Feeling worse in the morning with anaemia?

Allergies, blood and immune system
1

Hi,

so i already posted a discussion a couple days ago because I started to feel very weak after my period last week. This is the worst I've ever felt since I found out I am iron deficient. Around the last period I remembering feeling slight weakness but I thought this was because of anxiety (last period I still didn't know I had iron deficiency, I got my blood test and results shortly after) but it wasn't nearly as bad as now. The week during my period I remember feeling kind of off and weird and finally when it ended I started to get hit with extreme weakness this past week. I've just been taking 150mg of iron supplement pills and I thought it was helping but obviously not. So on Saturday when I was feeling probably the weakest I took some floradix as well and noticed within a couple minutes some of my energy was restored. So since that day I've been taking 150mg iron pill and 2x a day about 30mg of floradix. I've started feeling better everyday since then but I notice that in the morning I am considerably weaker than I am in the afternoon. Yesterday I really noticed my energy spiked in the afternoon  and I was able to eat a lot more, walk around the house and do things I enjoy like playing guitar. Now I've woken up this morning and I'm feeling quite anxious because I feel weak again. My feet and hands are cold, my fingernails are pale, stuff like that. Does anyone with iron deficiency feel weaker in the morning like I do? I'm also considering if I should go to the doctor and maybe ask if it would be good to ask for some birth control to stop my perido for a while, as I fear they will keep draining my iron stores. Any advice will help! And yes, I have been taking my supplements with vitamin C. 

2

Hi, I’m always worse in the mornings. I bleed horribly during the night. I don’t have diabetes but my blood sugar is oddly always high upon awakening and once I get up and eat it goes back down.   I’m not sure why our bodies do weird things in the mornings. 

3

Hi dominika20801,

Can I ask a few questions, based on what you've written ?

1. When in the day, do you take the 150mg iron supplement, and when the Floradix ?

2. Is the 150mg iron supplement simply iron ?  i.e. no other Vitamins etc. mixed in.

3. Before you were diagnosed as iron deficient, would you have said your diet provided you with iron - i.e. were there at least some iron content foods in your diet ?

4. At the lhe last period (sounds like approx. 5 weeks ago) before your most recent one, were you at that time diagnosed as iron deficient, and were you at that time, taking the 150mg iron supplement ?

I'm just trying to get as full a picture as possible.

I'll put some more thoughts down once you come back, but one possibility is that the Floradix comes with a variety of the other necessary Vits etc. (B12, B6 etc.), and maybe you're needing some of them, and that the other iron pill isn't fully effective on its own.  So maybe e.g. there's a B12 deficiency, or something else ?

I've got some other thoughts, but I'd rather wait till you come back on my questions above.

 

4

Hi Monkey123,

How high does the morning blood sugar go ?

It almost sounds like what Diabetics know as 'Liver Dump' (I understand also known as 'Foot on Floor&#39, where the Liver stores glucose, and releases it in case your system needs instant energy when you awake and start getting on with the day.  And as soon as you start eating, the Liver gets the message to pull back.

Although ....... whereas a Diabetic might have to compensate for the rise in sugar, a non-diabetic should normally have their own pancreas do that work.  So I'm not certain in your case why you're seeing a rise.

And my knowledge on 'Liver Dump' ends about there !  You'll find plenty of stuff on the web, but it still doesn't fully answer why as a non-diabetic you're getting the peak.

Guess it's a throw-back from when we all lived in caves, there were no choc bars handy, and T-Rex could be right around the corner at any time !!!

OK, enough about Liver Dump - I don't want to hijack dominika20801's main thread.

5

Hi,

ive been taking some floradix and iron pill in the morning and early afternoon and then some more floradix in the evening. I noticed these past 2 days when I took floradix in the evening I started to get weak feelings in my arms and legs, which is strange. I'm going to scale it back a little today and see how I feel. Today I changed the iron pill I took, I've been taking a pill with no other vitamins but I got my mom to buy me a different brand with vitamin C and folate (it says it is a prenatal supplement) and it is equivalent to 100mg of elemental iron so it is a bit weaker than the 150 but it might work or absorb better with the other vitamins. As for my diet, I'm not sure if it had a lot of iron, I know I don't eat a lot of red meat as I just prefer chicken but now I've started to eat more red meat as I know heme iron is very important. But I do frequently eat greens such as kale and spinach. My last period before this recent one I was still not diagnosed with iron deficiency so I wasn't taking any iron supplement. I was taking a b12 supplement though because i suspected it might be the problem. Also recently, as In the past 2 days I've noticed I have clammy/sweaty feet and my toenails and nails are quite pale, sometimes blue tinged. I have suspicions that iron may be a factor, but that it may also be b12 as when I experience weakness it's like my arms and legs almost go numb and have no feeling (muscle weakness???) and I can feel tingling when I sit in certain positions that normally wouldn't bother me before. I am going to a doctor tomorrow to see if I could use some vitamin shots. 

6

I would also like to add my ferritin level is 15. So technically not anaemic, but quite low. It could have dropped? My doctor almost didn't tell me because I guess it wasn't flagged as low, but 15 is right in the bottom range of "normal." We called in and asked if my blood work was okay and they said yes but my mom insisted we come in to talk about it anyways, thanks goodness. 

7

Sorry, one more thing. I've been suspecting mono or some sort of virus like it as well. My sister dealt with mono like symptoms since around November (she is better now) and I told her how I'm feeling now and some of it matches up. I developed some really nasty anxiety when I had a flu like virus at the beginning of march and I've never had anxiety like that before. I usually don't get anxious when I am sick. I've pretty much been dealing with anxiety since then. I've just had some weird stuff like a random sore throat two weeks ago and really plugged ear, and now this muscle weakness which is also associated with mono. Ugh, I have no idea but it's possible I may have gotten it from my sister. 

8

It was 134 a few days ago and then I ate and mind you it was carbs. Like pancakes, eggs, potatoes and orange juice and about an hour later it was 92!?  Weirdest thing. 

9

"It was 134 a few days ago and then I ate and mind you it was carbs. Like pancakes, eggs, potatoes and orange juice and about an hour later it was 92!"

That sounds like a good breakfast to me !!!

If you're basing it all on the 90-130 range though, I would say that's still OK.  If you're sticking close to these numbers (and 134 & 92 are doing fine), then these aren't extreme readings.

That does sound a bit like morning 'Liver Dump' to me.  Whereas a diabetic could expect to keep going higher than 134, since their pancreas won't compensate.

 

10

I'll work backwards from your last post, only coz I spotted 'plugged ear' !

Not sure exactly what you meant by 'plugged ear' ?, but if you're going to go check with the Doc (which I think is a good idea), maybe get the Doc to check for an inner ear infection, which a few folk have previously posted on, and some of the symptoms can be similar to anaemic symptoms.

Random sore throat - that could simply be taking on iron if your body doesn't want iron.  Could the timing of that match you loading up with new iron ?

" I noticed these past 2 days when I took floradix in the evening I started to get weak feelings in my arms and legs, which is strange."

"as when I experience weakness it's like my arms and legs almost go numb and have no feeling"

I'm not sure there !  But I definitely think you need to mention that to your Doctor, and if you're certain it was after you took Floradix, mention that as well.

You need to take your Doc's advice, as they will know your background better.  But make sure you tell him / her all the facts you've mentioned - e.g. numbness, tingly feet, night sweats etc.

My take is that it sounds like you were only borderline anaemic, and it's sounding like a number of problems have only appeared since you started on iron supplements - am I interpreting that right ?  Therefore ........ stop the supplements, and then measure how you are in a week's time.

The body can take quite a drop in Haemoglobin, before you need to worry.  And it can run on low Haemoglobin for a long time.  Yes, that would be tiring, and not ideal, but better to be sure your body actually needs iron.

If your body desperately wants iron, it will make you hunger for the appropriate foods, as it does during pregnancy.

I would say talk to Doc, mention possible inner ear infection, get their advice on the cardiovascular symptoms you're noticing, and lose the iron for a week.  You mentioned kale and spinach, so I doubt you need anymore !  In fact, I'd go so far as to say, lose the kale and spinach for a week as well.

I hope that helps.

 

11

i just asked google the same thing and ended up here. I have bled so much from hyperplaisia in my uterus that my blood count went from 134 to 108. I definately feel worse in the mornings!! I feel dizzy, weak, heavy . I start to live a little at noon and start to feel semi-normal after supper around 8pm. i am at my best from 8-11 pm. Its very strange to me but everyday is exactly the same! So my answer to your question would be YES! Why? I have no idea!

12

Yes! I have the same experience as you. I have recently been diagnosed with anemia due to heavy periods. I started taking iron 2-3 weeks ago. I take the iron at night, 2 hours after dinner. I feel good between 8pm and 12am (midnight) but awful in the morning when I wake up. Shaky, nauseated, weak and nervous. @dominika20801 did things work out for you?

13

Hiya,

It’s been a few years since the original post. I hope you managed to get your iron levels sorted.
I’m 30 weeks pregnant with low iron levels. I’m not classified as anaemic as my level is 109 and threshold for pregnancy anaemia is < 105. However, for the past 2 week I’ve really not been feeling great; shortness of breath, fatigue & weakness. These symptoms are notably worse in the morning. I’m currently sat on the couch out of breath and feeling like I could go back to sleep after a 10 hours of sleep!
I just started on prescribed ferrous sulphate tablets 200g x2 per day. Doc prescribed as although I’m not anaemic, I am symptomatic. I’m hoping they take effect soon, as feeling like this is awful and sure it’s not healthy for the baby.