How do you increase your ferritin levels?

[Angierob]

Hi all
I'm fairly new to this forum so forgive me if I'm asking a question that's already been answered! I have RLS/WED and also PLMS (periodic limb movement disorder), and that's the little gem which prevents me sleeping. I understand from this wonderfully helpful forum that I need to get my ferritin levels checked, which I intend to do as soon as humanly possible. But, if they are found to be less than 100, is there any way of increasing the level? I take a daily vitamin supplement which is meant to contain 100% RDA of iron, but don't think that's the answer. Does anyone happen to know? I'm currently taking 3.5mg Ropinirole (having started a couple of years or so ago at .25mg) and also believe I may have augmentation as I'm gradually needing to take more and more of it before it works.
Thanks.
From "Twitchy Leg" Angie

[Polar Bear]

Yes, it is now reckoned best if your ferritin level is around 100, in particular before starting any of the DAs such as Ropinerole.
So it's good that you are planning to have this checked.

I haven't had to try and increase my iron but there are several posters who have done so and no doubt you will have some responses in due course with regard to dosages etc. Also it is good to take it with Vit C with the iron to encourage absorption.

To increase your ropinerole this much in a couple of years is quite a lot. Is your 3.75mg ropinerole taken as one dose. I take ropinerole throughout the 24/7 but the biggest dose is 1.25mg and this is supplemented with tramadol to try and prevent taking any one medication in a larger dose than necessary and thus try to avoid augmentation.

Also are you taking your ropinerole well before the onset of symptoms remembering that it takes about 90 minutes to work.

[ViewsAskew]

Doctors suggest taking 325 mg iron (65 g elemental iron) 3 X daily. Taking with vitamin C increase absorption, as does taking on an empty stomach.

Many people have no trouble with this, others have pain, constipation, and other issues.

My guess is that you're right - if you're up to 3.5 mg ropinerole after starting at .25 a couple years ago, chances are you have augmented. They say that increases that occur within 2 years of starting (after achieving a stable does) are most likely augmentation.

[Angierob]

Hi both, thank you for your replies. Thanks for the tip about Vitamin C. I think I'd better get the level checked before I take iron, just in case it's not that.

I do take the Ropinirole in one dose at night, but am not sure I'd be able to take it during the day. The last time I took it some time before going to bed, it actually made me sick and does make me feel like a space cadet, which I'm not sure would go down too well in the office! My symptoms only really trouble me at night anyway so not sure that taking Ropinrole during the day would work for me really. I might ask my GP about tramadol and see what he says, if anything. It would be nice to take a lower dose of Requip, especially if supplementing it with tramadol will help stop the augmentation. I generally take Requip around 20-30 mins before going to bed and find that this usually works pretty well for me. The only time it doesn't is if I have sugar, salt or alcohol in the evening (sigh).

It's such a comfort to have found this forum and to get views and answers from people who know all about this condition. Thank you so much for getting back to me.

Angie

[Polar Bear]

Angie, just remember that if you ever decide to reduce your ropinerole you could find yourself fighting a major battle with vastly increased symptoms for a few weeks - that is supposing that you have been augmenting.
If you haven't been augmenting then I understand that it is easier to reduce the ropinerole.

Taking your ropinerole with food with help reduce its capacity to make you feel sick.
Also if you split your dose and take it say... in 2 or 3 stages - perhaps a half hour apart, this should also help you with regard to feeling sick.

[Angierob]

Thanks Polar Bear - well I guess that's something to look forward to then! It certainly sounds like I have been augmenting, from the various comments here. Thanks for the tip about food - I have generally been taking it on an empty stomach because of my RLS's intolerance to me eating anything with salt or sugar in the evenings, but last night it occurred to me that I could have two very small baked (well, microwaved) potatoes, which did the trick - I slept like a log! I will definitely try and split it like you suggest, thank you for that.

[badnights]

Some people take oral iron supplements and nothing happens, whereas for other people their ferritin goes up. Whether that's because they're taking different types of supplements, or their iron absorption physiologies are different, or their RLS/WED is different, no one knows. Some people have taken intravenous iron but that's still experimental for RLS/WED and has a risk of causing toxic shock.

Iron supplements come in a number of varieties. The most common kinds are ferrous salts: ferrous gluconate, ferrous sulfate, and ferrous fumarate. Ferrous fumerate contains the most elemental iron (33%), ferrous sulfate has 22%, ferrous gluconate has less than 20%. But the more elemental iron, the harsher it might be on your guts, so some people can't handle the stronger kinds. There are also so-called bio-available iron supplements, of heme iron, I don't know much about, they are supposed to be easier to absorb and less stressful for the body overall :

You get heme iron from animal foods such as beef, dark poultry meat, tuna and oysters. It is the form of iron that is easier for your body to absorb and store, but most of the iron in your diet comes from nonheme sources... Foods rich in nonheme iron include beans, lentils, tofu and spinach, as well as fortified breakfast cereals and dietary supplements. Your body absorbs about 15 to 35 percent of the heme iron you ingest, versus only 2 to 20 percent of nonheme iron

from http://www.livestrong.com/article/48816 ... pplements/

I started with the gluconate and took 2 pills a day for months with very little effect ( I think I raised it from 20 to 28 ng but I forget now, it was in that ballpark). I switched to one ferrous sulfate per day , which raised my ferritin from 28 to over 100 in about 2 weeks,so for me the sulfate was much more effective.

I now take two ferrous sulfate pills (300 mg of sulfate which is 60 mg elemental iron each) per day now, at night with 500 mg vitamin C. I'm not sure if there's evidence to support this but I ingest water-soluble vitamins like C at a different time than fat-soluble vitamins like D (i.e. I take my vitamin D (3000 IU)in the morning with fish oil).

Ferritin levels in the blood are a reflection the body's level of stored iron. The odd thing about RLS/WEDers (or at least a subset of us) is that our bodies seem to consume our iron stores rapidly, so we need to continually supplement in order to keep levels from dropping.

[Angierob]

Thanks for your detailed reply Beth. Sounds like taking the ferrous sulfate pills and vit C really works for you, so well done! Good tip about taking vit C separately to other vits too, thank you. I do need to get to my GP and find out what my ferritin levels are - it'll be interesting to see if they are too low. At least now I know how to go about getting them higher if need be. I really wish that our GPs were as knowledgeable about this condition as the good people on this site are - I thank my lucky stars that I've found you all and for all the help and advice I've gained.
Angie