Iron infusion for teen's low ferritin?
Hi Everyone. Does anyone have experience with iron infusions at Walnut Creek Kaiser, or anywhere else? My teen has had low ferritin, as low as 13 and after years of supplementation is looking at iron infusions. (The doctor says that she is not anemic but I don't really understand how that is possible with low ferritin for so long.) She has never had heavy periods. Eats a healthy diet. Plenty of C. Putting her on the pill helped it go up to 30, it should be 75, and it turns out the pill isn't good for females in our family.
Has anyone had this experience? And how did it help? Sleep? Energy? Mood?
Thank you!
Sep 25, 2021
Parent Replies
I had low ferritin for around seven years. It got as low as 6, and I was also never anemic. After years of iron supplements, it got up to 20 which I was told was “normal” so I never had infusions. I felt dramatically better at 15-20 than I did at 6. I had way more energy and was way less exhausted.
I recently had several blood transfusions after some serious injuries and my ferritin finally got up to 100 (not sure if the two were related). I can honestly say I didn’t feel much better at 100 than 20 - the difference from 6 to 15 was much more dramatic / life changing.
I was in my 30s for my low ferritin years - so definitely an adult. There was never any healthcare provider that suggested I needed to get to 75. They all thought 20 was fine. But maybe kids and teens should have higher values? If so, then I would say going from extremely low to low normal is a huge improvement and worth trying to get to.
Since she eats well, you are probably also incorporating iron-rich foods. Is she vegetarian? Myself and 2 of my kids have had low iron at various times, either because of being vegetarian, growth spurts, breastfeeding etc.
I have found that a few Medjool dates with nut butter, usually tahini or peanut butter, eaten daily, increased my iron level significantly, in combination w/eating more meat and other iron/rich foods. I would also make iron-rich smoothie for my kids when needed, w/spinach, a few dates, almond milk, walnuts, dark chocolate powder and berries (cherries work well).