★ "What Worked For Me" Outcome Report @CascadeRowing_WA • 30-44F • 28 mg elemental iron bisglyc • Week 12

▲ 62 Helpful • 2 Peer Replies

Iron bisglycinate every other day (12 wks update): My ferritin was 12 ng/mL, with hair shedding and afternoon fatigue — what worked for others here?

My ferritin was 12 ng/mL, with hair shedding and afternoon fatigue. After my clinician ruled out blood loss, I took 28 mg elemental iron as bisglycinate every other day around 3 pm, with 250 mg vitamin C and not with coffee or tea. I take levothyroxine at 6:30 am, so there was a gap of more than 4 hours. At week 6 ferritin was 29, and at week 12 it was 52. Fatigue improved by week 4, and shedding slowed around week 10. I checked TSH at week 8 and it was unchanged. Takeaway: spacing doses and separating iron from thyroid medication mattered more than raising the dose.

⚕ Pinned FDA / NIH / PubMed Clinical Context • Siriporn Wattana — Literature & Label Auditor

A 2017 Lancet Haematology trial (Stoffel et al.) found alternate-day iron dosing improved fractional absorption versus consecutive daily dosing in iron-depleted women. The AGA 2020 guideline suggests a ferritin cutoff of 45 ng/mL for diagnosing iron deficiency.

Connected Clinical Guides: Condition: Vitamin D Deficiency Condition: Osteopenia Rx: Ergocalciferol Rx: Levothyroxine Supplement: Vitamin D3 Supplement: Vitamin K2 Mk7

Find Gastroenterologists (CPT 45378 / 43239) →

Verified Peer Replies (2)

@SonoranSunrise_AZ • Verified Cohort Member • Week 10

Alternate-day dosing is supported by absorption data and often causes fewer stomach side effects. Take it away from coffee, tea, calcium and levothyroxine, and recheck ferritin and CBC at 8-12 weeks. Persistently low ferritin needs a clinician workup.

@MidwestCardioDad • Age 45-59 • Week 9

Same experience here. Taking iron every other day cut my nausea. My ferritin went from 16 to 38 in 9 weeks, and my energy improved before the hair changes.