Who has an Absolute Iron Deficiency? Ferritin of 30 and below
Questionright? iron deficiency without anemia can cause enough symptoms to make you feel horrible, I don't really get why people need to claim they're also anemic when they're not (yet).
iron deficiency is a serious issue and without any treatment will lead to anemia, take it seriously even if it's not yet anemia!
What is the line that someone needs to cross between deficient and anemic?
low hemoglobin is basically the definition of anemic. you can be anemic without iron deficiency and you can be iron deficient without being anemic. doesn't change the fact that iron deficiency is a serious condition and that it will lead to anemia sooner or later
I have had extremely low (next to nothing) iron and ferritin for way over 20 yrs…still not effecting my hemoglobin.
What are your symptoms, if you don’t mind me asking? Curious because I’m the same way.
At this point, I’m really not sure where my iron deficiency ends and my mental health begins….I have anxiety, depression, lethargy. I am hoping it will help those. I can’t shampoo my hair without my muscles tiring, have to turn my head upside down. Can’t hike uphill or downhill, my muscles just get way too tired. I’ve heard hair loss and brittle nails, I have both of those. Always cold, have that. My entire existence seems to be iron deficiency lol I will know more when I’m done with the iron infusions as to what my symptoms truly are.
Same here— anxiety. Pain. Fatigue. It’s awful. I’m always freezing. Good luck!!!
Just diagnosed last week. Hemoglobin was always fine, on the low end but not out of range. I had to fight to get the doctor to test my ferritin. It was 18--and that's after taking iron supplements daily for a few weeks, so I cringe to think of what it was before.
Anyway--if thinning eyebrows count as hair loss, then I'd put that on the list. But other than that.... just fatigue. Bone crushing, numbing, fatigue. Fatigue like you can't ever sleep enough, you're tired when you go to sleep and you're tired when you wake up and everything in between..
I love food, but sometimes I get home from work and I can't even eat, I'm so tired. Occasionally ill have a really bad weekend--maybe it's a period thing, I've never really thought about it--when everything will just hit at the same time and all I can do is one task between naps. Wake up at 12, shower, nap. Put laundry in washer, nap. Put laundry in dryer, nap again, etc.. The most depressing thing about this is that I feel like I'm sleeping my life away.
Edit to add, weight gain. Slow but steady. Perhaps some of that is from the deficiency itself but a lot of it is also due from the fact that I'm a member of the couch potato club. But how can I not be?!
I'd push for an iron infusion. My ferritin was 20 when I had mine. It had been 13. I supplemented for three months daily with no improvement. I had an iron infusion 2 months ago, and although it has not yet cured my neuropathy/restless leg syndrome, it greatly improved my mood and energy.
Thank you for clarifying!
😳
Absolute anemic here and too much iron because of blood transfusions by the way
Yes!! Not to mention, personally I’ve NEVER had a doctor run an iron panel until last year because my hemoglobin was a 6.8 and he was trying to figure out why. In retrospect and with my health history and what I’ve learned over the last year, if my doctors had been regularly running iron panels, I probably could have avoided the anemic headache (literally) because we could have fixed THAT issue before it got that far. It’s so important to know the differences so you know what questions to ask to get the proper care.
Omg I’m so sorry. I see that ALL OF THE TIME. Did you identify your cause?
Sort of. Finally landed in a GOOD hematologist who thinks I’m just a sucky absorber. He was -finally- able to get me to normal and now we have labs in April/July with a follow up appt in July (unless something else pops up) to monitor how well my body maintains the levels. It sounds like we’ll just be monitoring my iron levels forever and doing infusions as needed to keep them up to avoid anemia. Not ideal, but I’ll take it! Better than no answers at all!
I had anemia because I just wasn't absorbing any nutrients. Was diagnosed with coeliac disease shortly after.
Anemia has a ton of different causes. So if you have high iron, you simply never had iron deficiency anemia. Your anemia was a different kind because of a different cause.
I'm aware. I was diagnosed with a chronic hemolytic anemia at age 4.
Mine was at 2 but now I’m back to normal! 😊
How long did it take to get back up to a normal range and what did you use
Iron pills weren’t making a difference so I did iron infusions once a week for 6 weeks. By the 5th I was completely in the normal range around 74 I think
Did you notice any side effects to the infusions?
I did. I had uncommon side effects which were high fever and flu like symptoms the first infusions. I was prescribed prednisone the rest of the weeks to take an hour before my appointment and took Benadryl. I had no side effects after that! The nurses told me most people just have some body aches that Tylenol can help
I had those flu symptoms after my infusions too, it was horrible!
Ditto to this! Mines at a 2.3 and my Hgb is 104 (up from 96 this past summer though!). I've tried a number of pills but they all had awful side effects. Would love to know more about what you found effective!!
How are you maintaining it?
Iron deficiency anemia here. 8-11mg ferritin levels usually and my hemoglobin hovers around 8-10. And that’s with 5 months on 325mg of iron. My body does not like to absorb iron apparently lol
Usually most folks need more than the 65mgs of elemental iron that is in the 325mgs chemical compound, ferrous sulphate. And ferrous sulphate is notorious for negative side effects, you poor thing, I hope you’ve been okay!
I personally only experienced weight gain and split my pants on sulphate. Did you have side effects?
(Here’s a link for a the American Society of Hematology, where they identify that they treat most people with 2-5X their weight(kgs) in mgs. American Society of Hematology - Medicinal Iron its towards the middle of the page under “Medicinal Iron.”
If you would like help with tips on taking iron, and to see where people are learning and finally raising their ferritin levels, there is The Iron Protocol FB group. :) )
Usually most folks need more than the 65mgs of elemental iron that is in the 325mgs chemical compound, ferrous sulphate. And ferrous sulphate is notorious for negative side effects, you poor thing, I hope you’ve been okay!
What are the negative effects of ferrous sulphate?
So having undetectable Ferritin (<2) is bad, right?
I’m going in for my first iron infusion appointment next week. I hope it helps! I feel like crap.
Yes that’s awful I’m so sorry!
I have a ferritin of 1 and my doctor did not recommend IV infusion. He said take iron supplements first. My Hb was around 9.4 and he said unless it falls to less than 7..you dont need IV infusion.
User deleted comment
3.0y
If your numbers are otherwise normal and you can just supplement with iron pills, that's good news. Iron deficiency isn't rare, and your doctor has probably seen it come and go in lots of patients.
Keep an eye on your bloodwork over the years. Doctors look at trends. If you eventually develop anemia, the procedures and treatments involved are expensive and invasive. It sucks. But for now, try the pills. I hope it works out!
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3.0y
Yes and yes. Additional testing also revealed poor quality RBCs: size, color, etc. My blood wasn't doing its job and I was basically oxygen-deprived.
Iron infusions are necessary because the pills don't work for me - I have trouble absorbing iron from my diet, so pills aren't effective. Infusions are NOT fun, but I feel a lot better.
just got tested last friday, ferritin of 5. trying to explain to people in my life that this is a big deal even without anemia. 5 is kind of a big deal right? i feel fairly awful
join the iron protocol on facebook. it is a big deal :). Optimal levels are 100 or more so that you dont experience symptoms.
I see people say they aim for 100 or more but what about too much iron? Like what if supplementing to get to 100 for ferritin puts you too high for all the other iron markers like saturation and iron level?
sorry im not sure what you mean... ferritin is the safe storage of iron but how much transferrin you got in your stores will determine how much iron you can safely store... since transferrin binds to iron and drives it to the safe storage where it now becomes ferritin.
Ofc there is an unsafe amount that you can have daily which is why there are limits to dosages.... if ur concerned about overload i guess youd wanna check ur tsaturation to see how much you have left.
My saturation is at 21% and my ferritin has dropped to 24 but my hemoglobin is 13.8 so I’m afraid of supplementing to increase my ferritin but then also increasing my hemoglobin
hemo usually increases slowly even if ferritin increases and apparently normal range max is 18... i think youll be fine
What are your symptoms?
Mine is at 9 lol. Just found out a week ago. Halp!
Have you taken ferrous sulfate? Mine was at 7 and I was put on ferrous sulfate 325 mg daily for 2 months. Repeat labs after 2 months showed I was at 34.
Edited: for typo
Ferrous sulphate is actually the “worst” iron supplement, being that it’s notorious for awful side effects, consistently. I personally am one of the rare few who could tolerate it. But it’s consistently so bad that most iron deficient people who have been prescribed that end up not taking it after a while social because they don’t see much game because their doctor doesn’t tell them to double and triple the dose like they’re supposed to, but the side effects are so bad that women usually stop taking it. And they end up anemic for years because of it. When in reality there are a ton of different choices now! I take Iron Repair right now for maintenance because it’s heme iron and AWESOME. There’s also a sale going on with the code 15PreOrder on the three arrows Nutra website LOL.
This comment is so validating and I appreciate you for saying it bc it is exactly what I needed.
I am in the group of people who have been on this merry-go-round for more than a decade now bc all everyone wants to do is force feed us ferrous sulphate and call it a day, regardless of how it affects us, or of the fact that it literally only makes things worse.
I feel better in knowing that I am not alone in this🖤
You cant just supplement iron, because all 60 essential minerals work as cofactors, did you know the trace mineral copper is essential for iron absorption? Low copper causes iron deficiency .....if you take all 90 nutrients everyday...avoid all oils and glutens, things will begin to balance like it should ,your energy levels return, you feel and look better...and you drastically reduce your chances of getting chronic diseases.
That makes me feel hopeful. Mine is at a 6 and I'm due to get retested again soon after supplementing for 3 months.
I haven’t, but I read about it the other night. Thank you!
May I recommend liquid iron? Works faster and no GI issues. See Whole Foods, Floradix or Vitaminshoppe.
Floradix actually doesn’t have nearly enough mgs of iron. WOW Novaferrum has a high potency liquid that half of people are responding fabulously to. The other half of people I see on it can’t take it for very long without needing to stop because their side effects are so bad. Liquid iron has preservatives and people can have allergies to them. BTW Iron Repair is a heme iron that doesn’t have those issues. The FB Group The Iron Protocol has a ton of info on this
I disagree. Wow... really? I had a GREAT experience with liquid iron without allergies or side effects as what works for one person does not always work for others and I can share my experience in hopes of helping someone else without a sales pitch. Thank you for educating me about iron deficiency vs. Anemia.
I don’t have a sales pitch. I don’t sell anything. There’s no pettiness here. I was trying to give a heads up specifically to WOW Novaferrum. Not all liquid irons are the same, so I was not speaking to your experience with liquid iron. Floradix only has 10mgs of elemental iron in it, and most people don’t realize it’s not enough mgs of elemental iron in it to raise ferritin. I’m simply being providing information. Lots of people love liquid iron. Some people appreciate hearing about options, expectations, and experiences.
The reason Floradix and other liquid irons work so well for some people is because even though it’s low mg, it’s almost completely absorbed by the body like food, whereas a lot of supplements may NOT be absorbed due to the nature of how they’re made. A better absorbed 20mg can be better than a 325mg thats not absorbed well at all.
Edit: grammar
Floradix is iron bisglycinate. That’s not more absorbable than a polysaccharide iron complexe or a heme iron polypeptide like your numbers would be attributed to. It’s not that miraculously absorbable LOL.
Aww, a big “lol” doesn’t sit well if you’re trying to prove credibility. I see your trying to promote a group — I won’t dig more than that. Best of luck getting others to join you with that attitude. :)
U want people to join your FB page= sales pitch.
Oh, that group already has 8,000 people in it. Most people want to learn how to understand their iron deficiency, especially to learn how much is enough or not enough iron. Protocol groups are educational platforms, with actual answers. That group grows itself. And it’s free so the sales connection isn’t there. I suffered from this for over 15 years and enjoy helping others by bringing them education that makes a difference in their life. If you don’t want to learn about your iron deficiency from a protocol, no sweat off my brow. That’s your business. Most people are very grateful for resources. If you don’t want it, that’s your business. I’ll move onto helping someone else. Take care.
Thank u
Thank you I will get some. Didn’t even know it came any other way than pill form!
Mine is at 10 :/ I took oral iron supplements both they weren’t helpful. My doc recommended 2 iron IV infusions.
blood test results said i had ferritin at 7 ng/mL. how many weeks do i have to live
I have ferritin of 1 and my doctor wsnt too concerned. He said take iron supplements thats all.
doctors usually do that but alot suffer with symptoms that dont stop until they get their ferritin up to 100 plus. optimal is ferritin of 100 or more.
Most of the time I have iron deficiency, but if I don't watch it, it becomes IDA.
I would def check out the FB Group, The Iron Protocol
I’ve been as low as 2 but always struggle with my ferritin
I’m still confused!! But this helps a little. Maybe my brain isn’t working right due to one or all of the above!!
It definitely can be! Iron deficiency causes brain fog! It helps me when this is happening to read out loud :)
Thank you! My ferritin usually falls to 8 and all others within levels. No one ever explained this to me.
I became bed ridden with an 8 for over 15 years. I would definitely join The Iron Protocol FB group
Definitely anemic as per my blood test yesterday (extremely low hemoglobin, hematocrit and RBC). I've been taking iron supplement for 3 months about 6 months ago (was not able to return to my doctor because it's extremely hard to get a doctor's appointment in my country then, and because of my work), but instead of improving my condition, it made me feel even more sick for having non-stop period and extremely painful menstrual cramps. Is it possible that the cause of my anemia is not because of iron deficiency? I don't know what's my Ferritin levels atm.
Well, you could be like me. I had low ferritin for years. I also had a low hemoglobin but that was blamed on a genetic anemia. turns out I had celiac disease. No gut issues. Treated 8 years ago, I have never had to take an iron supplement or get a transfusion. Consider celiac disease testing or get checked for any GI issues that could cause malabsorption. Please do not let your doctor blame heavy menstrual cycles! It is not always that or poor diet.
Thanks a lot! I will :)
Can I ask if you had any symptoms of celiacs?
Anemia. That was it.
Did you ever solve your mineral deficiencies?
Where do I find out the percent saturation
Iron deficiency anemia.
User deleted comment
3.0y
My lowest ferritin was 2. Last measured amount (a few weeks ago) was 12. Just had another infusion, Ferreheme this time, so we’ll see.
I’ve been 8-12 for decades (ferritin). Even after taking iron twice a day for three months, which brought me to 12. Wow. Joining the iron protocol on Facebook and so so so happy I found this sub
Ferritin was at a 6 when I was diagnosed, my doctor put me on iron pills and that was it. Still feel like crap but my ferritin is 37 now so I can’t do anything about it. It sucks.
Mine is at 4 and just had my first infusion today. Also they are prescribing Accrufer. Apparently they are wanting me to get an infusion three times a week for five weeks.
This is a really good little infographic. People use the terms Anemic and Iron Deficiency so interchangeably I didn't realise they were different things. I'm iron deficient but not anemic. Still not great but I'm glad it's not anemia
Make sure to read the Guides in The Iron Protocol FB Group for the most useful and reputable information on this!
My ferritin went from 12 in December to 8 in January due to an incident. My hemoglobin is still good luckily.
The Iron Protocol FB group is really helpful for that!
Good to know. I am kinda worried it'll take a long time to get my levels up just with iron tablets. Injections/infusions are not a common option in my country at all.
Yeah usually people get in optimal ranges within about 6 months in the protocol
Is ferritin the same as your iron reserves? If so, mine is at 1. Does that make sense? Hemoglobin at 111. Not great, but could be worse.
Yes it’s the safe storage of your iron
mine was a 1 last time i got my blood tested, about to get tested again soon so hopefully its a bit higher :)
Wow! You poor thing!
Has celiac disease been ruled out? Chronically low ferritin was my only symptom of celiac disease.
I'm not sure they did blood tests for certain things and I think celiac was brought up but they didn't tell me what they tested for
You should know. Everyone should have copies of all their medical records. It can be invaluable later on! I wish you well.
yeah actually mine is at 1 too..no one recommended IV. They just asked me to take supplements. I have a 9.4 Hb. I do have some fatigue but not too many symptoms. Doc said its not serious just take iron supplements.
What is t saturation %? I don’t see that in my test results.
Ferritin 7, hemoglobin 9.6, iron 26.
Has celiac disease been ruled out? That was my only symptom. Chronically low ferritin.
Yes they tested for it when I had colonoscopy and egd.
I also have Hashimoto’s and Autoimmune Gastritis (AIG) which can also lead to iron and B-12 deficiencies. The AIG was discovered during a repeat endoscopy. I had healed from celiac disease, but I had a gastric polyp. Biopsies revealed the AIG. It seems to be in remission for now.
I hope you can figure it out. My niece‘s 4th GI finally ordered a pill camera which found Crohn’s damage beyond the Reach of both scopes And other scans. Keep advocating!
Well I’m definitely iron deficient anemia. Saw my diagnosis on my colonoscopy paperwork. I still don’t get it though. Maybe next blood work will make more sense!!
I'm a couple stages behind you, colonoscopy next to find out my iron deficienct anaemia cause. Had upper GI Endoscopy and nothing showing.
I have a ferritin of 7. Is that concerning? Sorry if it’s a stupid question.
Yes that’s an absolute iron deficiency. I would definitely look at The Iron Protocol on FB for education on it
Thank you ☺️ I think it might have gone even lower cause I started my period this morning and almost passed out 😬
Get checked for celiac disease. My low ferritin was always blamed on my menstrual cycle. But that was not true. Find the root cause.
how do you get checked for celiac?
Ask your family doctor for a simple blood test. https://www.beyondceliac.org/celiac-disease/symptoms/
I’ve gotten checked for celiac twice 😅 I have endometriosis
Thank goodness you were checked for celiac disease. I suffered for years being anemic. I hope your endometriosis resolves soon. 😊
Thank you! Unfortunately there is no known cure yet so I just have to keep pushing through. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time at this point.
They said I'm not Celiac but my low ferritin is my symptom and they settled on ncgs..I am still told to eat gf bc I get sick after, swollen hands, bleh.
Hi not celiac but my low ferritin is my symptom and they settled on ncgs, I'm dad.
Ugh I’m sorry 😣
My ferritin was 4.5 and my hemoglobin was 8.8. Supplements of Proferrin and SlowFE got me back to normal levels.
But can you sustain those levels without supplementation? I was not able to Because I could not absorb well due to undiagnosed celiac disease (and was blamed on a genetic anemia and heavy periods).
How did you find out? I had the celiac antibody blood test, and it was negative. Every time I ate anything with gluten, my stomach got upset and I’d get cystic acne. I finally cut out gluten completely about 8 months ago. I feel so much better (in terms of digestion) but I still can’t seem to absorb iron.
I had the complete celiac disease panel which includes the TTG, DGP and EMA. Most often, just the TTG test is given. But recently a study found that the TTG test is missing a lot of celiacs. I test positive to only the DGP IgA and then....some people are seronegative. A biopsy (which I had) actually confirms the diagnosis.
To complicate things, I also have autoimmune gastritis. It also can cause malabsorption of iron and b-12.
You should push for a GI consult to find your root cause. And it can be more than one issue.
My ferritin is 10, hemoglobin is 12
My ferritin is: 3
Hemoglobin: 8.9
Saturation: 5
Is hemoglobin or ferritin more important?
Hemoglobin is sort of like your immediate use iron. Ferritin is more long term stores. Both important, just slightly different.
A casual 8. Looking forward to being tested again, now I’ve had W couple of months on ferrous fumerate
Iron deficient! (Ferritin various numbers below 13 for two years).
Normal (low end) hemoglobin. But other CBC numbers off kilter a bit.
My ferritin is 5 ng, results from Friday.
Ha..I've never reached 30 ferritin...maybe I'll get out of the single digits soon...
My ferritin was 2 last month. It was five a few years ago and then 99 after an iron infusion. Now everything is low again—hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC, etc.
My ferritin is 29. Hg 13-but that was with an iron supplement. It was a weak one in a daily vitamin-but I have more than half of these symptoms. Including a recent and sudden onset of neuropathy and chest pressure. I feel bad for the people with single digits! But also wanted to chime in that even hovering around 30-i have can check off many boxes. I’m hoping to get an IV referral soon.
I just got out of the hospital yet again. Even after 2 blood transfusions I'm still only at an 8. Ferritin was a 2. My poor veins hurt so much from all the blood draws and iv lines, and especially from the iv potassium.
I just got tested yesterday and mine is 7 : \
ferritin of 3 :) up from 1 in about 2 months.
Just got diagnosed anemic today, I’m low across the board with 88 (8.2) hemoglobin and a 9 ferritin.
Iron 15, HGB 9. That’s while taking 2 prescription iron a day and vitamin C with them for over a year. I feel like absolute crap. Hair is falling out, can’t exert myself without passing out. Bending over makes me almost pass out too. Have PVCs. GYN in a couple days, so ready to evict this uterus.
I think I have complete Iron Deficiency Anemia.
When I was hospitalized two weeks ago, my hemoglobin tested at 5.4. My RBCs were low. My ferritin was 2.2.
Ferritin hasn't been retested, but my most recent labwork showed hemoglobin at 8.1. I'm sure it will take a long time of daily supplements to build up from that 2.2 baseline.
User deleted comment
2.4y
I've had two transfusions and an infusion. I had 11+ doctors on my case.
Ferritin is 12 and HB is 11.2 - my lab puts this as low hb, but I know labs vary with their ranges 🤷♀️ not sure where this puts me tbh
I have never checked before, found out today that my ferritin level is 3 :( in an instance I felt how damn tired I was. It’s as if having three kids an working full time has kept me from fully realizing.
Absolute iron deficiency here. My ferritin is below 6 and always was since my childhood. I juste found out that’s not normal. My doctor always said to just take iron pills for ever and that’s it.
So my ferritin was 3 last year after a 7 hour major orthopedic surgery with a lot of blood loss. It got to 29.9 with supplements after 3 months so my GP told me I should cancel my hematologist appointment I had waited 3 months for (for an infusion). My hair started shedding again recently so I had it checked and it’s down to 18 now. GP insists I’m normal despite it dropping from last year and told me to eat more iron rich foods. The receptionist at the doctors office wouldn’t even let me talk to the doctor about it because I’m “within the normal range”. I feel like I’m being gaslighted by the receptionist. She made me feel so stupid for being concerned. Should I accept this as being normal? I don’t want to bother my doctor about it but I know it will keep dropping if I don’t supplement. I feel anxious about it and no one will hear my concerns.
Hello
I got these results Hemoglobine - 10 Hematocrit - 33 Iron - 17 Ferritine - 8 Transferrin - 4,19 while normal should be between 2 and 3.6 Transferrin saturatie - 3
Is this normal? Will iron pills help me? Doctor prescribed me iron sulfaat 525 mg but it made my urin very orange/red colour so i stopped taking it after 4 days because i got scared. The blood was taken by my GP...to what specialist should i go to ask for a different pills?
That’s a clinical “absolute iron deficiency!” Read the Guides in The Iron Protocol FB Group for all of those answers!
I feel like I’m going insane trying to get help. My ferritin came back 6.4 when under 15 is bad. I got told to take 2 ferrous gluconate a day… but for gods sake the entire time I’ve been taking it my stools have been LOOSE. Can someone fuckin help me?!
Yes! The information in The Iron Protocol FB group Guides will help with all of that!
I have all 3.... i have had them my wholeee life o have had 3 blood transfusions so this time we also did venofer but i went into anaphylactic shock ended up in the e.r less than 10 min after the infusion. Now the did injectofer in 20pmg dosis butttt since friday during my infusion i have had horrible chest pressure and pain. Went to the e.r and they say everything is ok and they dont know whats going on nor how to help me..... i feel like im breathing threw a straw and my heart rate goes from 80 to 100 while doing nothing. Im tired this sucks and i still have 5 weeks of infusions to go. And a long life of problems.
My ferritin dropped all the way from 13 to a 3 after a severe cold.
31 male Ferritin 141.4 ug/l normal TIBC Iron 7.89 umol/l (low) Saturation 15% (low) Unstaurated and saturated binding capacity normal
My red blood cell count / hemoglobin is normal. My doctor doesn't seem interested in investigating it or isn't concerned. Does this seem like it warrants further investigation?
My ferritin is 2, WBC is low, hemoglobin low, hemacrit low, but my doctor is confused by the fact that i have no periods (take visanne to remove them because they were so painful) and am still very low in everything despite no blood loss. But i have high b12? I'm so glad I found this subreddit. I can't wait to read through everything! Just started 600mg of ferrous fumarate and hope to see improvement!
1 missing reply
You don't even want to know how good it is to post this little infographic. People are on here saying they're anemic as hecc when in reality it's only an iron deficiency. It's good that people know the difference so they can better describe what is wrong with them, so that we can better help each other.