r/Anemic

Hi all,

I'm 27F from the UK and towards the end of last year, I had some blood tests done to find out why I was feeling so tired, hungry after eating, thirsty and always craving sugary drinks etc and of all my results, my folate showed I was low at 3.1 and the doctor put me on folic acid tablets for 3 months. I finished them a couple of months ago and had to go back for another blood test to see how my levels are now.

I had the blood test on Wednesday and they did a full blood count, b12 and folate. My b12 and folate are in range however my fbc showed that my haemoglobin is 117 and my red blood cell count is 3.77. Both are low on NHS standards but only by a small amount, however they've marked it as abnormal and says discuss with GP. I got my ferritin checked in end of november last year and it was at 23. Haven't ever had my iron tested though.

I was just wondering for those who have had the same or similar results, what was the process like for you after you got your results? I haven't heard from the doctor as I got the results on friday but I have an appointment at the doctors tomorrow for something unrelated so I'll ask the front desk about getting a call back from my doctor to discuss the results and everything.

Helpful conversation from a former friend that I just remembered today. Thanks, this information has fixed my anemia! /s

I’m seeing so many people having reactions or bad effects from injections. I’m terrified. Flood me with your good positive stories!!!

I’ve been dealing with what I now know is IDWA for around 10 years - since 2016, my ferritin has never been above 30, with rock-bottom being 11.

My symptoms are: fatigue, dizziness, bendy/fragile nails, excessive hair fall, anxiety, lots of headaches, brain fog, poor sleep. I’m not a good candidate for iron infusions due to an autoimmune condition, so oral supplements are my only option, and it has been HARD. Since I was diagnosed in July 2024, my ferritin has only risen from 14 to 28 as of February 2026 with uninterrupted supplementation.

I have now been on 75mg liquid iron polymaltose + vitamin C for six months and have recently added in 250mg of lactoferrin into the mix, but aside for less hair fall and fewer headaches, I honestly feel no difference. I’m due for blood tests in a few weeks and am trying to figure out whether I should prepare myself to see an abysmally low number once again, or if there is a chance that my levels are rising but I’m simply not seeing improvements yet.

For those who managed to recover from prolonged IDWA, at what ferritin levels did you start to feel less like a wreck again?

recently diagnosed super low iron + ferritin after being misdiagnosed with anxiety over and over again, i also just started weekly iron infusions i’ll be having my fourth infusion this thursday. i’m just so tired of feeling tired and super scared and lightheaded randomly for no reason all of the time and so tired of having chest pain and heart palpitations and muscle soreness and nausea and feeling my heart pound out of my chest. it’s been making me feel so depressed and upset and all i can do is cry half the time. i just want someone to tell me it’s going to be okay and i’m going to feel normal again eventually, please. it’s been so overwhelming having doctors in the er tell me everything i was feeling was in my head and acting like i was crazy and suffering for months just telling myself i was crazy before seeing a new doctor and getting diagnosed. i’m just so upset and angry and exhausted, all i want to do is cry. i recently had a baby last year who just turned one and i lament listening to the doctor i was initially seeing who told me it was stress and anxiety it just feels like a chunk of time i should’ve been spending feeling so happy and really enjoying how tiny she was and enjoying her first birthday was ripped away from me. i just felt like complete garbage physically and mentally all of the time it was so hard to be present in the moment. time i should’ve been so thrilled about and having fun overshadowed by a deficiency that could’ve been addressed months ago. i regret not advocating for myself better and letting myself be gaslit so much, it’s so infuriating and saddening especially because the initial doctor who told me i was just crazy was a woman and a mother of three at that so i just trusted her instead of listening to my body. i’m just so upset and tired.

Hi everyone,

I wonder if you experienced your exhaustion deepening after starting iron tablets? I started ferrous fumurate 3 weeks ago due to a ferritin of 23. Looking back I've had really low ferritin for a long time, for years it's been between 9 and 23 which I now realise is super low. I started getting much worse symptoms after a period of deconditioning following a hip injury - brain fog, headaches, feeling like not enough oxygen getting to my head, cognitive dysfunction etc, heart palpitations, sensory overload and not being able to do any of my normal tasks.

After 3 weeks of iron tabs, I'm now feeling a slight lifting in the cognitive issues but it's replaced by a severe exhaustion, my body especially my legs feeling like lead. So exhausted and can't do anything or if I do it's a massive task.

Would love to hear your experiences!

Just got my blood test results back, and my ferritine was 20. Everything else was regular, except that. Is it too low?

I 16 f had reaction to my first ever iron iv that I was taking in my home . After around 20 minutes of iv I got an unbearable headache , a headache so bad that I wanted to just faint or bang my head on the wall . Then I experienced severe sensory overload I couldn’t bear lights sounds and physical touch . I had to go to er . In mid journey I started vomiting non stop . When I reached er my condition got a lil better I got 3 injections and stuff now I am at home back but . I am experiencing so many things and most my concern is severe body aches which even prevent movement. Then low blood pressure despite me having postural hypertension… . I am having difficulty in eating most stuff . I am scared as hell can anyone share their experience?

I have been experienced exhaustion for a few months now but three weeks ago it got extreme, an incident at work where a collegue said to me I need professional help send me into a nervous system collapse and since then I've spiralled. After the incident I got my bloods done and it came back with ferritin 12. I realised I was experiencing RLS and since that incident it has been terrible, the week of the heatwave in uk was brutal, so I've got about 3 weeks of maybe 3 days of sleep of sleep within that. It's an exhahustion I have never experienced, crying every day, eyes in pain, I'm on 2 weeks sick leave however even though the exhaustion has subsided a bit my anxiety is through the roof now. I can get by when I'm alone okay. Tried to go for a walk yesterday and got really overwhelmed and had to come back. I am taking iron supplements but I also think I get anxiety from them, I've tried ferrous fumurate and iron biglycinate (I think this one has slightly less symptoms). School asked if I could come back to work this week but I literally feel like I would have a panic attack going back into that high sensory environment.

Before my collapse the white lights were triggering me, staff dynamics were more intense for my system. I have two weeks left of school and then 6 weeks off for summer holidays, I would love some hope and some advise on how to people navigated picking themselves back up, and success stories, and guidance.

Hey guys I recently got labs back after feeling so fatigued and tired all the time, with restless legs and my skin color changing to more of a yellowish one toned color and just looking so sickly overall . I went to my doctor finally and got my labs done and found my iron is normal but my ferritin is a 36. So my doc told me I’m very normal. But I can barely wake up in the morning people have told me I’ve aged. I look like a weird grey color, I’ve never looked like this in my life.

So I started supplement bc my doc doesn’t care for an infusion. So I did start taking some supplements with help from this sub.

Thorne advanced iron- 4 a day
Floradix- liquid iron a tbsp
Lactoferrin- one daily
And a vitamin c 500mg

All with a cup of orange juice

Also started taking beef organs to help

And eat lots of beef, and beet juice to help. To increase iron

Started this on the first week of June it’s July now

I’m not seeing much changes as of yet.

Am I doing something wrong?

I just want to be myself again

So I have been iron deficient for awhile but didn’t know and it destroyed my nervous system!! Finished my infusions 30 days ago and was having some better day but does anyone feel like hormonal drop offs prior to cycle wreck ur world with depression… I get in the worst slump .. so tired of dealing with all this .. I feel like I do pretty decent until my cycle gets ready to come and then I’m crying all the time and want to bed rot!!

Is it possible that my body is experiencing anemic symptoms even if my blood work isn’t that bad? I went to the ER two months ago, because my heart rate was so much higher than normal (for a few weeks) and I was very lighted headed and nauseous. I couldn’t even stand to do my makeup in the bathroom without it going into the 130s. Anytime I got up from sitting my heart rate shot up, and even when fully relaxed and lying down, its up 10-40 bpm from normal. I was also experiencing lots of dizziness and had to stop working out completely.

This was crazy because I’ve always had a low resting heart rate, and I was eating better, running 10ks multiple times a week with ease, and suddenly I can’t even get up off the couch.

I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart issue, and they saw some irregular beats on the heart monitor. They did an echo and also put a ZIO patch on me to monitor my heart for 2 weeks. and everything looked fine, great, even. They also did a whole long list of labs, my electrolytes are fine, blood sugar fine, lab work is all great. So I figured maybe my body doesn’t like what I’m putting in it, so I completely change my diet, remove all processed foods and sugar (was already not drinking alcohol or caffeine), and still no improvements…. So I go to my PCP because I think I may have POTS and the test reads normal, so I ask them to test my iron and for autoimmune issues. Everything comes back BASICALLY normal. My doctor thinks it’s anxiety and stress…. I have had severe panic disorder as well as GAD for my whole adult life and I KNOW my anxiety would not take me from running 10ks to being bed ridden. Running helped my anxiety, I enjoyed it, it made me feel better….

My symptoms have been

- rapid heart rate
- heart palpitations
- heart spikes when standing, moving at all
- feeling/hearing my heart beat in my ears
- dizziness, almost constantly
- feeling like I can’t breathe, never feels full or satisfying
- low energy
- anxiety through the roof/ panic attacks
- aching joints, body feels weak and fragile
- terrible bloating after most meals, constipation
- hot flashes/ terrible heat sensitivity
- throat issues (it’s not painful but I can no longer sing or speak clearly at a higher volume, just feels like my throat doesn’t work anymore)
- randomly super shaky and faint, regardless of me hydrating or eating
- I’ve always gotten purple legs from standing too long, but now it’s unbearably painful and itchy even after just a couple minutes

And also my face just looks awful. I don’t know how to explain it but I don’t look like me anymore.

It feels like I’m slowly dying from the inside out, but they’ve run so many tests and labs and apparently I’m perfectly healthy.

Does anyone relate to this? I’ve read a lot of posts on here and I relate to them UNTIL they mention their ferritin or hemoglobin and then I think “surely iron can’t be the problem if my levels are so much higher than everyone else with my same symptoms”

Any input is welcome, I’m going crazy over here!

(Also, sorry for any errors or weird blocking, I’m speed writing on my phone)

EDIT: Here are my lab numbers:

Iron - 36
Iron Sat %- 17
Ferritin - 38.8
Hemoglobin - 13
Folate - 11.2
B12 - 466
Magnesium - 1.8
Potassium - 4.7

This isn’t all they tested, but the most relevant

I have low iron again, I struggle to take the tablets they give every day as they upset my stomach.

I get really bad nausea, what forms of iron can be taken? are there any options other than the standard?

I hate basically spending every day for months feeling like I’m about to vomit.

my iron level was 9, I’ve had some heavy periods as I changed birth control and I think that’s the cause

How do y'all sleep? My sleep is so poor, I basically can't sleep at night. As soon as I get comfy and try to fall asleep, I start getting shortness of breath, chest tightness, palpitations. I can feel my heartbeat through my whole body. Sometimes my legs start shaking almost like I'm shivering. Then I start feeling anxious and as if something is seriously wrong. It seems like the same pattern of being up until around 4:30 in the morning. So frustrating, I never had a problem with sleep before this. I almost called 911 last night the palpitations were so bad. All doctors are shunning me off. I went to see a naturopath and they said I have iron deficiency and all of my levels (vitamins, electrolytes, etc) are low based on bloodwork. Told me to start taking 400mg magnesium bisglycinate and 250mg l-theanine before bed to help with sleep, and ask my doctor for a referral to get an iron infusion. I keep ice packs handy for when the palpitations won't leave me alone.

What helps you with sleep? I feel so bad because I am literally bed ridden throughout the day and can't do anything. I think I'm developing sleep anxiety because I am so worried about how I am going to feel at night. I just feel like giving up at this point 😭

After having issues with hair falling out to the point of having to shave my head, nails that bend, brain fog so bad I can no longer drive, body swelling in my legs and feet, severe body pain and stiffness in my joints, major headaches, and a plethora of other symptoms, we found out I have severe iron deficiency anemia, low ferritin, and low Vitamin D causing hyperthyroidism.

I am a bariatric patient 7 years post op, so oral supplements are not an option due to my body not absorbing them. I am waiting on approval from insurance for my first iron infusion thanks to an amazing hematologist who immediately recommended the infusion, as well as an appointment with endocrinology.

After YEARS of feeling like this, I have answers. I was not crazy and just "making up symptoms" and it "wasn't all in my head". A ferritin level of 7.4, hemoglobin of 10.8, iron of 26, saturation of 7%, RDW of 19.5, and CO2 of 17 has taken a major toll on my body. My ferritin has been below 13 for YEARS and no one ever caught on. I have to take naps during the day to function. Work has become unbearable due to pain levels and tiredness. Bariatric patients are doomed for low iron and low ferratin. Finding this out the hard way. No leaky gut, no h pylori, or gut issues.

Considering trying my hand at a channel on TikTok to raise awareness for other bariatric patients of longterm issues that can be experienced that aren't talked about enough. I went into my surgery with all the knowledge possible, but major complications this long out, I was not educated on. I'm hoping I can help other patients as well be aware of what can happen. Supplements for us are just not enough a lot of the time.

Has anyone gone through an unintentional body recomp post iron infusion? I already did incline walking/stair master and yoga/pilates prior to my iron infusion but I never really noticed any progress. I’m now around 10 weeks post infusion and i’ve noticed a lot of muscle growth and my legs/glutes are getting bigger but the scale isn’t moving. I’m also eating the same amount.

I think I’ve had low serum ferritin for years. In 2022 it was 19 but considered normal. I’ve only just started iron supplements but I’m wondering if this has been the cause for my symptoms for all this time, and wondering if anyone else has had similar symptoms.

Here we go:

Daily tension headaches. Literally every day. Worse when I wake up and around 3-5pm.

Aching trap muscles, along with the muscles around my shoulder blades. All the damn time. Worse when I’ve done anything daft like pick up my three year old. Wouldn’t dream of doing a gym class anymore, would ache and have bad headaches for days.

Fatigue. Always tired, crash/nap in particular around 2/3pm.

Awful sleeper, wake up from the smallest noise.

Awful hangovers. I’ll have a glass of wine and feel it the next day with a headache, bad taste in mouth and so much tiredness/grogginess. I’ve often joined an evening out completely sober and still felt this the next day (assume this is from an affected sleep).

Restless feet. I absolutely cannot stand having hot feet, and I need to moisturise my feet about 3x a day otherwise I get angry at how they feel (they’re not particularly dry, it’s just a sensory/nerve thing).

I think this is all for now until I remember more but I’d be so interested if other people have experienced similar!