How long does it take to raise iron feritin level??

[NYCGirlie]

I have recently been diagnosed with Chronic TE due to low feritin. I tested at 16 and my doctor said it has to be at least 70-100 to stop excessive sheds and get more regrowth. How long does this take?? I was prescribed Feosol (65mg iron) 2x a day. I am also trying to eat more iron (red meats, beans, dried apricots, etc). I have had shedding since summer2009 but have noticed a slight improvement in sheds since I just started taking iron. I know it wont be a quick fix, but anyone have success stories and any info on timeframe? Will it all grow back to normal?

[jbarks]

Hi, NYCGirlie,

I am going through the same process as you. I noticed my hair loss several months ago, but I have a feeling that it has been gong on much longer. Anyway, my ferritin level is currently 25. Since I initially had it tested 6 weeks ago, it has gone up about 11 points. I've seen two hematologists, an endocrinologist, and a dermatologist. I saw one of the hematologists when I went home for Christmas, and she was very helpful. She prescribed me Ferrex 150 and told me to talk to my hematologist where I live. She told me I would probably have to go on a higher dose. However, here is where the irony occurs-- last week I had a follow up with my hematologist here (I, too, live in NYC). She was completely unhelpful and offered zero treatment options. I asked her about my prescription and possibly taking something higher. She said no. She told me to return to taking Hemaplex, which has 85 mg of iron. I told her I wanted to take something more and be as aggressive with my treatment as possible. She said no, and I just need to wait it out. I may not see any results until June. I have naturally fine hair, so my hair loss has been particularly devastating, and I told her that I wouldn't have any hair in June. She then gave me my most abhorred response: "Well, you can't tell." I hate that! I can tell, and that is all that matters. Needless to say I am not going back to her. I have an appointment with another hematologist on Monday. I am not a doctor, but I know that it is going to take more than 85mg of iron to raise my ferritin from 25 to 70 (at least).

Anyway, I apologize for the brief rant. It has been a frustrating experience with doctors. My endocrinologist has been the most helpful. The dermatologist was a complete waste of time.
In terms of a time table, it really depends on how aggressive your treatment is, and how quickly you can raise your levels. I've heard that the general time period is 6 months to a year until significant regrowth can be seen. My derm gave me Minoxidil to help speed up the process. But it's sitting in my desk drawer right now. I don't have any plans to use it.
In terms of going back to normal, I think it varies from person to person. My grandmother had hair loss as a result of iron deficiency anemia when she was in her twenties, and her hair fully came back. However, with some people, a majority of it grows back, but not all. I think you'll just have to see what happens.
What doctor did you see in New York? I'm looking for a backup in case this one is also a bust. It seems like your doctor actually took the time to address the hair loss issue. I wish you the best of luck!!

[NYCGirlie]

I understand the rant...it took me a few doctors to get an answer. And sadly it was in the bloodtest I had from the beginning, but no one knew how to read it. My doctor said I need to get to 70+ to see regrowth but I do have some regrowth and the shedding is getting better already. He wasnt 100% sure if it was just chronic TE due to low iron stores OR female pattern balding (or a combo of both). But I, optimistic that its chronic TE since its been a slow shedding that got me here. But I have hairlioss all over but receded temples, front hairline, wider part are most noiticeable (to me). Probably because thats what i first see. I'm not sure if this type of receding is characteristic of chronic TE from low iron (or if this is female pattern balding)????

[NYCGirlie]

Does anyone who has Chronic TE from low iron know if this is normal- been taking iron supplements for 1 month and now notice that less hair is shedding. But I see new, short hairs shedding along with the full grown long ones. Is that normal and a good sign or not?

[meggie]

Hi NYCGirlie,

I too had low iron and was put on Fergon. It took me approx. 2 months to see any improvement. The shedding gradually stopped and I, too, lost the short, new hairs along with the long ones. From what I understand this is normal and means that the hair follicle is still healing and producing hair. My ferritin level is 75 now and my hair has stopped shedding completely. Hang in there!!!!

[NYCGirlie]

Thanks Meggie. Good to know the small hairs shedding is a good sign. I hope I see improvement within 2 months like you did. I see some improvement of less shedding and new growth but the amount of hair shed is stll more than the regrowth. Did you experience thinning front hairline? Mine is all over but most noticeable to me in front. My doctor said my ferritin is very low so its definitely a factor for my hairloss- everything else is normal- but he said since low iron hairloss mimicks female pattern hair loss, it could be a combo. I'm hoping its just all low iron! How much iron do you take? I take Feosol (65mg elemental iron/325mg ferrous sulfate) twice a day but was going to ask about taking it three times a day. How long have you kept iron levels up? How long did it take for all yoru hair to regrow back to normal? My dr says 6 month to a year :(

[meggie]

Hi NYCGirlie,

I take Fergon 27 mg. and I only take it a few times a week now that my hair has stopped shedding and is growing back in. I also eat spinach a few times a week and cook in a cast iron skillet that leaches iron into the food. I had a lot of shedding all over the head but especially on the top and sides. It has taken me approx. 1 year to get back to normal. I stopped shedding completely in January 2011 and my hair is slowly growing back in and staying there. I haven't had my iron levels checked in a few months but have a dr's appt. on 3/15 and hopefully will find out then. I have been on iron for 6 months now. It does take time for everything to start working normally again but since you have small hairs growing in that is an excellent sign that the follicules are working. I was so excited when I parted my hair and finally saw these little hairs poking up. Keep the faith and eat healthy and try not to stress over it. God Bless.

[NYCGirlie]

I have been taking 2 iron pills a day (as presribed by doctor) for 2 months. I have been taking blackstrap molasses, eating iron rich foods, and slowed down my workouts so I don't burn off too much iron. I just got retested and my ferritin only went up 12 points. Is this normal? Seems SLOW! At this rate, it will take FOREVER to get to 70-100 range for hair regrowth

[linzineedshelp]

hi, i am suffering hair loss due to low iron and also possibly postpartum hair loss too.my doctor said it could be a combination of the two.
i too am losing most hair from the front and front sides, very upsetting and noticable to me.itsnt it just the worst!!!!
i had my blood tested a couple weeks ago and my ferritin is 8! i have been taking iron for just more than a week and i am hoping to at least see an improvement soon? has anyone had a quick result? (feeling as hopefull as i can right now)
i was prescribed ferrous fumarate 210mg/68mg elemental iron, three times a day.
after a week of this and revisiting my doctor she agreed to put me on the maximum dose for the quickets result.
i now take 420 mg/136mg elemental iron, three times a day.
i just hope i see some improvement soon.its getting me down so much.
has anyone been taking a dose like this?

i also think i have some little hairs growing in, i noticed them yesterday but wondering if the were there before and i hadnt noticed.they are along the front of my hair line and sticking up about 1cm long.

hope for some replies/shared experiences.

love to you all xxx

[newmom]

Hi Linzi!
after the hair stopped shedding, when did you start seeing regrowth? did you hair go back to its normal state? how long did the shedding last and what was it triggered by?
thank you!

[newmom]

HI Meggie!
after the hair stopped shedding, when did you start seeing regrowth? did you hair go back to its normal state? how long did the shedding last and what was it triggered by?
thank you!

[newmom]

sorry, i misplaced my question -- I have the same prob as you - post-partum hair loss that lasts more than a year. my ferritin was 12, it is now 31. i am hoping the shedding will stop. where do u see those short hairs? how to look for them? thanks

[linzineedshelp]

hi newmom.
my hair hasnt stopped shedding in afraid, not yet, as i mentioned before its could be due to the low iron or postpartum hair loss, my son is 5 months old.
my ferritin went from 8 to 21 in 9 days of taking the prescribed iron.i just hope it continues at this rate.
i see the short hairs at the very front of my hair line, they are the first hairs that are visible at the front of my hair.they are about 1cm long and stick straight up.i havent noticed them anywhere else, think they will be hard to see in the rest of my hair between it all.
i am too hoping the shedding stops soon i cant stand it.its so depressing.i hope it reduces as my ferritin rises.
it has been falling out for 5 weks now

linzi xxx

[Hopelesslola]

Please meggie I'm going through the same thing I started shedding feb 1st 2011 and to this date I'm still shedding after they did my blood work they found out my ferritin was 38 the doctor told me I need to maintain it above 75 and it has to stay that way for 6-8 months for my body to catch on and go back to normal. Please meggie your story is the only one I see that gives me hope cause deep down I feel so helpless. Well since jan 16 2011 my iron went to 96 which is great but apparently it has to stay like that for 6 mths my question is what date did u begin shedding and I understand u stopped shedding in jan 2011 but did u go through a year of shedding and another year to grow your hair back making it a two year course please help.

[meggie]

Hi Lola,

I know exactly what you are going through--the panic in seeing the hair loss, the depressed feelings, thinking that it will never come back, but
trust me, it will. Most likely you have telogen effluvium, the same thing that I suffered with, due to my going off estrogen and being put on a synthetic thyroid medication. I had the severe hair loss for approx. 1 year. After I started taking iron supplements, a good hair vitamin, and increasing my protein, my hair FINALLY started growing back in. It has been a long process but fortunately, my hair is back to being fairly thick and I'm praying that the nightmare never comes back!! I continue to take
the iron (it takes quite a while to get the ferritin level up), and I will never
go without the vitamins. Eat your protein too, because hair is made up of
protein. Another important thing that helped, I thinks, is that I started to listen to "de-stress" tapes that I bought. Stress can also make hair loss
worse so you have to learn how to relax and not worry so much. Believe
me, it takes awhile, but pretty soon it will be behind you and you will have
a good head of hair again. Let me know how things are going. God Bless and Good Luck!!

[Hopelesslola]

Hi nycgirl I'm having the same problem did ur shedding stop I guess it did since I don't see anymore post by u

[Hopelesslola]

Oh god thank u meggie thank u soooo much your the the only hope I have right now. I read your storries 10xs a day with tears in my eyes begging god that one day I'll be someone hope too. God bless you for coming on and answering me. God bless you your words mean so much to me and I do have telegen efflium and it's all due to my ferritin level now it's 96 so my doctor said for 6 to 8 mths I have to keep it that way. My top and sides were affected the most. Thank u for your respond this really means so much to me

[meggie]

Hi Lola,

Another thing that gave me hope, was that I was told to part my hair while looking in the mirror, flatten existing hair with hand, and check to see if there are little hairs sticking up in the part. Lo and behold, I saw
all these little hairs sticking up! I was so happy! Sometimes the hairs
growing in will fall out, but don't be concerned. It's just your hair follicules
getting stronger so that healthy hair will be able to take hold and grow.
The smaller hairs started around my front hairline first. I eat 5 egg whites in the morning (scrambled) and try to get 65 grams of protein a day. I truly believe that really helps, along with the vitamins that contain all the nutrients for healthy hair. I order Andrew Lessman's Hair, Skin &
Nail Vitamins and LOVE them. I did a lot of research and found out these
were the best. They are pricey, but my hair growing back was worth it.
Keep the faith, Lola, and trust me, you will have your hair back before you know it!

God Bless and Take Care,
Meggie

[anu]

Hi Meggie, thank GoD for posting this - it really gives hope and lots of positivity.

I am facing a situation similar to yours, my ferritin level is 5.6 and am on 150mg (50mg elemental iron) I am a vegetarian. I understand that increasing the iron level and for hair to grow back to being thick and healthy will take anywhere between 6-12 months. However I wanted to ask you how long did is take for u to notice your hair shedding stop/reduce since you started taking iron supplements. Would it be possible for you to walk through 1) how many hair you used to lose before u took the supplements? 2) when shedding reduced - how many hair falling did you notice? 3) currently how many hair do u shed if any.

Also can you please tell me how many times a day did you take fergon when you started and the Andrew Lessman's hair vitamins. also any good de-stress tapes you can reccommend - i know de-stressing helps a lot ...i am trying, but a little more help would help :)

Would you know your ferritin level now? Sorry to ask you so many questions, thank you for helping answer them. Really appreciate it.

thanks
Anu

[meggie]

Hi Anu,

It took a good 6 months before I started noticing new hair growth after
taking the iron, hair, skin & nail vitamins, watching my protein, and using
the de-stress tapes. I would take Fergon once a day and two Andrew
Lessman HS&N vitamins daily. I would also buy fresh organic baby spinach at Sam's Club, put it in a large freezer bag, and freeze it. When I was
making eggs, soup, etc., I would crunch some up and throw a handful in.
I think that also helped with the iron and hair growth. I still do that. I went through the hair loss for approx. a year, going from doctor to doctor with no success. I did a lot of research on the net about hair loss and then decided to get my ferritin level checked. I have always had low iron, which would be a detriment when giving blood. I used to lose handfuls of hair, which really depressed me and freaked me out. My scalp was so
sensitive to shampoos, sprays, etc. After awhile, without even thinking
much about it, the burning, tingling feelings started to go away. Then I
noticed the new hair growth. I hardly lose any hair anymore, and I will
always take the vitamins and watch my protein. I don't even take iron
much anymore, only take one HS&N vitamin daily, but I still eat the spinach. Also, the tapes were recommended to me by a psychologist friend of mine, who uses them with her patients. They are pricey but worth every penny. You have to use them daily though to re-train your mind not to be stressed. The ones she recommended were from MindByte.com and I bought the 6 Phase CD. It has helped immensely. Now I don't worry about hair loss and love washing and fixing my hair, something I used to take for granted. It's a long, healing process, but someday you will realize that you don't even think much about the hair loss anymore. I will always remember what I went through, but I'm thankful that it doesn't control my life anymore. Hang in there and just take good care of yourself. Eat healthy, exercise, and try to RELAX. Keep me informed how you are doing. God Bless and Good Luck!

Meggie

[anu]

Thanks Meggie for patiently replying to all my queries!!! this really helps me. My ferritin was at a meagre 5.10 a month ago , i was petrified since then have started treatment of taking fefol (50mg elemental iron) once daily...can u please tell me you how much was your ferritin level when you started treatment and how long did it take to get to 75? were you taking fergon just once a day or more times?

Thanks for all the help! God bless you! i am trying my best to stay calm and not stress out, praying for strength from God!

[meggie]

Hi Anu,
I'm pretty sure my ferritin level was 17 and it took probably 4 -5 months to get it up
to 75+. I only took Fergon once a day. Like I previously said, though, make sure you
get your 65 grams of protein a day, and take hair, skin & nail vitamins if your doctor OK's it.
I really believe that feeding your hair with all the good things makes it grow back healthier
and faster. I don't have a hair loss problem anymore, but still take the Fergon a few
times a week, eat protein, and make sure I never forget to take my vitamins. It takes
awhile for the iron level to rise, so just be patient and keep the faith. I'm praying for
you! Take care and let me know how you are doing. God Bless.

[anu]

Thanks Meggie...really need all the support and prayers!!! also my dermatologist suggessted using a variant of Minoxidil...i am not too sure and dont want to use it as one needs to use it for life and has some side effects - did u happen to any of these??

[anu]

I m hoping eating right, exercising and taking vitamins will have a positive effect. :)

[meggie]

Hi anu,
Yes, I was told to use Minoxidil, but after reading about it and finding out that you had to use it forever, decided against it. Also, my scalp was so tender from the
hair loss, that I couldn't even stand shampoo on it. I just decided to take my chances, get healthy, and lo and behold it worked!! It took approx. a year or more
to get back to normal, so hang in there and don't get discouraged. It's such a shame
that so many women have this hair loss problem. I never knew about the different
causes of hair loss until I started losing my own. I found out that the hair is the
first thing to suffer due to stress, medications, etc. You will do fine, though. I'm counting on it! Take care and God Bless, anu.

[anu]

Thanks Meggie, your kind words offer a lot of motivation. I am a little worried as I am a vegetarian and eat only eggs ...i am trying to eat as many iron rich veg foods...not sure how much it'll help without eating meat. I will be checking my blood levels and ferritin in another 10 days will be about a month and a half since I started on iron supplements...hoping it shows positive improvements and shedding decreases. I am also thinking of checking on iron infusions from my doctor, see what he suggests.

[Hopelesslola]

Hi NYC did ur hair grow back any good news?

[anu]

Meggie, NYC Girlie,
Justwante dto check with you - did any of you get your hormone panel testing done to figure out if the hair loss was hormone related at all (not just thyroid but also testosterone, DHEA, FSH, LH etc among others)? not sure if just this needs to be checked , i definitely have low ferritin working on this not sure if I should check on these as well??

Thanks
Anu

[Cassy]

My ferritin level came back at 12 and my daughters at 10. The Dr. said to get an over the counter iron supplement. Does anyone know which one is best?:confused:

[anu]

Hi Meggie,
I had my second appointment with my doctor, he started me on calcium, vit D, hair vitamin along with the iron supplement. I wanted to check with you if you were taking L-Lysine as well, i checked with the doc - he said not required, however I feel it may help in better absorption. If you have taken L-Lysine - which brand, and is it safe to take it without prescription from the doctor??

Also, did u take any hormone panel testing to rule those out as a cause for hair loss??

Would love to hear from you. thanks, anu!