Iron deficiency anaemia and B12

you have been on iron for a long time, if it helps that's the main thing though. I'm so confused as to whether the iron tablet will help with the B12 level. I really feel the B12 has something to do with how I'm feeling too. Hope you feel better soon too x

I ask for my iron at the pharmacist. One -it's cheaper and also I know I'm getting then same iron my Dr. put me on. It's Ferrous Sulfate 325 mg (5 gr). Distributed by Caraco Pharmaceutical. I took two a day for a year and now I take one to two. Make sure you drink a lot of fluids and vit. C is supposed to help you absorb the iron, so I take that as well. Water heps prevent the constipation. I haven't had too much trouble with that. Vitamin B 12 didn't agree with me at all. I tried to add it but just had side affects. Hope you get your iron up to a good level.

Thanks for responding.  My Dr. put me on Ferrous Gluconate, but the brand that I got and was taking it twice a day, gave me acid reflux and when I stopped it gave me shortness of breath. As I was also having loose stools (not diarrea) which made me extremely weak in the morning, Dr. changed to Ferrous Sulphate 325 mg. I took it just for 4 days, twice a day and  from the very 2nd day had difficulty breathing and tarty stool.  Didn't realise the iron pills were the culprit.  Realised it only 2 days ago and have stopped that for 2 days and from tomorrow will go on APO Ferrous Gluconate 325 mg but just once a day.  This brand had agreed with me 2 years ago.  I am also taking B12, tablets daily, 2 shots done and 2 remaining.  I have done that before too and had agreed with me.  I recently turned 50, so wonder if there is any reason that wouldn't agree with me.  Even 2 years ago when I took Ferrous Gluconate, I remember that I was taking only 1 tablet rather than 2 as suggested by my Dr.  I cant remember but may be 2 didnt agree with me back then too.  I can't wait for my ferritin to go up soon, feeling so weak and have no energy for anything.  Cooked Chicken liver and blackstrap molasses also gave loose motion and made me very weak so have stopped them and am eating chicken and will start mutton soon.

I should have added that when he had the CT scan last June they also did a blood test for'Tumour markers' and these were high but not critical. When I consulted Dr Google [bad idea!] about the B12/Ferritin deficiency today they mentioned this deficiency coupled with indigestion [which he has had for years and for which he  takes large quantities of Gaviscon, or similar] as being a marker for stomach cancer.  . not sure if I'm right to worry, certainly feel I shouldn't have consulted Google.

Jane...I have all of these things, iron, ferratin and B12 deficiency, along with acid reflux. For 10 years I had multiple specialists trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I had bladder infections non stop (a urologist for those), for my severe hypothyroidism (Endocrinologist), for my chronic diarrhea (a Gastroenterologist), and for my severe anemia (a Hemotologist) and of course my regular family physician.

I suffered for ten years. I would feel okay for a while then start getting sick again, then it was off to each of these specialists to figure out which of the sysmptoms could be cured by their specialty. Finally about two years ago I began to go numb and my skin became ultra sensitive, it started in one foot, then to the other, then my hands, legs arms...you get the picture. My doctor made an appointment with a neurologist, 6 WEEKS AWAY.

Meanwhile even air passing by made my skin crawl. It was hell. I finally woke one morning and it had moved to my chest, I felt like I was suffocating! My husband was getting ready to take me to the ER and called his boss to let him know. "That's sounds like a B12 deficiency, my wife went through the same thing!" His boss told him to let them know as soon as we got there, and we did.

We were completely ignored, I was given a CT, an MRI, blood tests... ruling out MS, brain issues, you name it, then they came to tell me I was being transferred to a different hospital because they needed additional equipment for testing that wasn't available to them. "So it wasn't a B12 deficiency?" I asked, he looked through paperwork and told me I wasn't tested for it! As they were prepping me to move to the other hospital, I demanded the test before I would approve anything else being done to me.

I was transferred and greeted by the on staff physician a few hours after arriving. It turns out I had no detective B12 levels. $14,000 later, my treatment ended up being an IV drip of B12 and injections that I give myself weekly. It was a long road to recovery because it had been missed for years. I was 45 yrs old and for 10 years I felt like I was 75.

I'm giving you all the long version as a lesson, if you're given something and you don't feel better and your levels haven't gone up in 4 weeks, push back, demand better care! If you can't get it from your current physician, find another one! Why? Because here's the kicker, once my B12 levels went up, I never had another bladder infection again! I needed iron infusions once a year instead of once every three months. I felt a million times better and I could have been saved 10 years of suffering if one of my 5 doctors had given me a simple B12 test!! I was told that I was unusually young to be B12 deficient and that's why no one tested it, but I have met tons of women with B12 deficiencies since I've told my story, and they're all in their 30' and 40's.

I too was told to suffer through iron pills fir six months and my levels were crawling up. I was tired and miserable and I finally insisted on seeing a Hemotologist who ordered an iron infusion by IV. It was like liquid energy, but there are dangers and risk associated with it so you will not be given an infusion until all other avenues are exhausted.

So my diagnosis? My body has an inability to absorb vitamins and nutrition from food alone. Theyve checked my intrinsic value and it came back fine. So bottom line, I have an absorption issue that can't be explained. I will tell you I know what started all these issues, the removal of my gall bladder at age 35. I tell every doctor my story and every person who will listen so that no one ever has to suffer and lose 10 years of their life the way I did, all over one silly blood test that used to be included in a regular Chem panel until insurance companies lobbied to have it removed from that screening tool as "unnecessary".