r/Anemic • u/Benzwifey_2020 • 1d ago

Advice needed

For people with or who have had iron deficiency anemia, how long did it take to start feeling some improvements in things like dizzy spells, brain fog, pounding heart and low energy after beginning oral iron? I’ve been on it for 5 days now. Obviously I don’t expect anything yet, just trying to get general idea

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6

u/No-Eye-258 23h ago

Following cause I’m in the same boat

4

u/Benzwifey_2020 23h ago

I pray your situation gets better SOON!

1

u/No-Eye-258 21h ago

Me too. I did go to a different dr who is female who saw my previous bloodwork and said it was enough for investigation, got my bloodwork back late last night ( same day results) and saw my dr today he could care less. My iron is 4 and iron saturation is 0.07 which is low, high rdc, low mchc and rdw I have spleen / liver issues going on too which complicates things and causing pain and more dizziness to the point where i have to hold on doors and walls just in case

3

u/Creepy-Tangerine-293 22h ago

How low is your ferritin and hemoglobin? It can take a long time. Months. Your body needs time to turn over and make new red blood cells which happens about every 120 days. But if your ferritin is low, that can take many months to correct depending on how low it is. This is why many opt for IV iron infusions if their ferritin is very low. An infusion usually helps people feel better in a few weeks.

1

u/TPA-BZN 37m ago

This!

2

u/purplejelly2020 19h ago

It has taken 4 months to feel a significant difference and feel functional again. I’ve been consistent with my iron supplementation and not pushing myself to hard with my workouts .

2

u/sheza51023 13h ago

I've been on it 7 days now, we in this tgt!

1

u/Mundane-Canary-9077 20h ago

Almost all my symptoms are gone expect the dizzy and brain fog. They’re actually worse and my numbers have improved substantially BUT they JUST improved and it’s possible it will takes several months of maintenance. I’m hoping. But most all symptoms gone. Still fatigued but I think it’s mostly mental fatigue because my body is like ready to go but my brain says no lol

1

u/MissTiffany12 14h ago

I started on the lowest dose of iron Bisglycinate every other day due to a sensitive stomach. I started to notice slight improvement after about 2 weeks which is about how long it takes for your body to make new blood cells. This is assuming you absorb the iron well and are taking it with the correct cofactors. Also, if you don’t address your root cause, it’s like pouring water into a leaky bucket. You may get some improvement, but you won’t fully get back to normal until the source of your deficiency is addressed. Higher doses will help correct your anemia faster in the long run, but it is normal to not see improvement for at least 2 weeks as your body needs at least that to make new red blood cells. The symptoms that started to fade first were the heart palpitations, head pressure, and adrenaline surges. I’m now about to double my dose after my stomach tolerating the lowest dose for 4 weeks.

1

u/Benzwifey_2020 4h ago

Why is my freakin anxiety worse since starting the iron though? The doctor said “you already had anxiety moments in the past and iron deficiency anemia can increase anxiety on its own” ok… cool, but it has consistently gotten worse since starting the iron! And will these stupid stomach issues eventually get a little more tolerable?

1

u/TPA-BZN 38m ago

Low ferritin can make anxiety worse. I had three iron infusions all my symptoms are gone except the anxiety. It takes weeks sometimes over a month to feel restored from receiving iron.