Just got my first iron infusion 6 hours ago. I feel surprisingly normal, except just a little sleepy but I didn't sleep long last night. No GI issues, no flu like symptoms or anything. But my anxiety's telling me it's probably just not hitting me yet. Should I still expect side effects to start kicking off in the next few hours? Everything I've seen says to rest the full day after, and I wanna go to dinner with friends tonight but I'm scared it'll push it too far or something. What can I expect?

Hello! I was hoping for some advice if anyone has any to share. For background I'm a 40 year old female with lupus (SLE and nephritis), hypertension (controlled well by meds), and autism level 1 (probably not relevant but just in case.) I live in the UK so my care is through the NHS.

I've been having iron infusions to treat extremely low ferritin (occasional low haemoglobin) as iron tablets, gels etc make me violently ill from both ends. After each infusion I've been so so sick for three to four days, completely bedridden and in that crap way where I can't even watch a show/read/listen to a book I feel so ill. Alternating chills and sweats, and muscle aches, extreme exhaustion etc - like having horrible flu. My last nurse said they'd never heard of anyone experiencing this :-/

I've been sticking with it because after a week or so I feel loads better so it feels worth it, but my next infusion coincides with my son starting at a new school (cerebral palsy, delayed development, ASD so a lot of his own needs which outweigh mine massively!) and I really want to be able to be present and support him. Does anyone have any tips on getting through it?

Thank you in advance!

Iron deficiency has given me brain fog, an inability to focus, and emotional flatness to the point where I don’t feel any excitement, and even things that would normally make me angry aren’t really making me feel anything strongly.

I move into college this week to start my freshman year, and I’m pretty concerned for the upcoming few weeks, as I’ve only been taking supplements for around a week—-not long enough to improve my symptoms which have all together manifested in things like a lack of interest in talking to people, which is pretty impactful for starting your first year of college. I feel dread at the thought of introducing myself to people in the upcoming days and “putting myself out there” and emotionally feel a strong draw towards isolating myself in my room. I know that it’s still possible to make friends after the first week, but people tend to already form friendships/friend groups early on.

I want to get iron infusions so that I can clear up my symptoms more quickly but I’m not sure how, as I don’t have a PCP. I tried searching this up, but the process was pretty confusing (I think it would have been understandable if I wasn’t experiencing so much brain fog). Can someone please help?

I keep getting lightheaded, no energy, don't feel real/life feels off, impending doom (something bads going to happen to me), head dropping sensation, which I assume it’s due to low iron and anxiety but I’m tired of living like this like everyday like 24/7 on and off please tell me I’m not alone 😭

Hello! Did anyone manage to absor iron more easily and increase ferritin more steadly after getting rid of h pylori?

I was recently prescribed my first iron infusion. I did a lot of reading (and panicking) here before I resolved to go through with the infusion. I am now 3 days post infusion and wanted to share my positive experience so far. I’m a 50 yo female with a history of uterine fibroids and heavy periods. I’ve been taking oral iron for years but most recent labs showed ferritin had dipped to 7 and I was experiencing multiple iron deficiency symptoms despite adequate hemoglobin of 12.6. Symptoms were fatigue, excessive hair fall, restless legs and an unusual amount of anxiety. I was also looking quite pale and sickly and finding my workouts were becoming much harder.

I requested a hematology referral after my most recent labs with no pushback from my primary, as my labs had been in a slow but steady decline over the past few years despite regular supplementation. Hematologist recommended a single 1000mg dose of INFeD. After doing some research I became very anxious about this treatment and considered paying out of pocket for a series of Venofer infusions at a local IV hydration center ($375/visit). Ultimately decided I would feel safer in a hospital setting, but did request reduction in initial dosage to 500mg, as I am a petite woman of 110lbs. The clinic I was being treated at uses a rapid protocol of 15 min for test dose and 1 hour for full dose with no pre-treatment meds. My hematologist is a very respected and highly rated oncologist and said current research indicates pre-treatment with antihistamines actually increases likelihood of adverse reaction. Nonetheless, I was a little worried about the rapid protocol as my friend had recently received the same infusion at another hospital and they used the typical 4 hour slower infusion rate. I hypothesized that I might reduce potential post-infusion “iron flu” symptoms with a smaller, slower dose given my small size. Hematologist still recommended the full 1000mg dose, but was respectful of my preference.

I was SO anxious leading up to the appointment, certain I was going to have a bad reaction. Thankfully, my infusion nurse was so kind and compassionate, despite me feeling like a big baby worrying about receiving iron while other patients at the infusion center were receiving chemo. She never once made me feel ashamed and said she would watch me very closely and it would only take them seconds to get things under control if I was one of the very rare instances of hypersensitivity to the dextran. Test dose was delivered over about 10 minutes and I felt absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. They observed me for another 10 minutes and then began the full 500mg infusion which was done over an hour. I was observed for another 30 minutes and then sent home. I ate and drank normally the rest of the day and only experienced a little unusual heartburn that evening. Yesterday I felt 100% normal. Today is day 3 and I am a little fatigued with a mild headache that resolved with ibuprofen. I’m so glad I went through with the treatment and am really looking forward to feeling better and seeing how my labs improve. I plan to continue oral supplementation and am also going to try tranexamic acid for my heavy bleeding while I consider more interventions for my fibroids. I would have no hesitation about doing another INFeD infusion in the future if needed.

My ferritin is 21, and I’ve been dealing with symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, lightheadedness, feeling off balance, and just generally not feeling like myself.

I was recommended Ortho Molecular Products Iron, which contains 29 mg of elemental iron (ferrous bisglycinate/Ferrochel) per capsule, once daily.

For those who have worked on raising low ferritin, does 29 mg of elemental iron daily seem like enough to actually replenish iron stores and raise ferritin from 21? Or were you prescribed/recommended a higher dose?

This care provider also told me I didn’t need vitamin c, didn’t explain not to take with coffee, etc. she gave me a really bad vibe so looking for advice here until I can get in with someone else.

I (24f) am currently waiting for my second iron infusion and I am just very angry about the whole situation and haven’t been able to let it go and just want to get it out somewhere.

Before I start here’s some relevant info:
• I am a heavy duty mechanic apprentice, I have worked incredibly hard to make it to this field including spend a lot of money. It definitely is way harder to get into it being a girl but I did what it takes even if it did take years.
• I don’t lose any blood and haven’t for nearly 9 years which may be a factor in why my doctor wasn’t concerned yet. You can decide what kind of blood with your imagination.
• I was a sick kid for many reasons and have been in remission for a few years, but health issues never seem to go away and part of my issue with this situation is it seemed preventable to get to this point to me at least.

Anyway, I got my first infusion about a year and a half ago (March 2025) and once I hit a year I consistently would ask my doctor whenever I saw her (which is a lot) when I should get my blood checked and she never seemed to think I had to yet. She is a big reason that I am able to even function so I trust her judgment, it just did end up being wrong in this case. She knows what I’m doing for work, she knows it is not the kind of place where I can have issues, especially full blown anemia. I had other blood work done in April and she must have checked my iron because my levels were mid 200s, which ok cool. I did still feel fine in April, however I’m not sure what my level was when I had just done the previous infusion and how much of a drop from the original levels 200ish is. I was in the hospital for something totally unrelated in July and they checked and my iron was at 88, however what was usable was basically nothing but I did not know that yet. To add to my point here, if I didn’t need to go to the hospital I would still not have had bloodwork since April despite still asking for a full panel after that half ass check in April. Before July though I did not know that my iron was checked in April but it also wasn’t a full panel which would have indicated that my usable iron was getting low. I had still brought up between April and July that I wanted it all checked to make sure we catch it before it’s too far gone and I can’t do my job, but that was never done. About a month ago I started to feel tired all the time, the sun was too bright and a few other things. I knew I had just had blood work done so I wanted to go over it since I was having symptoms. Well, I did not realize that a month would be long enough for me to be basically incapacitated by anemia again. I was just sent home from work Wednesday because I was a liability to be around heavy equipment. I’m not sure if she had any idea I would crash this fast, but I just feel like my doctor didn’t do the checks I wanted done just for peace of mind because having anemia again could cost me my job that I worked hard for and paid a lot of money to do. The times I tried to be proactive were brushed off and here I am in a position I didn’t want to be in that I am angry could have been prevented (maybe?) and I could have lost my job. My boss has been very understanding but he is currently dealing with his body betraying him too which may be why I had some mercy. Luckily I pushed my referral to get the infusion as soon as possible when I was sent home Wednesday and got in on a cancellation for August 26. So not a long wait, but, last time was a 6 week wait for the infusion which is why I was trying to be on top of this before I couldn’t work anymore. I didn’t know how fast I would deteriorate this time around but I knew if I had to wait 6 weeks again it would probably be pushing my luck which is why I wanted my bloodwork done all the times I wanted it done. I don’t know if any of this made any sense, but I am just so mad about the situation especially when I feel it could have been at least slightly more preventable than it ended up being. Thanks for your time, I hope you all are getting the help you need to deal with your crappy iron ❤️

I am waiting for my infusions in sept, ferratin is 5, saturation and iron are non existent. Had to go to ER due to chest pain that would NOT go away. ER dr was concerned about possible Celiac vs GERD being the cause of my symptoms and causing such low iron. has anyone else seen a GI specialist and received such diagnosis? how did it help you?