What dose of iron supplement should I take for my iron deficiency?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am in my early twenties and my body weight is 210 pounds. Recently, I got some blood investigations done and the findings are as follows:

Iron-46 mcg/dL.
Ferritin-5 mcg/L.
Iron saturation-12%.
Low MCH and MCH.
Hemoglobin-12.6 g/dL.

I bought an iron supplement and it contains 18 mg of iron but it does not specifically say what type of iron it is, heme, elemental and so on. I also want to know how much I need to take for my iron deficiency. Is 18 mg enough or should I be taking 2 mg or 3 mg?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Elemental iron means the total amount of iron available for absorption by your body in the tablet. 18 mg elemental iron is not enough to treat iron deficiency anemia.

Your hemoglobin level is not very low so you could probably have mild iron deficiency anemia for which there is no need to take supplements.

You can take iron-rich foods like red meat, green leafy vegetables, beans, etc to treat it.

If you want to take the supplement then the tablet Orofer can be taken which contains 100 mg of elemental iron and 550 mcg of Folic Acid. You need to take it only for two to three weeks to replenish your iron store.

You can send me pictures of your iron supplement that you have been taking to comment on that.

I hope I have answered your question.

Let me know if you have more questions in mind.