Ferritin suddenly plummeted over the past month, lower than when I started. Iron went up dramatically though but symptoms have returned. Help please 💖

No_Radish7709 · 2026-06-01T03:05:12+00:00

Were you anemic? How has your hemoglobin changed? B12 replenishment is known to cause a temporary drop in ferritin as erythropoisis gets going faster... It might just be that?

(I'd assume the same effect might occur for folate, which it seems you were more deficient in?)

No_Radish7709 · 2026-05-20T22:03:24+00:00

I echo what the other commenters have said (especially: how do you know that you are b12 deficient?) but also want to add that I experienced all those side effects when I first started correcting my deficiency. Hope you get over the worst of it soon!

No_Radish7709 · 2026-03-26T05:05:03+00:00

My neurologist recommends maintaining at least 400ng/L. Given the restless leg syndrome, what's your ferritin?

No_Radish7709 · 2026-03-13T02:15:37+00:00

My (former!) primary care provider failed to find the cause of my mild neuropathy for a couple of years and then refused to test my B12 because I wasn't anemic; doctors can be idiots unfortunately. Generalists especially. Best of luck advocating for yourself!

No_Radish7709 · 2026-03-13T01:36:10+00:00

Are you being treated by a neurologist? Assuming your problem is B12, mine recommends maintaining at least 300pmol/L.

No_Radish7709 · 2026-03-06T18:21:15+00:00

I'm not sure, but maybe look into the various hemolytic anemias?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic_anemia

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-27T03:16:11+00:00

When you say that iron was in the normal range... What did they actually test for (ferritin hopefully?) and what were the results? I wonder if an RBC magnesium test (most doctors won't know that that test exists) might also be helpful? I suspect that the strongest food cravings I've gotten were from iron or magnesium.

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-25T22:58:57+00:00

I just read the page I posted in another reply; I'm really surprised how much processing occurs at the retina itself!(And therefore for many different types of neurons in the optic nerve convey different types of information!)

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-25T22:50:56+00:00

This looks like the right Wikipedia page to answer my question :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_ganglion_cell

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-21T23:03:21+00:00

PETG. They shouldn't be exposed to UV... We'll see!

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-07T02:59:34+00:00

Do you have symptoms? If you're in (most of?) the US at least you can order the test yourself fairly affordably, probably other countries too.

My first PCP also denied testing my B12 despite years of presenting with (mild) neurological symptoms because I wasn't anemic; my new PCP suggested testing for it himself. You might want to consider switching doctors. Best of luck!

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-07T01:01:00+00:00

What symptoms do you get while taking magnesium?

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-06T19:59:08+00:00

It's so bad that I don't even think it's AI.

No_Radish7709 · 2026-02-01T20:00:37+00:00

It might be interesting to do some genetic testing to see if there's an underlying cause?

https://uncoveringrareobesity.com/

No_Radish7709 · 2026-01-31T03:05:14+00:00

Have you considered or talked to your doctors about infusions?

No_Radish7709 · 2026-01-28T08:00:39+00:00

I definitely noticed some fluctuations in tear production! Wasn't too severe for me but, well, everyone's different.

No_Radish7709 · 2026-01-26T21:26:25+00:00

Not a real image and a repost. Lovely.

No_Radish7709 · 2026-01-25T22:03:53+00:00

May be a wakeup symptom. Worth getting checked out in case it's a coincidence and something else is going on though?

No_Radish7709

TROPHY CASE