Introduction and request for help

[MarkTheSpark]

Hi all!

I´m Mark. 29 and from the UK but currently living in Madrid.

I was diagnosed with Crohns when I was 16 and - thank God - have never needed surgery. I´m on Azathioprine but nothing else.

I have more details to share but those are the main points.

The most important thing I want to share is that I would like help with my energy levels - I´m tired all the time. I eat quite a bit and sleep about 6-7 hours per night, but I always feel drained and I have had dark patches under my eyes ever since I can remember

Any advice/personal experiences you´d care to share would be much appreciated.

Thanks and speak soon!

Mark

 

[JessPeper]

Welcome! You should ask your doctor about B12 shots. They help with the fatigue. You can also get B12 supplements over the counter.

Best of luck to you!

 

[ronroush7]

I agree with JessPeper. You can also ask about iron.

 

[Kancer]

ronroush7, I noticed every time I ask my GI if I should take Iron Supplements, he brushes it off as if it is not going to be of any help. I currently have an Iron Level of 4 and he said males my age should have around 20.

His idea is that even if i add iron supplements, my guts ability to absorb it is low thus I will just suffer from the medicine's side effect with no real added benefit. Should I press him to prescribe it to me anyway?

 

[Scipio]

Kancer - perhaps you should discuss with your doc the option of iron infusions. They get around the gut absorption issue by putting it directly into a vein.

Failing that you can try iron supplements on your own. They are available without prescription. To maximize absorption you should take the uncoated regular tablets, not the delayed-release coated tablets. And take them on an empty stomach along with a vitamin C tablet. Coated delayed-release tablets are less effective because most iron absorption occurs in the duodenum - the part of the gut just after the stomach. The coated tablets don't release the iron until they are already downstream from the duodenum, and thus the best chance for absorption has been missed.