Low IRON

What the different irons support is exactly the way they worked for me. A combo approach was really effective for me.  
 

I just went to the Proferrin site and read that Proferrin is actually 23 times as potent as ferrous fumerate.  That is pretty amazing.  So, it should be pretty similar for ferrous sulfate but you cant compare the mgs.

I did also read about the prescription Proferrin Forte and  it has me concerned for post ops.  It has 1 mg of folic acid or 1000mcg which any dose over 1 mg actually masks B12 deficiency.  So, if you take more than 1 proferrin forte it makes it very difficult to know if you have B12 deficiency.  You could have a B12 level of 1200 but it could really only be 600, it actually artificially elevates it.

My hematologist told me never to take more than 800 mcg total of all supplements daily, this includes multi vitamins - if you are taking 2 multis per day, many of them have alot of folic acid too.  So, so many of us have really high B12 levels and think we are golden when in fact we could be in big trouble.

The best thing to do is take Proferrin ES from the internet and if you want, take 400mcg of folic acid over the counter.  The only time that this would be different is if your are folic acid deficient.  So many of us strive to get really high folic acid levels and I know it is good but we dont realize that it is causing problems elsewhere.

I am glad that the irons work for you in the combination.  When the tenders stopped working for me, I just switched to IV iron.  My ferritin dropped from 100 to 20 in 1 month with no bleeding.

I just went to the Proferrin site and I was amazed to read that Proferrin is actually 23 times as strong as ferrous fumerate.  You still cant compare the numbers but that is how they are saying how much better it works.

 Which is why I get nervous when people want to take gobs & gobs of them. 

325mg of ferrous sulfate is equivalent to 65mg of elemental iron - alot of people dont realize that.  So, what her doctor actually ordered her to take was 130mg of elemental iron.  The ferrous irons are very confusing

300mg of elemental iron is a huge dose especially since she isnt even anemic.  her iron is just barely low at 47, her hemoglobin is good at 12.5.  I just wish we knew her ferritin.  It irks me when doctors dont do ferritin levels, it is so hard to determine without it.

Ok, that helps. I would say 2 Tender iron +C capsules and 1 Proferrin and watch labs to see if there is any improvement. If no improvement after 6 weeks, then 3 capsules of Tender or 2 Proferrin. What do you think?

As a DSr it took 300mg of Tender iron and 2 Proferrin a day for almost a year to bring my numbers up, so you're thinking about a half of that for RNY?

--gina

I dont know if  most people are going to know if there is an improvement in just 6 weeks.  I know my doctors does recheck when changes are made after 6 weeks but most doctors dont.  So, it is probably best to say 2 or 3 months and get rechecked.   I  know for DS, you need a uch higher dosage since your malabsorption is alot greater.

For the C - you have to make sure to use the following conversion - for every 30mg of iron, you need 200mg of vitamin C, so for each tender equivalent you need 400mg - for 65, I suggest 500mg - better to have too much, then not enough.

I have a couple of questions because I keep reading different things and I am not familiar with proferrin.  Do you take it with or without calcium?  I know it used to be taken without but I read recently that it changed and I want to make sure that it is true?  I know you are supposed to cut them in half, why?  Do they have to be taken 2 to 4 hours away from all calciums, multis and thyroid medications like other irons?  I know when I try to help people with there supplements, I get confused with the proferrin.

Also, is there an advantage to taking a combination of tenders and proferrin rather than a higher dose of either one?  I usually tell people to start off with a higher dose of tenders first since it is so cheap and work there way up and only if  they get up to 300mg and still need more to add Proferrin.  I know this is a different way of thinking - partly based on trying to keep expenses down and I think it is worth giving tenders a try.

I also heard that Tenders work better on Ferritin levels and Proferrin works better on HG, HCT.

Is there a limit on how many proferrin you can take?  You might have been better off taking 3 of them, if you can take 3.

Also how do you space your iron?  do you make sure to allow atleast 2 to 4 hours between all calciums, multis, thyroid meds and all iron doses?  If not, you wont absorb them and that would be why it too so long to get your level up.

I also read that other minerals can affect your iron absorbtion - how is your zinc or I should ask, how was your zinc when you were having trouble absorbing your iron?  If you have zinc deficiency, it makes it very hard to absorb iron.  There are others, I just cant think of them right now.

I hope this gives you the information you were looking for and I look forward to learning more about proferrin.
thanks

 Oh my, I am confused!  I called and said I had a hard time with ferrous sulfate in the past and asked her to prescribe proferrin forte.  I should pick up today.

Should I push for a ferritin blood draw?

I would.  You really need to know what your iron levels are in order to know how much carbonyl iron (tender irons) and proferrin to take.

You have to be careful taking Proferrin Forte - more than 1 per day can cause a problem with your B12 because it has 1 mg of folic acid and when you take more than 1 gram of folic acid per day, it actually masks B12 deficiency.  Your B12 may come back at 1200 but it may actually only be 600 - the high dose of folic acid actually increases the B12 levels.

You can get Proferrin ES online and it is the same dose of Proferrin without the Folic Acid and then if you want to add some folic acid, you can take 400mcg if you need it.

But, please get a ferritin level because your iron is borderline low and your hemoglobin isnt that low, so yes you do need to take a good iron but you may only need to take 120mg -180mg of tenders by itself or a combination of the tenders with the proferrin. It is really hard to tell without the ferritin level.

 
Thanks Gina...are those numbers really bad???