r/Anemic

My iron is 19 and my ferritin is 3, so my doctor ordered iron infusions 3x/week. I called the infusion center yesterday and they said it will take about a week to get to my referral and won’t be able to quote me a price until then.

Anyone else self pay infusions in the US? How much were yours? Just trying to maybe gauge a ballpark figure at least.

I don’t have health insurance and won’t be able to get any until next year. The marketplace website is a joke, the cheapest I got quoted was $1400 a month for a high deductible ($18,000) plan. So, self pay for now

hello, I have been anemic for years. I used to take iron supplements, but they didn’t really do much but over the past year I developed severe OCD and health anxiety. My doctor has been begging me to try iron transfusions. I am utterly scared. I want to feel better. I’m tired of feeling so tired and cold and restless, and having horrible anxiety. However, I will deep dive and read about everybody’s bad experiences with iron transfusions, and it scares me away from getting one. But I finally told my doctor I would try one. I’m just looking to see if sometimes people forget to post the good things about them.

Sooooo, do we all just live on caffeine until our ferritin goes up??

Any strategies for dealing with the fatigue? Mine is unreal some days. For me it starts strongly around 1pm and a coffee or matcha helps me get through the work day.

Some of my fatigue might be accounted for by perimenopause hormone changes too. But my last ferritin was at a 10.

I realize my iron supplement won't absorb when I'm having caffeine so I am trying to space those out from each other by several hours. Been taking ferrous bisglycinate 25 every other day for a month now.

My dr told me that they would but I had no idea how much. I have had 2 periods since I got my infusions and the periods have been sooooo much lighter , no heavy clots or bleeding thru my clothes and sheets. They have been awful for last couple of years and she thinks that is what lead to low ferritin instead of just low iron as usual. I hope it is not just a coincidence and they stay this way until menopause . I am in perimenopause and they have been same every month until the past two. Now I will say I did have migraine this time and I usually don’t but maxalt took care of it. Anyway anyone else had this same experience / side effect?

Also adding that I have also switched to organic tampons when I even use them. I try to avoid them but I have to layer up when I leave the house .

I found out I had anemia last year and after my 1st iron infusion in May, still have not determined the cause.

My Dr of course suggested the colonoscopy / endoscopy which I’m hesitant to do.

I’m 27 and pretty healthy outside of the anemia. I don’t have heavy periods so I am struggling with how to go about finding the cause of iron deficiency.

I guess because every doctor I’ve spoken to says the chances of colon cancer or bleeding is so low, I’m feeling less than eager to have the procedure.

Im curious how other people have handled this part of the equation. Additionally how you ultimately did find the cause of the anemia?

I have anemia, the last time I checked my hb was a 10 and my ferritin was 6(this is when I was at home after trying to replenish). I am a second year college student and it is getting pretty hardd. I was always been academically stronger and got into one of the prestigious colleges but ever since I joined I have not been doing well due to my health, I barely have any energy to move, plus I have been getting pretty severe anxiety and depression. I feel like I am being my worst self.

Life is hard 🥲

Ciao, volevo chiedere un consiglio a tutti voi, la mia ragazza ha una forte carenza di B 12 tanto che ne hanno prescritto 14 iniezioni da fare una volta al giorno. Il problema è che lei ha molta paura di aghi e iniezioni, mi ha raccontata che da bambina quando faceva i vaccini iniezioni intramuscolari nel sedere la bloccavano in due altrimenti non si riusciva a farle. Cosa mi consigliate? Non so come fare. Non so come farla stare tranquilla e vorrei evitare di doverla bloccare anche io mi spezzerebbe troppo il cuore.

After feeling increasingly bad for a few weeks (dizzy, near-fainting spells, increased anxiety, etc etc the usual), I got my levels checked suspecting I was iron deficient and sure enough had a ferritin of 12. Been supplementing (65mg iron, 1000mg vit c, lactoferrin) and slowly, minutely feeling better, no longer feel like I'm going to pass out when I try to walk my dog for example. But the last three days I have been hit with a massive increase in anxiety; I'm breaking down crying for hours at a time, I can't sleep because I keep being woken up by nocturnal panic attacks, between bouts of terror, I can't do anything because I feel like a wrung out old towel. It's not due to my period or PMS hormones, my period came last week (and was actually lighter than usual, which I've seen people here post about as their levels rise, so that's nice).

I have a history of health anxiety, particularly cardiophobia, yippee, so a lot of how I'm feeling is not unfamiliar to me, but I just want to know if anyone has gone through similar six week-ish flare up of panic. I'm hoping there's a light in this tunnel coming soon :( I have my follow-up doc appointment next week to recheck my levels.

I’m otherwise healthy woman in her 30s and my libido and ability to enjoy and sustain the arousal is minimum. I have tried herbs and supplements with no effect. My hormones are otherwise well. I’m now convinced it’s my iron of 8 that is the problem.My underlying is heavy period bleeding. I’m now considering contraception to stop the period altogether. My iron infusion last me 3 months before I tank again.
I guess I’m looking for feedback if this iron challenge is affecting you in the bedroom and if there is hope. Ai says iron can affect sex but I’m just trying to get real opinions.

M30, Ferratin level is 91 ug/L.

Been dealing with more and more brain fog, fatigue and anhedonia the past few years. Was suspicious it was iron related since I don't eat a ton of red meats or grains and work a job with alot of heavy lifting, on my feet all day so I went for blood work.

91 ug/L says that atleast my ferritin stores are within normal range but RBC and CBC has been on the low end this entire time. (But still within range.)

Within a couple weeks of taking an 28mg Iron bisglycinate supplement, It's as if my brain is starting to come back online again. I've found myself wanting to go on early morning walks again and having "extra" energy to plan fun things for the future and just generally being in a better, more hopeful mood.

Is it really possible that just one iron supplement can make that much of a difference if my levels weren't critically low to begin with?

Good morning!

I’m trying to make sense of this deficiency and what direction to go in. My PCP office has continued to be less than helpful…

Lab results:
* Vitamin B12: 175 pg/mL
* Vitamin D (25-OH): 27 ng/mL
* Ferritin: 23 ng/mL
* Iron saturation: 19%
* Folate: 5.7 ng/mL
* Methylmalonic acid (MMA): normal
* Homocysteine: 11.5 µmol/L
* Intrinsic Factor: Positive
* Antiparietal Cell Antibody: Negative

My PCP did one shot of cyanocobalamin 1000mcg weekly for 4 weeks. I don’t see him again until next Friday 8/28, but I will have gone 2+ weeks without injections by then and I feel TERRIBLE (fatigue/exhaustion, internally shaky, right leg tremor, heart palpitations at times, etc.)

Current supplements:
* Vitamin D3 + K2: D3 4,000 IU daily
* Iron: Iron Bisglycinate 25 mg elemental iron w/ vit C every other day
* Methylfolate: 400mcg (plan to work up to 5mg but trying to avoid anxiety)
* Omega-3: 2 ProOmega daily
* NAC: 600 mg twice daily
* Magnesium glycinate: 300mg before bed

I just ordered Hydroxocobalamin from a compounding pharmacy to SI and plan to inject 2-3x per week for 2 weeks at least.

I have a GI consult in early September and will have an endoscopy with biopsies.

Should I be seeing hematology? I feel like my PCP is very out of touch when it comes to B12 deficiency / pernicious anemia.

Thanks in advance for any feedback and suggestions!

Editing to add:

MTHFR genetic result was:
C677T: heterozygous — one variant copy
A1298C: heterozygous — one variant copy
(Compound heterozygous MTHFR C677T/A1298C)

A few years ago I got iron infusions when my
Ferritin was 15. After the infusions I felt great, my iron went up to 125, but slowly has titrated down to 56. It was in the 100s for 3 years, 108 as early as last December. I’ve been experiencing worsening fatigue poor sleep. All my labs were “normal” but I still feel like rapid drop in half in the last 6 months is affecting my energy levels. Thoughts?

Hi so I’ve been having iron tablets for a long time now. The GP gives me tablets but they make me constipated so I take floradix now. I still feel tired no matter what. Taking iron tablets don’t help me at all. My head always hurts I always feel tired and sleepy even getting enough sleep and all my blood tests come back normal. I want to stop feeling like this all the time I can’t do anything. It’s such a struggle. If anyone has any tips on how to not be tired pls lmk 🥲

A few months ago, I wrote a post about how critically low ferritin (it was 2) led me to experience symptoms of derealization and depersonalization. I had absolutely no strength, but I kept working and spending 4 hours a day on commuting, because my financial situation didn’t allow me to quit my job. I started taking iron supplements at the end of August last year; in June, my ferritin level was 35, then I changed the medication, and now my ferritin level is 28. My condition has improved slightly, but overall, I still feel depressed. I decided to change doctors and ask for intravenous iron to be prescribed. I’m not sure yet whether it’s normal to feel constantly tired, apathetic, and generally depressed. Please share your experience, and I’d also be glad to receive any advice.

Listen, I'm still waiting to get my numbers back, but I had lab work done today.

A year ago, my ferritin level was 39. I know that's not nearly as low as other people in this group.

But I have ADHD and over the last 6+ months, my ADHD medicine has become less and less effective, I'm exhausted all of the time, I have sleep issues that either is causing the exhaustion or are potentially being exacerbated by underlying causes.

My hair dresser noticed my hair is a lot thinner than it was before, I have a pink toenail that is spooning, my arms get tired while washing my hair in the shower, my legs feel so heavy, I'm dropping partially filled boxes at work when I could carry two full boxes before, I've developed tendonitis in my wrists, a muscle under my eye was twitching for two weeks straight, my menstrual cycle has become irregular and longer, but lighter. Just loads of things that have been accumulating over the last 6-9 months and I just kept thinking it was because of my own habits and I just needed to drink more water and get more sleep. And I'm also trying to do that, but I started questioning if maybe my ferritin could have dropped more since the last time I had bloodwork done. And that my body is pulling iron from all these other places on my body so I don't fall into anemia

I brought it all up at my appointment today and I was like, I feel like this points to something thyroid or iron deficiency in nature or iron deficiency causing thyroid issues, etc. And she wrote it off so hard. She was adamant that while my ferritin was 39, "that's not low at all" and my other iron numbers were completely normal and it's impossible for that to cause any symptoms.

Of course, we'll see what my current numbers are when my results come back. But she was more keen to refer me for an MRI under the fear that it could be MS!

Iron deficiency??? No way!! But multiple sclerosis?? Maybe!!

Why are doctors so against treating something so simple such as iron deficiency? Especially if someone believes it's causing symptoms? Wouldn't it be easier to bring those numbers up and see if that improves symptoms than to jump to something as extreme as an MRI for ms?

I've been getting infusions for 13 years. I just have heavy and frequent periods. Infusions always help a ton and lately I only have to get them every year or year and a half.

But I'm feeling frustrated that it seems like nothing I do matters. When this first started I did so much research on how to eat for anemia. The tannens in tea and coffee can inhibit iron absorption so avoid those. The calcium in dairy can too so eat your meat without dairy. Have red meat and high iron veggies, etc etc etc.

It doesn't make a difference. My periods have been extremely heavy since I was 13 and continue to be. So it seems no matter what else I do, I will need infusions about once a year for the rest of my life? Or til I hit menopause I guess. Anyone else?

How are you guys surviving with ferritin levels in the single digits…

My levels are at 28 and I genuinely have never felt worse in my life. Ive basically been bed ridden for the past month and every single day is a complete struggle.

I have no energy, my body is so heavy, i’m constantly dizzy and have such bad brain fog. Not only that but my heart has been working over time and is constantly elevated.

I never realized how serious your iron levels are. Everyone just makes jokes about wanting to eat ice or having cold feet but it’s so much more than that. It’s such a serious issue.

9 weeks after my last infusion and my ferritin is now 453. Anyone else have their doc way overshoot what they need? How do you proceed if you do anything? We are planning to retest in 3-6 months, no other treatment, no supplements (obv).