How to increase Ferritn Level?

Does our Ferritin level automatically go higher if our Iron level does?

Usually both will go up if you take more iron.  And taking more iron is the only way to increase your ferritin level (at least that I know of).

Thanks Kelly, my Dr. would like my Ferritin to be higher then 68.

Iron is 77

I'd like my iron to be higher than 77.  Although I'd love my ferritin to be 68 again.  Once upon a time it was.  I think it was 30-something last time I had labs done.  Which was an improvement, but I'd like it to be higher.

So anyway, it looks like taking more iron might be good for you.  Did your doc suggest increasing your iron?

Yes, my Dr. has increased me back to 300 mgs of Carbonyl Iron along with 2000 mgs of Vitamin C.

Last year when my Iron dropped to 7 and Ferritin to 11....(partly due to me mis-reading the Iron label dosing amount..., and my Emergency Surgery ..., I went on 300 mgs , he had me lower it to 150 mg at my 6 month check up , my Iron was 102 and Ferritin was at 68 as it is now.  I wish I had asked him then if I could go another 6 months before dropping to 150.

Kelly, what is your Ferritin now and how did it drop so much?     Do you have any idea?

So Ferritin might not go higher even if Iron does?      in 6 months after dropping my Iron down to 150 mgs , it dropped 30 mgs.   

The 1st few years I took the 65 mg from Bariatric Advantage, I was under the impression that since that was the highest they sold, that most of us would only need that much....and my other PCP  would say labs are fine...until I started asking for copies, and they were not fine  in my opinion.  Very close to the low end of the ranges.     

I monitor everything now..and I confess I have played Dr. such as with the Vitamin D, which came back as 230...soooo now I ask for, not all , but some labs at 6 months...Iron, etc,... Ferritn, and Vit D , he ordered a CBC, and a B12.  (never have had B12 trouble, quite the opposite, )  Not sure if I should ask for a few more at the 6 month check up....he won`t do a complete lab order but atleast once a year I am getting a VERY complete lab order, I believe Kelly it is the lab list you gave me.......and I could never get my old PCP to order more then a few , and that is why I changed PCP.

Sorry I went on and on....

I think my ferritin was 34 or something like that in July.  Once upon a time it was something like 150, shortly after my RNY.  Then it just gradually dropped over the years.  I don't know why.  I guess because I wasn't taking enough iron.  But my iron level was OK.  A little over a year ago, my iron level was about 90 but my ferritin was only 15.  That's when I upped my iron to 300 mg.

Your ferritin level will probably go up as your iron level goes up.

My suggestion is to consider making smaller changes next time.  Like if you are taking 300 mg iron and your iron level is really good, if you want to try cutting back some, maybe not cut back to 150 mg but try a smaller change.  Like maybe cut back to 200 mg or 250 mg and then get labs done in three months or six months and see where things stand.

And before someone posts and yells at me for giving medical advice, I'm not.  That's a suggestion.  I'm not telling you what to do.  By all means, discuss it with your doctor.

Thank You Kelly, I always appreciate your suggestions. Your suggestions I take to my Drs. appts. and discuss.      Thanks again. 

I had iron absorption problems before surgery and was seeing a hematologist.  I was having iron infusions about every 6 months and they really help.  This is something you might want to talk to your surgeon or your primary care.  Hang in there there is a solution for you

It's really unlikely a doctor would order iron infusions if someone has an iron level of 77 and a ferritin level 68.  They usually don't do infusions until your ferritin drops below 10.