Iron levels

[CDJ]

I had a letter from our hospital from last months consultation visit [ always takes 5 - 6 weeks to come through ]. It says that they want Josh to start on Ferrous Gluconate 200mg, but state he isn't anaemic.

I have spoken to the pharmacist and he tells me they don't do 200 mg of Ferrous Gluconate, only 300mg, so they can't prescribe this as it is too high a dose for a child. Until I can get hold of someone to speak to about this we are at a bit of a loss.

My question is do others feel this is a high dose of iron to be on and not be anaemic? It's really difficult to get through to the IBD unit to actually speak to anyone, though I have left messages for someone to contact me, but I know from previous experience that they will often take days to get back to me.

 

[Mehita]

Why iron if he's not anemic?

This probably doesn't help, but my 13 year old was recently on 65mg iron which is the equivalent to 325mg ferrous sulfate. I'm not sure what that really means, it's just what the bottle says. Maybe they said 200mg based on his weight? You might be able to cut the pill in half.

 

[Sascot]

Not sure why they want him on it if not anaemic, but maybe his levels are on the lower side of normal.
We are in the UK too, and my son (14) still takes his iron in syrup form - Sytron - and takes 15ml a day. It doesn't taste very nice, but I believe it's better for not irritating the stomach.

 

[Catherine]

If by iron they mean ferritin levels. When the ferritin becomes low the body still has enough iron to keep the haemoglobin levels in the normal range but the ferritin starts to decrease. By supplement iron before anemia occurs they hope to prevent anemia.

Usually you would supplement for a couple of months then retest.

 

[CDJ]

Finally got answers today, this is how long it takes for anyone to get to me! The doctor had made an error with the dosage, Josh has to start on 300mg Ferrous Gluconate twice a day for 3 months.
It was explained to me that it is iron store which is low. The blood that goes round his body at the moment isn't low enough to be classed as anaemic, though if his stores got much lower then he would be. His ferritin level is 16, and they don't like to go under 25.

Catherine your reply was right, and it is good to have someone who understands as I feel at a loss at times

 

[positivemum]

We are uK too and our consultant doesnt want ferritin lower than 15. We have been as low as 9 and 5 before now. We have had iron infusions done but the effects don't last forever. make sure it is a supplement that will not cause gut problems