Ferritin is ferritin, right?

herekittykitty

My lab range on my ferritin test (I'm in the US) is anything under 10 is low. I happen to have a doctor that thinks it should be much higher than that, but if she went by the range the lab uses, anything above a 10 would be okay.

Numpy

I'm in the USA, too, and my doctor said anything above 50 is normal and anything below is not.... Isn't it so confusing and frustrating that all these doctors have different ideas on low, normal, etc???

sue46

I am from the UK and my consultant was quite horrified that my ferritin level was a 5 and am now on super duper strength iron tablets - ferrous fumerate - to get the levels up, despite me feeling absolutely fine

moommin

hi im from the uk my ferritin was 12,my doctor put me on 600mg ferrus sulfate,telephoned me at home, to say my iron was very low,shirley

HICALIBRE

Hi Sue. I'm in London and I am totally confused about the whole thing. I have been quite bad since last August, passing out, dizzy and weak. I think maybe it's nothing to do with the ferritin but something else as my doc doesn't understand why I feel so bad when just my ferritin level is down. I just wish I could find a good consultant and get referred because it seems like I am just going on and on and getting nowhere with my GP.

HICALIBRE

Hi everyone who has replied. Very strange that my result was actually filed away because apparently 6 is normal and yet other GP's have a different opinion. It makes me really angry because I have been through hell since last August and I'm not saying that the ferritin is the only cause but I might have felt better taking some iron as it probably doesn't help having this low. I really need to get myself sorted and it seems like my GP is hellbent on making this difficult for me. This is one of those times when I wish I had some extra cash so I can go private and see a "real" doctor who knows what they are doing. It seems the standard diagnosis at my surgery is depression/menopause/hyperchondria or madness.

help wanted :(

Hi HICALIBRE,
im am in the UK... ive had my ferretin tested several times and its normaly in the low 20s which im not pleased with, but is classed as nroaml. The normal range on the test results i get is 16 - 445. 6 is definetely low and could well be causing some if not all of your symptoms. You should certainly try iron tablets on your own if your doc wont give you them.
And i know exactly what you mean... i have been severely ill for almost 10 years and after a few years of trying to find the problem with my GP the only diagnosis i have managed to get is IBS, Chronic recurring rhinitis/post nasal drip and anxiety/depression.... no one will actually look into it enough to find the problem and there doesnt seem to really been any provate docs around.

HICALIBRE

Hi Help wanted.

So its not just from country to country then? Your range is well above our lab. I find it really strange. Sorry if I hadn't mentioned but my doc has put my on high strength iron 3 times a day but said that I am not anaemic and cannot see why I feel so bad. How strange that you have the problem with pnd as well. I have had that for years. And as for the depression, well I think my GP has driven me to it. The last time I was told I was depressed I said just that: it's because no-one can find out what is wrong and keep telling me I'm depressed! I feel so helpless. Even when they find a possible cause such as ferritin levels, they dismiss that. I've just had enough now.

To make things a bit worse, I've started bleeding between periods and have been in quite a bit of pain since last week. When I called the doctor she said oh don't worry about that it's probably the menopause. I said but you checked my hormones recently and they were ok, and she said oh yes well lets just wait and see! I have low iron, have just finished a period and started again a week later. Soon it will be time for my next period.

HICALIBRE

Hi everyone.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post last month. I have just had a another test to check if ferritin has come up and it is now 9 from 6 just over a month ago. My doc says this is "coming along nicely". I don't feel very "nice" at all. Over 6 weeks of high strength tabs and it hasn't really come up at all. I read recently that if it was below 10 then any number was almost zero stores. Am supposed to just carry on with the tabs. Anyway, to make matters worse just after I posted on here last month I started bleeding between periods and have been cramping on and off since then, sometimes doubled up, sometimes just aching. When my period comes it is the most painful ever. I am now wondering if there is a gynae problem going on that maybe causing the ferritin problem. I'm waiting for results of a smear now. If that's ok I will try to get a scan to see what's causing all this.

Would you say that a rise from 6 to 9 is good or am I just being negative or impatient. I just want to feel better and go out without thinking I'm going to pass out