I am a male and am on lamisil. When I had my blood checked for the lamisil, they found that I was low on iron in my blood.

My doctor said that this normally does not happen to guys, and put me on Slow FE.

My low levels from the test:
RBC 4.02 (should be 4.1-5.6)
Hemoglobin 9.0 (should be 12.5-17)
Hematocrit 27.3 (should be 36-50)
MCV 68 (should be 80-98)
MCH 22.3 (should be 27-34)

I really do not know what all of that means, other than that my iron is low.

Some of the issues I have had lately that may be because of the iron:
Feel worn out
Short of breath
I look very pale

I am not sure what else it is doing to me, but am ready to get my levels back to normal.

Does anyone else have this? Are these symptoms normal?

What did you do or are you doing to raise your levels back up?

Thanks

Yes all the bloodwork seems to indicate an iron deficiency. The biggest question is whether or not you are vegetarian since sometimes total vegetarianism can cause low iron. The other cause is sometimes bleeding ulcers, or Crohns (digestive track disease) and sometimes hemorrhoids(varicose veins in the lower intestinal tract. However, if you are looking foods with fairly digestable iron, look to baked potato without cream or butter, ( calcium blocks iron absorption some) Eggs (the yolk contains the iron). Cook vegetables in an iron skillet using as light an oil as possible. Meats that have a lot of iron are of course beef and pork. Chicken has more iron than beef. Some fish are rich sources of iron as well( the kind escapes me now)The main thing to do is to check with your doctor for testing for possible blood loss if you do not already know the source.

and sometimes hemorrhoids(varicose veins in the lower intestinal tract.

Yes, that is what we believe caused it.

I am not a vegetarian, but have a bad diet. I am working on changing it now.

Thanks for the advice.

You're short of breath because of your hemoglobin. This is something that needs to be watched to make sure it doesn't fall any lower. Your counts could be more than just llow iron - bleeding in the GI tract, autoimmune diseases, etc. Did you doctor suggest to follow up in a couple of weeks with another blood count?

I have hemolytic anemia, and when my hemoglobin gets as low as yours, they start to get concerned. And no amount of iron willl help in my case. IT takes Prednisone to get my counts back up. That's why you need to find out what's causing the low counts.

Take care,
Jill

Something else to watch for is yellowing of your skin or eyes (also called jaundice). Both Merimac and Jill are giving you good advice which you should follow by seeing a hematologist if you are not improving very soon. You don't say if you're being treated by a family doctor or a specialist. Obviously if a change in diet resolves your issues you likely don't need any followup. I am concerned about your low hgb and pallor (pale skin). If this doesn't resolve soon please please please get to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment.
I hope you're feeling better soon.
Les