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Upping iron levels quickly
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Hi all,

I got my iron tested and the numbers are clinically fine, ferritin is 35. I'm feeling absolutely no energy in my legs and just feeling blah in general. My coach suggested I'd feel better with a ferritin level of 50 and ideally 80 because athletes do better with higher ferritin.

Has anyone supplemented with a high dosage to get levels up quickly? I have a marathon in just over a week and cannot get my legs moving. How long did it take before you felt better?

I'm also taking a close look at my diet, sleep, hydration, etc. I've taken extra rest days and still I'm slowing down and feel like I'm running through mud.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
Last edited by: JenSw: Aug 16, 13 12:07
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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take iron 3x daily - ferrous sulfate is the most constipating so you might want iron citrate or iron picolinate or ferrous gluconate....

I usually find women feel better with levels of 70 or more
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [meuf] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks!

Everything I'm reading says it takes several weeks for the levels to come up and to feel better. I was hoping I could make a good improvement before my marathon but I might have started too late to help with this one.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [meuf] [ In reply to ]
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I tried iron supplements, but they made me nauseous.

What's a girl to do?
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Before a marathon, I've experienced the low energy described in your post. I always attributed to the process and the need for a long taper.

Hope you get your energy back and you have a good race.

Also, wondering if being a vegetarian might make you iron deficient? I ask out of curiosity.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [TriBeer] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not clinically iron deficient. I am within normal range but not ideal for an athlete.

Plants are rich in non-heme iron. There is a ton of literature online about sources of iron.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for the info.

When I was a kid I ate a lot of spinach and my iron levels were always high.

Again, good luck with the race.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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My doc put me on 325mg Ferrous Sulfate taken 3x/day (so 975mg daily).
I drank orange juice (to aid iron absorption) with pill and avoided other foods/drinks (caffeine!) for an hour or two before/after to maximize effect.
I certainly felt much much better within a week, tho I'd say it took longer than that before I felt 100% again.
I had dug a pretty deep hole before I figured it out, tho. I was clinically low w/ symptoms.
I had no issues with constipation, but I did add a few prunes daily to my diet. And running pretty much keeps me regular so to speak.
Good luck.

That was just my experience.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a vegan and eat lentils. Lately because I've been worried about my iron (no real reason) so I have been cooking dark leafies in a cast iron frying pan. Toward the end of cooking, hit the greens with a little lemon juice and that increases the bioavailablity of the iron. I also cook lentils with garlic, oregano and then add ribbon-cut kale the last 5 minutes of cooking. Kinda a lentil mash with green stuff, but really good.
Phytic acid (found in non fermented soy) can inhibit the absorption of minerals so I almost always eat tempeh over tofu and limit soy milk to just a little bit steamed in morning beverage if I have it at all.

leslie myers
http://www.foodsensenow.com
Last edited by: Honey: Aug 18, 13 17:11
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Floradix got me going fairly quicky - I started to feel better in a week, but I was in a VERY BIG HOLE so I didn't feel good until about 3-4 weeks in.
Floradix is a liquid, and it was suggested to me to put it in OJ and drink 30 mins before a meal, 2x a day. It's veggie, too.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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I also definitely suggest Floradix. My ferritin came back at 5 (no wonder I felt like total crap) but after a few months it was up to 40. I think it takes more than a couple weeks to replenish the iron stores, but it still might make you feel better. I also take a B12 supplement (dissolves under the tongue) when I head out for a run. I think the key is watching what you eat and drink around the time you take the iron-- no coffee or dairy, and take with vitamin C.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Jen
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JNelly7] [ In reply to ]
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I just got my #s back from blood work. Definitely seeing an improvement since November all around, though they're still generally, particularly Ferritin, are on the low end of the spectrum. I've been taking Blood Builder since ~ January and trying to have more red meat. Gotta say, it's probably the supplements that are helping. Stoked to see an improvement (particularly while ramping up training for IMLT), but will be adding some Floradix for this last month out. Appreciate the recommendations on this forum! Thank you :)

For those looking to try another iron supplement, here's the link to the Blood Builder I've been taking. No stomach issues - http://www.amazon.com/...0-Tabs/dp/B000F4ZRCC
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Another huge vote for Floradix. And cheeseburgers. Think of them as medicine. A delicious greasy pile of medicine.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [sto] [ In reply to ]
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Seriously. Hamburger Sunday was the standard for something like eight weeks in a row. Guilt = zero.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [kbird] [ In reply to ]
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Just Sunday??? HAHAHA. I took my medicine seriously, like 2x per week.

Drop some Floradix in a shot of OJ. It goes down much better.

If you have not yet, you might lay off the coffee and red wine. Heresy, I know, but they tend to leech iron. Never drink either of them within an hour of the iron.

CheerS!
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [sto] [ In reply to ]
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Floradix w/OJ down the hatch this morning - good tip.

Yes, been trying to stay away from coffee around when I take iron supplements. Fortunately, I usually take vitamins in the AM, so the red wine hasn't been an issue. ;) Thank goodness beer and burgers are a good pairing!
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [kbird] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks everyone! I've been supplementing w/100mg a day. I drink OJ or take a Vit C with it. I also avoid caffeine for an hour afterwards. I've been feeling a bit better. Had a bad day at my marathon on Sunday but not related to energy levels.

I'm continuing with the supplements and will get retested in a couple months. I have a pill container for the week now and pre-load it with my vitamins so I don't forget. I've never been good about supplements so hopefully this will help.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Wow! Just read this post and I think I might have low iron too. I have been having very tired legs and when I ride or do any hard workout it takes forever to recover. My legs just feel drained and tired. Is this what you feel too? Heavy tired legs that do not recover fast enough for next day workout?
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [spintela] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, exactly what it felt like. Still feeling a bit off but better.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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So strange to read so much about iron. I've never given it much thought, but earlier this summer I was having a terrible time running. It felt like I had never run before. I'd go out on a weekday morning for a short run and have to turn around at half a mile. Just had heavy legs and no oomph. For completely unrelated reasons I got a blood test and my ferritin came back at 11.

I took Now Foods ferrochel 2-3x per day, and it only got to 26 by the end of August. But I can already feel a huge difference. But I wish I had done something more potent, as I slogged through a huge race in August.

And I too believe cheeseburgers are part of the cure! :)
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [MonicaB] [ In reply to ]
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I'm glad to hear you figured this out. I'm still feeling sluggish but slowly improving.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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JenSw wrote:
I'm glad to hear you figured this out. I'm still feeling sluggish but slowly improving.

Odd timing on this post!
We moved back in May, so I was establishing care with a new PCP when he listened to my lungs and made me do peak flows in the office. They were low and since I have Exercise Induced Asthma, he set me up for PFTs with a blood gas.

Long story short, now I have asthma which will need regular treatment with preventatives and the ABG showed I was slightly dehydrated (metabolic alkalosis ever so slight and I am not bulimic or living with chronic diarrhea, so dehydration it is) with a Hgb of 11, which, in reality is probably a bit lower as it would be higher with dehydration.
Hct is 47, so it isn't acute blood loss (not to mention I would know if I were hemorrhaging) and I don't have periods anymore.

I am guessing CBC, Ferritin, TIBC, Transferrin and red cell morphology will be at the next visit in a week.

Pulled some scholarly articles on Ferritin and endurance athletes. Most people basically say all endurance athletes should have these done annually (high school runners as well), but there are no specific guidelines for them.

I will let you all know what we find out.
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [Honey] [ In reply to ]
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Love these ideas, real food!

http://www.triwivesclub.com
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [Triwivesclub] [ In reply to ]
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Tandem Iron.....by U.S. Pharmaceuticals....Best stuff around...I had low Ferritin levels and started taking this once a day and started to feel the change within a week.....have the pharmacy order it or order online...
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Re: Upping iron levels quickly [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Jen,
You are correct in stating you aren't clinically iron deficient, but a ferritin of 30 is fairly low and indicative of really low iron stores. I'm a hematology nurse and would suggest finding a local hematologist who has some kind of athletic back ground or knowledge. If your training is consistant and a pretty tough load, your ferritin won't come up any time soon. If you can't handle the GI symptoms with oral iron, a few iron infusions may greatly improve your energy level and quickly bring your ferritin up to a decent level.
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