Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I went to the doctor for abnormal fatigue and exercise intolerance. Lab testing showed a serum ferritin level of 26 ng/mL as well as a low vitamin D 25-hydroxy serum level of 25.6 ng/mL. My doctor prescribed 2000IU of vitamin D daily to get the vitamin D levels back on track but said nothing of the ferritin because it was "normal" according to the lab and I did not have anemia. I did my own research and decided to take this iron supplement which my doctor approved of since she personally considered that level "low-normal." I am not sure why the label of this supplement says to take with food when so many foods will render the supplement useless. According to the Iron Disorders Institute (http://www.irondisorders.org/diet/) it seems almost everything interferes with iron absorption: Eggs Calcium (milk, yogurt, cheese, sardines, canned salmon, tofu, broccoli, almonds, figs, turnip greens, and rhubarb) Oxalates (tea, spinach, kale, beets, nuts, chocolate, wheat bran, rhubarb, strawberries and herbs such as oregano, basil, and parsley) Polyphenols (cocoa, coffee, apples, peppermint and some herbal teas, spices, walnuts, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries) Phytates (walnuts, soy protein, fiber, almonds, sesame, dried beans, lentils, peas, cereals and whole grains) I began taking 1 of these every day in the afternoon between lunch and dinner, about 1.5 hours away from food (not quite the 2 hours the Iron Disorders Institute recommends). During the same period, I took a multi with vitamin D with breakfast (along with a separate magnesium supplement). The zinc in the multi, as well as the magnesium, inhibit iron absorption so I made sure to take these away from the iron. Within a few weeks of taking the supplements, I started to get a little energy back. I was no longer falling asleep in the middle of the day. Since I took different supplements at the same time, it is difficult to say if the energy improvement came from the vitamin D or the iron (I had been taking magnesium for my migraine disease for over 6 months already, so it wasn't that). My guess is it was the vitamin D, as I continued having symptoms of low ferritin which had grown to include palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain. I was sent to a cardiologist for EKGs, a 3-week heart monitor, an electrocardiogram (sonogram for the heart), a stress test, etc and was cleared of any heart issues. I even went to the ER once because the chest pain was accompanied by lightheadedness and tingling in my left arm and hand, signs of a serious heart problem. In the ER they did EKGs, chest x-rays, and troponin tests that all said I was fine - it wasn't my heart. Later I found out that tingling and lightheadedness are also symptoms of low ferritin. After 2 months of supplementing we retested and my serum ferritin level rose to 41, a rise of about 1.75 ng/mL per week for a total of 15 ng/mL! My D levels got up into the normal range too, at 38.69 ng/mL, eliminating that as the source of my problems. With a serum ferritin level of 41 ng/mL I was still having chest pain, but not as bad or as often. Some of the chest pain improved with massage of the pectoralis muscles. As the weeks continued to roll by I got better and better and could see the difference when I lifted weights. I was able to do the number of sets I used to do and no longer collapsed into sleep when finishing a workout. I continued taking the supplement for another 2 months until my level got up to 48 ng/mL and then stopped two months after that. Four months after I stopped, my ferritin was at 51 ng/mL and I have been symptom-free - no palpitations, no shortness of breath, no exercise intolerance. http://www.hormonesmatter.com/overlooked-cause-fatigue-low-ferritin/ This excellent article provides many links to pubmed research indicating the benefits of iron supplementation for women with unexplained fatigue and serum ferritin levels below 50 ng/mL. http://hairlossclinic.com.au/iron-deficiency-and-hair-loss-an-interpretation/ This trichologist talks about stopping women's hair loss when serum ferritin levels reach 70 ng/mL for at least three months. I got these articles to my doctor right after she listened to a speaker at a sports medicine conference who opined that for the best athletic performance, serum ferritin should be 60 ng/mL. For most folks, somewhere between 50-70 ng/mL is probably a good place to shoot for.