I had a blood test done finally for my fatigue and got told what was low.
The finding were I had low ferritin but normal iron. Low vitamin D.
Was told to eat red meat which I don’t like and take some iron supplements.
I’m wondering how I can have low ferritin but normal iron levels. Will iron supplements even work?
I can’t absorb vitamin D from the sun so I will take supplements.
Why can't ferritin levels be low if you have normal iron?
It's like saying I came out of a buffet feeling tired…?
My iron level is normal, but my ferritin level is low. Why is that?
The development of iron deficiency anemia is a gradual process. If your body is not taking in enough iron, your body first uses the iron that is stored in tissues (i.e., ferritin) and blood levels of ferritin will begin to decrease. If not corrected, the stored iron begins to be depleted as it is used in the production of red blood cells. In the early stages of iron-deficiency, blood levels of iron can be normal while stored iron, and therefore ferritin levels, will begin to decrease.
https://labtestsonline.org/tests/ferritin
Everyone's body uptake of nutrients from supplements is different. Works for some people, maybe not so much for others. You'll have to try for a while and retest.
Fish, mushrooms and eggs are good sources of Vit D if you're not inclined with red meat.
Leave the mushrooms out in the sun for 10 minutes before cooking apparently increases their Vit D content.
ask to check for b12 .
Normal level of B12
I was given a prescription of 50000IU Vitamin D (1 tablet / month, purchased at compounding chemist) to correct my levels. The 1000IU pills did nothing for me over the years.
About 6 months ago was also administered 2x doses of Ferinject, to address a long running Fe deficiency.
Once a month or once a week?
Once a month for the 50k Vitamin D.
OK. Normally they are one /week. BUT DO NOT LISTEN TO ME. Maybe double check with your GP?
I can never get my vitamin D to a normal level. Strange my GP never mentioned there was an injection for it.
Were you also experiencing fatigue?
Do you know what your ferritin level was? I’m having an IV iron infusion tomorrow because my ferritin is 8 against a reference range of 30-200. GP said I could take tablets but it would take months to get it up to where it should be. The infusion should have me feeling better in a couple of weeks. It’s not cheap (prescription was about $40 and the procedure is $150) but should be worth it.
Mine is 18 against the same range.
Do you have severe fatigue?
@Veebee88: Mine was 9, I was tired, unable to run and losing hair. I went to multiple doctors and they just kept putting me iron treatments (but no followup). Eventually, I thought it was just part of the ageing process.
5 years later I met a new doctor who once again diagnosed me with anaemia and put me on another iron treatment, but not only that, they went above and beyond to find out why it kept happening and addressed the root cause. For the first time in many years I learn that I am not lazy, fat and can run for a really long time without all the huffing and puffing, and you shouldn't blackout from squatting. Like many have suggested, you should try and address the root cause of your low ferritin (if it's not diet related).
@Banana: Lucky you found a decent GP, I’m struggling to find anyone who cares besides telling me to take more supplements.
All these years I’ve just considered my self to be lazy/low energy person.
@Veebee88: Yep, very tired and worn out - but I work full time in a job that’s getting more difficult and have two teenagers and three pets, so some tiredness is probably from those factors.
Edited to add: not sure if you’re female or male, but women are more likely to be low in iron because of menstruation. It may be worth checking for coeliac disease too - it can present with few/no obvious symptoms but an untreated coeliac won’t absorb nutrients such as iron properly. Definitely look at your diet (I’m vegetarian too), and maybe talk to your GP or a pharmacist about whether you would absorb liquid iron more quickly than tablet form. Spatone and Floradix are two brands I know, but there are several available at pharmacies.
Do what your specialist (haematologist, I assume?) says.
That's what you pay for, unless you reckon that we OzB types know better.
That DrOz guy, he is rich. lol
Some people prefer to self diagnose… like those OPs thinks medical news on facebook and tiktok is legit.
I go to the blood bank regularly - haemoglobin fine Have the odd blood test. Had one a few years ago which in ferritin was measured for the first time and it was through the floor - I has aspirations of being anaemic. Had lots of tests to try and determine the cause. No idea. Doctor was looking at me as if I’d keel over at any moment. At the time I was playing basketball once a week and running/gymming 3 times a week. Did have an infusion and now my numbers are ok. Hmmm….
The cause of the low ferritin probably due to donating blood regularly. Iron is needed to make new red blood cells.
Like it says above, iron deficiency anemia is a gradual process. First your ferritin will drop, this is your iron stores. When that is depleted, then your iron levels drop. Finally, your haemoglobin drops after that.
Depleted iron stores (ie: low ferritin) = low iron = insufficient iron to make new red blood cells = iron deficiency anemia
i don't eat much red meat. last time i had an iron study my ferritin was low normal. haemoglobin was normal and has never really dipped over the last decade. since then i take a multivitamin containing iron + zinc. i also suggest a b12 supplement
Opposite of me, I have high ferritin and was told to not eat red meat… I don’t like that idea.
Is it because of haemochromatosis? If so, this may be an alternative: https://www.donateblood.com.au/faq/high-iron
Yes and unable too
I’d love to donate blood, instead I have to pay to have the shit removed, you would be surprised how hard it is to find a clinic to do it.
Iron deficiency is a sign of something being wrong, but ‘iron deficiency’ is not itself a complete diagnosis. It is important to establish the cause for the iron deficiency. Sometimes it’s as simple as not enough iron intake with too much iron being lost from normal processes e.g. normal menstruation. Sometimes it’s a sign that these processes are not working properly (e.g. heavy menstrual bleeding - which then needs investigating itself). Sometimes it’s a result of poor absorption (e.g. coeliac disease - which should always be checked in people with iron deficiency). Sometimes it’s a sign of blood loss that people aren’t aware of (e.g. bowel cancer). People might mean well when they advise ways of topping up iron levels, but again, it is very important that the cause of the deficiency is established. Anyone reading with a similar issue, please discuss this with your GP
I want to support the recommendations made by @bobkin here. There is a reason for your low ferritin levels and you definitely want to try and find out what that is. Of course, the reason may not be identified but you don't want to ignore warning signs (bowel cancer comes to mind). Listen to your doctor!
Ferritin is iron stored in a storage protein == your savings in your bank
Transferrin is iron stored in a transport protein == money in your wallet
Iron is unbound iron == loose change in your pocket
This is why doctors tend to look at all 3 values. You can't judge if someone is rich or poor from the amount of loose change in their pockets.
Iron deficiency anaemia can have many causes, some benign and some quite dangerous so it's best to have a proper workup with your GP!
what ferritin number are we talking here?
Mine was 9, is that bad?
yes, its nearly outside the bottom of the range (which is rediculously huge and usually starts at 5 or so)
The range starts at 30 so 9 is very low
I think the rest of the posts here are really good, so this is definitely not an alternative to any of the suggestions here. Just an Ozb'er way to maybe save some money. I bought these for $44 delivered about 2 years ago: Bio Tech Pharmacal, Inc, D3-50, Cholecalciferol, 100 Capsules - 1,250 mcg (50,000 IU). No script, no expensive compounding chemist. I have no idea if they are the the ones anyone else might need. I take one every 3 months. I also take B12 - but sublingual as I don't absorb it well from normal tablets. My levels of D and B12 are now in the 'OK' range and I think I 'recover' faster from minor strains and minor fatigue better.
Although your symptoms (tiredness/fatigue) might be the same as everyone else, the cause may be different. OP's seem to be due to low Iron levels (ferritin).
D3 or B12 will not help with that.
This highly demonstrates why prescription medications are kept as prescription only: uninformed people recommending medication to others with similar symptoms but with totally different causes. (Among a whole lot of other reasons of course!)
Welcome to life's mysteries!
Just like you, my iron level was normal but my ferritin was low, I was at 6 in Oct last year. 30 is considered low. Right now I am 158.
No reason has been found for it, I've had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to check for bleeds as that's one of the common reasons for men. Everything was found to be good.
I was taking iron tablets 3x a day in the start and after a month I managed to get to 13 from 6. All the while feeling like utter shit as you may know…and the constipation from the tablets doesn't help.
My GP didn't mention iron infusions at all, I found out about them from the blood sample lady after we basically became friends since she was taking my blood every week for some weeks.
I opted for IV as my research suggested it's safer than injections. It cost me $150 all up (private place, Brisbane) and had no bad reactions to it. It was the best thing I did about this, it was the only thing that would work quickly as absorption via gut is crap anyway.
I felt like shit for about 4 weeks after the infusion, even had a fever after 2 days but that's normal. My body was like WTF do I do with this much iron?!?! It takes time but I am back to normal.
My diet is better, I don't like red meat either but I'll happily eat 10 cows rather than go back to having low iron. Shit is terrible!
If you take iron tablets, don't have milk etc a couple of hours either side (blocks your gut from absorbing iron), and take vit C with it as it will help absorb iron.
Good luck!
I’m having an iron infusion today - hoping I don’t get a fever then feel like shit for four weeks too!
I hope it went well!
Most you should have is a slight fever for a day, headache, dizziness and of course nausea. Not to bad but it was always there.
Thanks! I actually feel completely normal so far. Just more tired than usual last night, which I guess may or may not have been related. Fingers crossed.
@Veebee88: I spoke too soon - muscle aches, low fever and headache hit last night. Should last only a few days though. Iron from an infusion lasts for ages so it should be worth it.
Supplements can be useless unless taken with food which helps the body absorb them. On their own they can just pass through.
Yes, as many have stated, ferritin can be very low despite Hb/haemoglobin being normal value. It is Iron Deficiency Anaemia that you have, and the Iron infusion, which may need a repeat infusion pending blood test results post first infusion.
This is the fastest means to correct the low ferritin and your symptoms of extreme tiredness etc. Eating a steak per day could take months and still might not fix things adequately. It may also be recommended to have deep IM/intramuscular Iron injections, supplementary to the infusion, but pending your body response to the infusion.
Its very much the correct way of managing things to have the infusion. Hope this assists in some way.
VeeBee
Iron is available iron which can be impacted by supplements or food you ate before getting tested. The key is ferritin levels as this is storage of iron! Many ways to increase your iron without eating red meat, so many factors impact your iron levels. Check out this podcast which goes into more detail https://anchor.fm/mihaela-raguz/episodes/140-Low-Iron---What… or Google The Natural Health Podcast episode 140 low iron What Would I do.
I hope this helps 💚
Thanks that makes sense
As always discuss with a GP or other relevant health professional, but I have found Maltofer (pharmacist only) to be an excellent iron supplement, yet quite expensive. I didn’t get the nausea or constipation many others talk about with other iron supplements. I’ve also had an iron infusion when pregnant that helped a lot - via specialist referral of course.
Salmon, chicken, sardines, pork, turkey are all reasonable sources of haem iron too, which is easier to absorb than non-haem from grains and veggies.
I hope you get to the bottom of what you need and start feeling better soon.
It is the red blood cells that you need to produce. Your lack of energy relates to not enough oxygen circulating about the body.
You need oxygen for energy.
Yes, buy Iron tablets, and VD.
But, also, go to your pharmacy and buy Vitamins B12, vials. Inject this into your tummy fat.
B12 will produce red blood cells which transport oxygen throughout the body.
The vials are only about $5. You can do it, or the pharmacy may inject it for you.
They last for about three months.
You will feel a million bucks.
Don't forget…. it is OXYGEN they are all talking about
My B12 levels are in the normal range so it can’t be that issue
Couple of points.
Vitamin C helps iron absorption.
Magnesium helps Vitamin D metabolism.
Iron and Magnesium may interfere with each others absorption. Take them separately.
Vitamin D is fat soluble, and best taken with a 'fatty' meal.
Also bacterial infections love iron. It may explain why some people end up with a fever.
Eat healthy food!
Vitamin D3 1000IU?