I was diagnosed with PLMD two years ago. I also have a low serum ferritin level. I have tried iron pills and supplements and finally went for iron shots. After 10 months of weekly iron shots my ferritin went from 8 to 15. For PLMD they like the level to be at 50. What do I do?

donnacalgary--I think that you would be better off taking iron supplements than injections. There are many types of iron supplements to try until you find one that is right for you. I also had RLS due to a low ferritin. With both of your issues I would definitely try the iron again. Good Luck! FLFLOWERGIRL:)

I have tried all kinds of oral iron therapy but all of them give me severe stomach upset and loose bowels. That is why I went for the shots. Do you have any suggestions for oral iron that does not have the bad side effects? Thanks in advance. Also, how long did it take before the RLS symptoms went away?

Side effects are different for everyone all you can do is try different things until one works for you. I can see if you had problems with OTC iron. Did you try any script iron as well? I had problems with ferris sulfate and was then prescribed Poly Iron 150 X2 daily = 300mgs of elemental iron, I feel like this saved me. That is the generic name and is also OTC if you ask at the pharmacy. When things got settled down with the GI tract and I could take the iron amount noted above, everything went to normal range in about 2.5 months. I was thinking that if the shots weren't working for you perhaps supplements might. But at the end of the day, whatever form you use it still takes a long time to get there. And it takes longer for the ferritin to reach 50. I finally got to 35ferritin but it took me a year so far.

I have always gotten RLS to a degree, when I get tired I can't hold my legs still. With the anemia it was terrible I felt like I had restless body syndrome. I think that horrible feeling went away after several weeks of iron as did the ice eating. I still get a little RLS when it's late at night and I get tired.

I am just surprised at the iron injections being so slow for people. I thought that they would be much better than what I hear. I was sent from the GI to the Hematologist for injections myself because I couldn't tolerate iron at the time. The Hematologist said no to injections and scheduled me for IV infusion. When I went in for the infusion he did a STAT blood count on me and said I no longer needed it I'm absorbing well. Thank goodness for that! Keep us posted. FLFLOWERGIRL:)