high iron levels??

[morningstar]

Hi everyone,

I've been taking ferrous gluconate and B12 once a day for years, as I have been diagnosed multiple times with borderline anemia and low iron and B12 levels. I was recently told by my doctor in a mailed letter that a recent blood test had come back with low iron levels (she didn't say how low), even though I've been taking the ferrous gluconate, and to take iron three times a day instead of the one time a day I was doing. The low iron level could explain a number of the issues I've been experiencing: low blood pressure, fast heart rate, dizziness and light-headedness, low energy, etc.

So for the past 4 days or so I have been taking iron 3 times a day and increased my B12 too, as B12 is an issue for anemia as well. I've since been feeling really icky - like a cold is coming on, blood sugar fluctuations, muscle aches and headachy.

My question is, does anyone know the symptoms of someone with iron or B12 levels that are too high? I know that iron levels that are too high can be dangerous, but I'm not sure how that manifests itself or what the specific danger is. I don't want to overdose, especially as I'm not sure if my iron levels were just a little low, or a lot low. I have a physical with my doctor in early November, and I will ask her these questions then, but I'm hoping someone might have some answers before that.

Thanks!

 

[Beavs]

So for the past 4 days or so I have been taking iron 3 times a day and increased my B12 too, as B12 is an issue for anemia as well. I've since been feeling really icky - like a cold is coming on, blood sugar fluctuations, muscle aches and headachy.

My question is, does anyone know the symptoms of someone with iron or B12 levels that are too high? I know that iron levels that are too high can be dangerous, but I'm not sure how that manifests itself or what the specific danger is. I don't want to overdose, especially as I'm not sure if my iron levels were just a little low, or a lot low. I have a physical with my doctor in early November, and I will ask her these questions then, but I'm hoping someone might have some answers before that.

Thanks!

This is really a question for your doctor and I would not wait until your November appointment. Call and ask to speak with a nurse so that you can get answers from a qualified professional that knows your medical history.....and good luck. Feeling crappy is well....crappy.

 

[morningstar]

Nonetheless, I am hoping for some response from our wonderful Cathe members.

 

[ellesan]

Hi, first off, did your doctor to tell you to increase your iron that much or did you just do it on your own? I'd check with your doc before taking that much iron for sure. It could have major negative effects on your GI system and the rest of your body. There's different iron supplements that don't effect the stomach lining as much (slow Fe) for example. I take a lot of B12 and have never had bad side effects, and in researching it can't seem to find any studies that show any type of overdose from too much B12, but iron is different.

Here's one bit of info I found, and there's more similar:

The first effect of iron overdose is irritation and ulceration of the stomach lining. Which in turn can results in nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting after around 20 minutes of ingestion. When too much iron gets into the bloodstream, it goes to all the organs and can damage the stomach, liver, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels and brain.

When it comes to supplements, more is not always better. Take care of you!

 

[TeTe]

Google is a wonderful thing.

 

[pixiesis]

Too much iron is toxic, while borderline low iron never killed anyone. I'd stop taking the iron now if I were you. Being anemic does not necessarily mean that iron is low, some people are anemic and have iron overload, so taking iron to cure anemia can be a mistake. I think you need some extensive bloodwork to determine that cause of your anemia and whether or not you should be taking iron.

http://vitamins-minerals.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_effects_of_too_much_iron_in_the_diet

 

[dorothyrd]

Also, being deficient in some of the B vitamins can appear to be iron deficiency so that could be going on as well. I will check my nutrition textbooks to find what I can about iron UL toxicity, but talking to your doctor and a nutritionist would be a good thing.

 

[buffettgirl]

Nonetheless, I am hoping for some response from our wonderful Cathe members.

Just curious - why? Does the Cathe Nation have more info than your doctor?

I've seen lots of people posting medical questions here that really need to be discussed with a medical professional. It worries me that people may be getting the wrong info or misdiagnosing a potentially serious problem....

 

[hiitdogs]

Just curious - why? Does the Cathe Nation have more info than your doctor?

I've seen lots of people posting medical questions here that really need to be discussed with a medical professional. It worries me that people may be getting the wrong info or misdiagnosing a potentially serious problem....

I don't think there is any harm in discussing medical issues before going to consult a medical professional as long as people understand that they shouldn't self diagnose and they should discuss any of their health issues with a doctor or nurse.

I find that most conventional docs don't have much time and by asking questions and doing your own research before meeting the doctor cuts down on a lot of discovery time during the visit, decreases the "darn it, I should have asked ....." incidents and makes the meeting with the doc more productive because you come prepared and know what questions to ask.

I agree with your original point though that people shouldn't meddle around on their own exclusively.

 

[dorothyrd]

There are quite a few people on these boards, and some may have dealt with the same issue. If you can save steps when going to the doctor, educating yourself is the way to go.

The iron consequences of overdose is short and really does not sound like you.
Hemochromatosis(iron poisoning)
Vomiting, abdominal pain
Blue coloration of skin
liver and heart damage, diabetes
decreased zinc absortion
atherosclerosis(plaque buildup) in older adults.

 

[morningstar]

Hi, first off, did your doctor to tell you to increase your iron that much or did you just do it on your own? I'd check with your doc before taking that much iron for sure. It could have major negative effects on your GI system and the rest of your body. There's different iron supplements that don't effect the stomach lining as much (slow Fe) for example. I take a lot of B12 and have never had bad side effects, and in researching it can't seem to find any studies that show any type of overdose from too much B12, but iron is different.

Here's one bit of info I found, and there's more similar:

The first effect of iron overdose is irritation and ulceration of the stomach lining. Which in turn can results in nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting after around 20 minutes of ingestion. When too much iron gets into the bloodstream, it goes to all the organs and can damage the stomach, liver, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels and brain.

When it comes to supplements, more is not always better. Take care of you!

She did tell me to take that much iron. Thank you so much for the info- that's what I was looking for.

 

[morningstar]

There are quite a few people on these boards, and some may have dealt with the same issue. If you can save steps when going to the doctor, educating yourself is the way to go.

The iron consequences of overdose is short and really does not sound like you.
Hemochromatosis(iron poisoning)
Vomiting, abdominal pain
Blue coloration of skin
liver and heart damage, diabetes
decreased zinc absortion
atherosclerosis(plaque buildup) in older adults.

Thank you so much, you're right that this doesn't sound like me.

 

[pixiesis]

Another quote, with some other symptoms...I noticed you talked about your heart rate...

Symptoms of iron overload are gastric pain, hair loss, irregular heart beat, joint pain, frequent infections, fatigue, skin discoloration, and elevated liver enzymes. If iron overload or anemia is suspected, a doctor should do a blood test before treatment. People should never take an iron supplement unless it is recommended by a doctor after a blood test has occurred. Serious consequences can occur if iron overload is mistaken for anemia and the person consumes more iron.

Read more: http://vitamins-minerals.suite101.c...ts_of_too_much_iron_in_the_diet#ixzz0UmgpNgTF
​

 

[morningstar]

Another quote, with some other symptoms...I noticed you talked about your heart rate...

Symptoms of iron overload are gastric pain, hair loss, irregular heart beat, joint pain, frequent infections, fatigue, skin discoloration, and elevated liver enzymes. If iron overload or anemia is suspected, a doctor should do a blood test before treatment. People should never take an iron supplement unless it is recommended by a doctor after a blood test has occurred. Serious consequences can occur if iron overload is mistaken for anemia and the person consumes more iron.

Read more: http://vitamins-minerals.suite101.c...ts_of_too_much_iron_in_the_diet#ixzz0UmgpNgTF
​

My blood tests apparently showed low iron levels. My doctor did not mention anemia - just me!

 

[pixiesis]

My blood tests apparently showed low iron levels. My doctor did not mention anemia - just me!

Have I offended you?

My dad was diagnosed with low iron and told to take iron pills by his doctor. After a colonoscopy, they ruled out major problems (bleeding due to cancer) and attributed it to a major back surgery he had a year previous, before which he gave 4 units of blood in case he'd need a transfusion. He didn't get any blood though for the surgery, so it turned out he just lost a LOT of blood, first with the 4 units, then the surgery. He is also a vegetarian, which normally isn't an issue, but when someone has lost a lot of blood and then doesn't get a lot of iron from diet, it can exacerbate things.

Long story not-so-short, he was told NOT to take iron supplements after all. Had he followed their original recommendations and taken the iron, he could have wound up with iron overload. This is because of how the liver stores and releases iron. Iron is not excreted (unless you bleed) and he gets sufficient iron through his diet, it just takes time for the iron in his liver to restore the iron in his blood. Through diet he will safely restore his iron levels.

I know this is not your situation, but it goes to show that taking iron due to low blood levels of iron, or anemia, is not necessarily the right thing to do. I'm not saying you don't need iron pills, but I do think you and your doctor should discuss it, especially with you taking so much and experiencing problems after upping your dosage.

 

[morningstar]

Have I offended you?

My dad was diagnosed with low iron and told to take iron pills by his doctor. After a colonoscopy, they ruled out major problems (bleeding due to cancer) and attributed it to a major back surgery he had a year previous, before which he gave 4 units of blood in case he'd need a transfusion. He didn't get any blood though for the surgery, so it turned out he just lost a LOT of blood, first with the 4 units, then the surgery. He is also a vegetarian, which normally isn't an issue, but when someone has lost a lot of blood and then doesn't get a lot of iron from diet, it can exacerbate things.

Long story not-so-short, he was told NOT to take iron supplements after all. Had he followed their original recommendations and taken the iron, he could have wound up with iron overload. This is because of how the liver stores and releases iron. Iron is not excreted (unless you bleed) and he gets sufficient iron through his diet, it just takes time for the iron in his liver to restore the iron in his blood. Through diet he will safely restore his iron levels.

I know this is not your situation, but it goes to show that taking iron due to low blood levels of iron, or anemia, is not necessarily the right thing to do. I'm not saying you don't need iron pills, but I do think you and your doctor should discuss it, especially with you taking so much and experiencing problems after upping your dosage.

I wasn't offended at all!! I appreciate the information, I was just trying to clarify the situation.

 

[DirtDiva]

My blood tests apparently showed low iron levels. My doctor did not mention anemia - just me!

Have your doc order a Ferritin test instead of Hemoglobin test. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ferritin/test.html

Some symptoms I had - If I stood up quickly I would become light-headed, I had heart palpitations, suffered when it got slightly cold outside, lacked endurance, began shedding hair, paler then usual skin, bad memory. My Ferritin score came back a paltry 4 and I was prescribed 325 mg of iron a day compared to the 18 women have in their multi-vitamin. Even when you take a honking pill like that, your body utilizes 65 or so mg of iron because of absorption rates. A very good iron supplement is Ferrochel Iron Bisglycinate, this never bothered my stomach.

If you can afford this iron supplement (Floridix) I would check it out. When I got my levels higher, I switched to this and still take a swig of it before a hellish amount of mountainbiking. Amazing stuff, it needs to be refrigerated after opening. http://www.amazon.com/Flora-Floradix-Iron-Herbs-liquid/dp/B000R15O5S

 

[mamads]

When I was a little girl I was anemic and had to eat lots of liver. My mom fried the best liver and onions but I've never been able to cook them like she did. I do cook in cast iron pans as much as I can because you get a lot of iron from cooking in them. I have really good blood now. They love to see me at the Red Cross and get some more of it.

 

[dorothyrd]

Taking vitamin C with the iron helps absorption rates.

 

[Sunshine1528]

In the past I have passed out from standing up too quickly and been unable to donate blood as the "nurse taking the blood" told me after doing the finger prick that my levels were too low.

I also have low blood pressure and at times it causes my to feel light headed or to lose my sight when I stand up too fast, especially from a prone position.

When I feel like this I dislike taking iron pills because they mess with my "regularity" so up my intake of beef, will eat raisins and other sources of food that are higher in iron. Perhaps you could try that too?

However, as others have said, finding out from your doc what is going on is definitely the best. And if you don't agree for some reason after researching and asking questions, don't think twice about getting a second opinion. (I think I would be worried about too much or that taking 325 mg may not all be absorbing into my system anyway?)