r/Anemic

I've been dealing with low ferritin for the past year or so, likely due to having very heavy periods. I didn't realize my ferritin was low until I got bloodwork done through Function Health.

I had almost every symptom: brain fog, extreme exhaustion, excessive hair shedding, depression, and feeling like I could barely function. Even basic tasks like brushing my teeth or showering felt like they took all my energy.

Someone on this reddit described the brain fog as reading a page of a book and immediately forgetting what you just read. That really resonated with me.

I had been inconsistently taking Thorne iron bisglycinate around every other day, but I wasn't careful about timing it away from dairy or caffeine. When I got retested, my ferritin actually went from 26 down to 24. My symptoms were unbearable, and I didn't realize ferritin was likely a major contributor. I thought everything was hormonal.

My primary care doctor recommended I start taking iron daily. After doing more research and reading this sub (and TikTok), I learned more about lactoferrin, timing, and vitamin C.

For the past month, I was extremely consistent with my routine. Every morning at 6am, I took:

• Thorne iron bisglycinate
• Jarrow lactoferrin
• 500mg vitamin C

I took it two hours before eating or drinking coffee and was very strict about avoiding anything that could interfere with absorption. I was also incorporating more steak into my diet.

I was shocked to see my ferritin go from 24 to 90 in just one month.

The difference has been night and day. My hair shedding has decreased significantly, my mood has improved, I don't get as out of breath walking up stairs, and my gym tolerance has improved. I still feel tired sometimes, but for the first time in a long time, I feel like I actually have the capacity to function like a normal person again.

I hope this helps someone else who might be struggling with low ferritin and not realizing how much it can affect you.

A few weeks ago, I made a post about how happy I was, feeling like my life had just begun.... I received 1000 mg of Ferinject and within 4 to 5 weeks, I was a whole new person. Never in my worst nightmare would I have expected to get an extremely heavy period and have all my symptoms return right back to square one.... Can someone tell me what kind of bullshit this is ??

I have an appointment with my gynecologist on Monday. We’ll have to find a way to lighten or stop my period, and I'll have to get the IV infusion again and wait for it to kick in... That’s the best-case scenario....

The worst-case scenario is not finding any proper solution, not being able to keep iron in my body... Feeling like this for years to come, focusing only on how bad I feel physically and mentally, with no chance of achieving my goals, experiencing love, happiness, life......

I wish the people around me understood how much anemia affects my mental health. They all think im joking about the effects or push me emotionally. I just am not doing well. None of the doctors here seem to care about my anemia even when my hemoglobin went down to a 7.

Just saying. Ive seen alot of people say "I got my iron infusion and felt amazing an hour later".. but unfortunately that's just not how the science goes. I would attribute that to placebo.

It is possible to feel it quicker if your hemoglobin is normal. In a few days, you may notice a slight uptick in energy. BUT

There's a process where the body needs to process new red blood cells from the iron. This is what takes the longest and why they say full relief may not happen until 6-8 weeks.

I just want people to understand because its a shame how misinformed the whole medical community is on anemia. I just recently started dealing with this and I cant believe how long it took to get caught.

Hope everyone is well on the road to recovery 🙏

I had labs done recently and it showed im low in both. It explains my chronic fatigue but I feel like I take a lot of different supplements and vitamins, so im a little shocked. Are there ones that people recommend? And can I take more than the daily recommend dose?

The pharmacy did state that this is a five hour process. I’m going to bring my iPad with me tomorrow.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763425003732

Iron plays a key role in brain functions like energy metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis. Yet, iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Children, adolescents, and menstruating adults are particularly at risk. Even in the absence of anemia, ID can be associated with fatigue, reduced quality of life, and worsened symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ADHD

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/13/2/180

Recent work highlights the clinical relevance of non-anemic iron deficiency (NAID), defined as biochemical evidence of iron deficiency in the absence of anemia. NAID has been associated with neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms, including fatigue, anxiety, attention difficulties, and reduced quality of life, suggesting that symptomatology may emerge prior to hematologic compromise

My ferritin has been on the low end for a while and I’m confused about why it isn’t improving much even with supplementation. Here’s the trend from my bloodwork:

• 06/21/2025 — ferritin 21
• 05/28/2026 — ferritin 13 (when supplementation started)
• 07/15/2026 — ferritin 26
• 10/06/2026 — ferritin 20

I’ve been taking ferrous sulfate 325 mg every other day for months. At first it seemed to be working as my ferritin doubled over the course of two months, however unfortunately now it has gone down again.
My periods are only about 4 days long and I’d really only consider the second day heavy. I’ve also had a normal upper endoscopy in March 2025 (unrelated to the low ferritin) and tested negative for H. pylori. My other iron metrics are totally normal as well, and my most recent B12 was also high/normal at 325.
What confuses me is that my ferritin was already around 21 well over a year ago, so this seems to be a persistent issue rather than a sudden drop.

Has anyone had ferritin that just wouldn’t increase despite oral iron? Did you eventually figure out whether it was an absorption issue, menstrual blood loss, something GI-related, or something else? Is there anything specific I should ask my doctor to test? This is giving me so much anxiety so anything would be greatly appreciated🙏 thank you so much!

I have had anemia on and off for the last few years, but since having a baby over a year ago, my levels got super low again. I started taking iron + vitamin c as prescribed, and when that did nothing, I was sent in for 6 rounds of infusions. After the first round I got my period back (yay!), but it hasn’t returned since and I’m back to feeling weak, having a hard time recovering from races, and I feel dizzy when I get up. Should I follow back up with my PCP to try and figure out what to do next? I’m so exhausted 😵‍💫. Have any of you had infusions and it didn’t do much? Any advice on what to do next or labs to request?

Some context about me: I’m a mid 20s woman and I run a lot. I’ve done three 100 mile races this year, 4 marathons, 2 50ks, a 50 miler, and a few other races. So that doesn’t help.. 🫥.

Hi all,
I've recently found I have low ferritin (23) and borderline low iron due to my diet. Hemoglobin is fine. I have been seeing a doctor and working on supplementing for about a month. I recently noticed each time I stand, my heart rate shoots from 68-75ish to right around 100 (sometimes higher into the 130s or 150s) and stays around this until I sit back down.
I know this is a classic POTS symptom, and I also experience breathlessness / air hunger occasionally. Has anyone experienced anything similar with low ferritin that WASN'T POTS related?
I plan to bring this up to my doctor my next visit in 2 weeks.
Thanks!

I came to here so many times for reassurance post anaemia diagnosis and after an iron infusion referral, I feel it’s only fair to share my experience in the hope it will help others.

Had been feeling really off for a long time, hand numbness, dizzy spells, increased anxiety, hair shedding, brain fog and low energy . Dismissed a lot of it as symptoms of perimenopause/anxiety but after a full blood work up it turns out I was anaemic. Was referred to a gastroenterologist who recommended an infusion after sharing how much I was struggling with the tablets.

My phosphate levels were already borderline, on the low side pre infusion so was honestly terrified after reading so many negative experiences here. Shared my concerns with nurses and decided to go ahead with it (honestly I was feeling so low at this stage, I was willing to try anything). The infusion was administered over roughly 30 minutes + 60 minutes for observation. Again, was worried this was too quick but felt I had no choice but to trust the professionals.

Thankfully I had no immediate reactions. Felt a little tired afterwards but honestly nothing unexpected after a long and stressful morning. About 48 hours later the iron flu started. It lasted about 24 hours but felt like a regular bug, chills, mild temperature and slept a lot. Some glasses of coke and high phosphate diet for a few days definitely helped I think! After that I felt just like I did pre infusion.

And here I am,one month on. The changes have been very subtle but I’m just feeling the urge to deep clean the house (which I’ve neglected for so long because I literally couldn’t). The dust is annoying me again. I don’t feel dizzy or lightheaded when I have to get up and down quickly, the numbness is gone, there are no pools of hair left behind after me and can even run my hands though my hair without any shedding. My energy levels are still lower than they were, but hardly surprising when my fitness levels have been rock bottom for so long. But I at least have the desire/energy to do things again.

Going for follow up blood tests soon to get a better look at the full picture but wanted to share my experience so far for anyone it might help. So far, I’m so glad I went for the infusion despite my reservations. It hasn’t been an overnight transformation, the improvements have been very gradual and subtle. Still struggling with the brain fog so maybe that one is just perimenopause 🙂 But so far I have no regrets. Will update if anything changes but sharing this in the hope this might help someone with the same reservations I had and feeling grateful I was referred for the infusion in the first place.

Hi everyone, 27F, have had chronic anaemia since I was 7 years old, all genetic disorders have been ruled out

I lost approximately 6 kg in June over a relatively short period.
Around September, I started experiencing significant hair shedding. I’m losing a lot of strands when washing, brushing, and even running my hands through my hair. The shedding seems diffuse, but I’ve also noticed thinning around my part and temples, particularly at the hairline.
I’m concerned about both telogen effluvium from weight loss/stress and possible female-pattern hair loss.

My recent blood results:
Haemoglobin: 10.4 g/dL
Ferritin: 21.2 ng/mL
Transferrin saturation: 9.65%

My doctor has told me that I have malabsorption and recommended a colonoscopy, although I’m still trying to understand the suspected cause.

I haven’t tried oral iron recently, and I’m considering asking my doctor whether IV iron would be appropriate given my low iron levels and suspected absorption issues.

Questions for anyone with a similar experience:
Any steps I can take to help iron absorption from my diet?
If you had suspected malabsorption, what investigations helped identify the cause? Was a colonoscopy helpful, or did you also need an upper endoscopy or coeliac disease testing?
If you had thinning around your temples and part alongside diffuse shedding, how did you determine whether female-pattern hair loss was also present?

I saw someone here

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anemic/comments/1wy8k21/comment/pe0j6b8/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

Say that they had infed 1000mg infusion and it bumped their HB to 12.7 from ~7

Do you really need THAT MUCH iron to get a bump un your hemoglobin ?

This is going to be tmi but here goes. I am having some constipation issues and it’s making me feel my bladder. I think it’s called nocturia but when I go to bed, I am awakened by the uncomfortable sensation of my bladder. Apparently, my colon, which is full of poop, is pressing against my bladder. I sent my doctors a message today but was wondering what you guys know about this. This is due to the liquid iron I am taking every other day. What advice can you guys give me? Especially if you’ve experienced this yourself.