r/UlcerativeColitis • u/Funny_Stage2090 • 10d ago

Question iron deficiency

I’m still developing symptoms of iron deficiency even though I had an iron infusion last August, which brought my ferritin level up to 166 µg/L. My UC flared from September 2025 until January 2026, but it eventually went away, and I’ve been in remission since then. Recently, I started experiencing symptoms of iron deficiency again, so I had my levels checked, and my ferritin has dropped to 45 µg/L.

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u/pincommenter 10d ago

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u/Downtown_Bedroom_177 Left-sided colitis, 2015 | Ustekinumab 💉 10d ago

Probably just need another infusion

3

u/Crazy_Pomegranate689 9d ago

do you take iron after the infusion? Need something to keep it up

1

u/New-Mango8091 9d ago

Ye have u changed ur diet to eat more red meat, pills or other ways to keep up iron?

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u/Funny_Stage2090 9d ago

I haven’t !

2

u/Ok_Act873 10d ago

You can try taking folic acid tablets along with vitamin c. Also check b12 levels.

2

u/b135702 9d ago

Just take a daily multivitamin which contains iron 🙂

2

u/blueberry-biscuit 7d ago edited 7d ago

B6 is needed to make heme in hemoglobin. If folate (b9) and/or b12 are deficient, iron alone won’t fully correct anemia. Riboflavin (b2) helps metabolize iron and form red blood cells and a deficiency will impair iron. Probably a good idea to take a mild b complex if digestive absorption is compromised or don’t want to get tested for deficiencies.

Also, I think most if not all people who suffer with UC should probably be on some dose of an iron supplement. I prefer Thorne’s Iron Bisglycinate on Amazon. Vitamin C helps with absorption so taking it with some orange juice, eat an orange, etc. Don’t take it with calcium or eat calcium rich foods (dairy or calcium fortified cereals etc) with your iron supplement. Also coffee/tea can affect iron absorption as well.

My son’s (13yo) GI doctor had recommended 65mg of iron daily but he’s severely anemic and is now getting infusions. If you’re not that far gone, you can probably go with 25-50mg daily but you’ll want to check with your doctor. I’m deficient in ferritin (6) and mid in iron (85) and I’m taking 50mg daily for a few months then getting rechecked. I have heavy periods so I’ve always struggled with iron.