on this next chat with her neurologist, she wants to talk about beef liver supplemental  iron to see if that makes a difference at all. They have scanned her to look for internal bleeding when her numbers are low, but they can't find it. But they suspect her bleeding is sporadic and they may never catch it on a scan. Her hematologist can't find the cause and just says to supplement. 

[melmichigan]

15 hours ago, kand said:

Can you tell me any more about this? I'm anemic (they didn't test my ferritin for some reason, though), and have been taking iron biglycinate since I was diagnosed last Fall, and I feel like as soon as I miss taking it just a couple times, I'm really dragging again. Even with it, I still don't feel back where I used to be. I don't now anything about polysaccharide formulations, though.

I believe this was answered up thread, if not let me know. IB targets iron stores, while polysaccharide targets hemoglobin.  I also recently was changed from daily iron to both formulations, once in the morning, every other day, because of the gateway that allows iron absorption.  My numbers change faster with this change than they ever have before.  We vary the ratio dependent on my bloodwork.  That said, I take 200mg of elemental iron total, every other day.  

Edited April 18, 2021 by melmichigan

[Soror]

12 minutes ago, kand said:

I’ve been taking 25 mg of iron biglycinate chelate daily. I can’t remember what my numbers were when I started, perhaps I’m just not taking enough. I’ll be fully vaccinated in a few weeks and will go back for bloodwork at that point.

I used around 100mg daily to get mine up from 11. It was up in maybe 6 weeks. 

[sbgrace]

I use bis-glycinate--the Solgar Gentle Iron brand. It has been good for bringing up ferritin for me. I still take  just to maintain. I will have a ferritin check in May, just to see where I am.