Low Ferritin/Blood Iron levels, advice needed

[Wannabe]

I am a regular Blood Donor, and after my last donation on Monday 05/01/2026 the Blood Bank contacted me to inform me my blood iron levels were low and advised me to go see my Docter ASAP, which I promptly did. A full blood and stool test was done to try and establish what the situation is, and it transpired that my Ferritin levels was low at 9%, but no obvious reason for the low levels could be established.

We suspect it could be because my iron levels do not get enough time to recover between my blood donations. I do eat red meat, poultry and a range of greens, but obviously my body do not absorb it fast enough. My Docter placed me on a course of medicine to accelerate the absorption of iron to assist with the normal formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin. I have been taking this (QuadroFER) as prescribed for the last week, but a bit of research has taught me that to get the levels back to normal can take from three to six months, time which I do not have as the World Fun Championships is now in less than two months.

I did notice over the last few months that I'm quite lethargic, tired, more irritable than normal (I'm a Grumpy old Man by default) and that my performance on the bile took a downward curve as my legs always felt "dead" especially on climbs and when the group pushed the pace a bit. At first, I put this down to conditioning, but after the December ramp in training it is quite improbable. It got so bad that towards the end of December I had a hard time keeping my normal pace up climbs/ramps like of Polkadraai, etc. (this I later learnt is a symptom of the low Iron/Ferritin levels)

My question is, is there a way to increase/accelerate the return to normal levels safely and without possible negative effects. I have been back on my bike once since I started with the treatment course, with no improvement, as can be reasonably expected due to the long recovery period. 

 

Edited January 16 by Wannabe
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[RobertWhitehead]

Venofer is a drug that gets administered via a drip and will lift your levels after the first dose. It takes around 30min to administer in the consultation rooms, ask your GP if he'll consider it for you. It all depends on your current iron levels 

[Anthem24]

 This happened to me too -- I started giving blood again after two decades and thought it was perfectly safe to give blood every two months, but it's not. The Western Cape blood donation services only started monitoring ferritin a few years ago -- I got all my results out of them and it showed how my ferratin crashed down to 13. They warn you when it gets below 15, although the WHO considers >50 the ideal level. 

I was left a couple of thousand rand out of pocket, after the GP visit, blood tests and the meds.  The intravenous infusion is an option but does have some risks. You would have to be off the meds for a while before the infusion, I think -- because you can do a lot of long-term damage by over-dosing on iron.

Note that ferratin is your iron storage, and that will take a while to recover, while your iron (haemoglobin) levels may be fine and will respond quickly to diet and the meds. There's no quick fix unfortunately -- at least not in less than two months.

    

[Anthem24]

In 2018 the SA Blood Transfusion Service published a paper on the results of a survey.
ID = iron deficiency

"A total of 4412 donors were enrolled in the study. Specimens were collected for full blood count, iron, transferrin saturation, and ferritin assessment. Donor demographics were recorded.
ID was indicated by a ferritin level of less than 20 ng/mL for men and less than 12 ng/mL for women.
Anemia was defined as hemoglobin levels less than 12.5 g/dL.

A total of 17.5% of all donors had ID, with 16.3% prevalence in women and 18.6% in men. Among
male donors, an interdonation interval of less than 3 months was associated with ID."

Ref: Van Den Berg et al. 2018. Transfusion. doi:10.1111/trf.15001

[HdB]

Our GPs have prescribed Sideral Forte capsules for a few months, to me a few years a go, and currently to my wife.
Her iron stores were very low, but not so low that he wanted to use the infusion.

[HdB]

I clearly didn't read properly... 

You should be feeling significantly better by the time the CTCT comes round, though probably not yet 100%. Between your normal diet and the QuadroFer (I was on the SiderAl twice a day) you should be OK, keep in mind if you have a hard training session (esp indoor where you may sweat more) to plan a bit extra, ie. some Enduren cramp tablets or typical rehidration stuff with some iron in. 

Edited January 16 by HdB

[Wannabe]

Thank you for the feedback and advice, Guys. I must clearly be a bit more patient with the recovery.

[daveno7]

9 hours ago, Wannabe said:

Thank you for the feedback and advice, Guys. I must clearly be a bit more patient with the recovery.

take care with iron and taking it...it has have negative effects on your body as well as positive..

[Wannabe]

As my "condition" did not improve so much that I could feel a difference, I went back to my GP and now is scheduled for an Iron Supplement Infusion on Friday coming. Been told that this is the magic potion that will restore my pep. 

Let's wait and see what the result is going to be.

[Andymann]

I will gladly give you some of my blood - my Ferritin levels are so high I am allowed to give blood every two weeks 🫤

[Dusty]

1 hour ago, Wannabe said:

As my "condition" did not improve so much that I could feel a difference, I went back to my GP and now is scheduled for an Iron Supplement Infusion on Friday coming. Been told that this is the magic potion that will restore my pep. 

Let's wait and see what the result is going to be.

Please keep us updated. All the best.

[AccidentalGenius]

My MIL had very low iron levels. She tried to donate blood every 3 months, and was told her iron levels are too low and she can't donate. Went to her GP, he ran some tests, but couldn't figure out what was going on. 

She went to a dietician, she ordered more bloodwork and found out that MIL is gluten intolerant. Been on a gluten free diet now for 8 months and her iron problem has been mostly solved. 

Maybe this is something you could look into? 

[Wannabe]

1 hour ago, Andymann said:

I will gladly give you some of my blood - my Ferritin levels are so high I am allowed to give blood every two weeks 🫤

Thanks Andy, appreciate the offer. Lol...