Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Someone in a bariatric surgery group just posted about these vitamin patches. They have multivitamin patches that have 45 mg of iron, as well as iron-only patches. The get great reviews, and I'm going to give them a shot. I'm due for my check-in with the hematologist to have more iron infusions, but not really looking forward to that.

https://store.bariatricpal.com/collecti ... y-supply-1

Sounds interesting. After my third infusion, I had over 50% reduction in meds for almost 6 months, then slowly started creeping up again. I am still below where I was when I received it a year ago, but back to about where I was for several years.

Darn it - they put way too much vitamin C in it. Oddly, I am sensitive to all forms of acids - malic, citrus, etc, as well as citrus fruits. I could only use this if it had about 25% of the RDA, not 400%!

Well darn it, Ann! I take something like 6 grams of vitamin C a day. Odd they would put it in a patch; I thought vit C was to help iron absorption in the digestive tract.

They say the C is added for enhanced absorption. Maybe the same chemical process takes place across the skin as across the GI tract.

6 grams of C would make me CRAZY with itching - whole body, non stop. I shudder to think of it. I cannot eat one orange every day for a week. 3 a week, max, lol. And, no other acids or citrus!

Here's another iron supplement I came across. Much less vitamin C. 6.5 mg per serving. Not sure I like "nano" anything, and their science is a bit questionable, but it looks interesting.

https://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/angs ... -32-fl-oz/

Hmmm. I personally will leave off ingesting nano-sized particles of anything for now, even of iron. There's some concern that this type of formula could send a person' out of iron homeostasis (possibly causing iron overload) because the particles bypass the usual transport mechanisms thru cells of the gut walls. But my main concern is that the long-term effects are completely unknown, and we don't have a good track record with that kind of stuff. Some nano-particles - not ones found in food additives, but nevertheless - have caused physiological changes (enlarged villi) in the gut walls of chicken. Maybe I'm over-cautious.

Actually I realized the patches are said to be nano particles. They seem to be scientifically impossible, since the weight of the patch is less than 1/10 of the claimed weight of the nutrients in them. When I asked them about it, they said it was due to their special dehydration process, and basically magic.

Regarding nano-particles, apparently most of the IV iron formulations involve nano-particle iron. According to this article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3459360/

"Most IV iron agents are colloids with spheroidal iron-carbohydrate nanoparticles. Each particle consists of a carbohydrate shell that stabilizes the iron-oxyhydroxide core (Fe [III])." I had no idea that nano-particles are as common as they are. They've apparently been used in animal feed for years, and in iron infusions.

Since I don't absorb oral iron, I think I'm stuck with nano-particle iron, either by infusion, patch, or oral supplement.

Ah. Interesting.

Nanoparticles are common in nature, it is just that we haven't had a way to detect or see them until very recently. My area of technical expertise involves a specific form of iron sulfide that frequently exists as nanoparticles and these nanoparticles turn out to be one of the key ingredients to the start of VERY early life, where amino acids on Earth started to combine and ultimately lead to the formation of DNA.

I have been using the iron patches for a couple of weeks. But I have not had yet had any tests to see what effects they have had on my ferritin in levels. The discussion above seems to be somewhat inconclusive on their efficacy. I would be very interested to know if anyone has taken them and had success in raising their ferritin levels. If they work they would be a low cost alternative to IV therapy and would avert the side effects of oral iron.

I have been using patches for about 2 months and just yesterday went for a serum ferritin test. It was 68 before I started so will be interested to see what it is now. I get the results next week and will post then.

I googled around and could find very little credible information, and no reports from people who had used patches and had ferritin tests done. That said, there IS work being done in animal models testing transdermal (skin) absorption of iron preparations. The idea being that the number one nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron, and oral iron works slowly and many people can't tolerate it. IV iron works well, but is impractical for large populations and is expensive to use on a population basis.

I got my serum ferritin results last week and my iron had remained pretty much level. It was 66 and the last test (just before I started the iron patches) was also in the mid 60s - of course I have misplaced the note I made of the result. I am disappointed but at least it hadn't gone down. I am pretty convinced that I am one whose rls is improved by raising iron levels. I have started the heme iron now. Am taking 3 tablets per day which is working out very expensive but if it raises my iron well worth it. Will post results in about 3 months. The next step will be actually eating liver which I am hoping to avoid ...