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Ferritin decrease to 90ng from 115ng enough to increase RLS or augmentation risk?

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:20 pm
by Madmom02
Another clue in my RLS puzzle? Quick backstory: have severe RLS (legs, arms, trunk), started .125mg pramipexole Aug. 16, 2016, complete relief until Sept. 6, 2016. Had augmentation on sinemet in the mid-90's so suspected it again. Neuro raised dose to .25mg. Didn't help.

Had my ferritin level checked this week. It's dropped from 115ng/mL in Aug, 2015 to 90ng/mL (Sept, 2016). Don't know enough about iron levels to know how to quantify this drop (minor?). Neuro did not do a transferrin saturation test.

Questions:
1. Is drop big enough to be increasing RLS and/or leading to augmentation?
2. Should I request transferrin saturation test?
3. Should I start supplementing?
4. If yes to supplementing, am I correct in that the best way is to take 325mg ferrous sulfate (65mg elemental iron) on an empty stomach with orange juice?

Thank you in advance!
MadMom

Re: Ferritin decrease to 90ng from 115ng enough to increase RLS or augmentation risk?

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:15 pm
by stjohnh
1. Probably not. Ferritin is a pretty good test for our body storage iron, however is not a good test for brain iron concentration. However it is the best test that is commonly available.
2. No. Transferrin tells less about brain Iron than ferritin.
3. Yes. While there is a good chance that increasing your brain iron will not help, there still is a chance that it might. Iron supplementation is cheap and easy and since it may help is a good reason to do it.
4. The best way to take iron is to take ferrous sulfate 3 times daily, take it with at least 250 milligrams of vitamin C. OJ isn't acidic enough.

Re: Ferritin decrease to 90ng from 115ng enough to increase RLS or augmentation risk?

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:02 pm
by Madmom02
Holland, thank you!

Re: Ferritin decrease to 90ng from 115ng enough to increase RLS or augmentation risk?

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:55 am
by badnights
In answer to 1, I would say nobody knows enough. Fact is you may be augmenting, whatever your ferritin is doing. And I agree with holland on 2,3,4