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Injectafer Iron Infusions

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/25/2022 5:00 PM (GMT -8)
So my iron has been an issue since being diagnosed with UC. Supplements have done nothing for me.
My hemoglobin has improved since my UC symptoms have been better but my doctor wants to do the iron Injectafer infusion to bring it back up to normal.
My hemoglobin was at 8.6 in April. Now it’s at 9.2. So it has gone up, but not a lot.
Has anyone done this type of infusion? Did you have good results?
I’m hesitant to do another infusion. Is my hemoglobin not going up as much as it should? I’m not sure how long it takes to go back up.
Posted 7/26/2022 7:34 AM (GMT -8)
I've never had that type of infusion, but I do know my doctor told me it takes a long time for iron related readings to go back up. I don't know if your rate is slower than it should be or not. I was going to have to get the infusions if oral supplementation didn't work, but fortunately it did. I probably would have gotten them, if deemed necessary. When my iron is low, boy I am so fatigued.
Posted 7/26/2022 7:58 AM (GMT -8)
The crazy part, to me at least, is I don’t feel overly tired even though my iron is so low. I’ve probably just gotten used to it being low I guess.
It’s been about 4 months since all my UC symptoms and bleeding as stopped so I’m just wondering if that’s enough time to see a big change or not.
Posted 7/26/2022 8:19 AM (GMT -8)
I've had a ferrinject infusion which i assume is similar. It was fine. I'm not anaemic but tend to get low ferritin which is associated with symptoms like fatigue and hair loss. The infusion bumps ferritin levels up immediately.
I don’t take iron tablets because they can be aggravating for UC, and years ago when i did take them i had horrible stomach cramps.
Posted 7/26/2022 11:48 AM (GMT -8)
Yes ferrinject is the same thing I believe.
Did you notice a difference after getting the infusion? Did you have more energy? Did your levels go up a lot?
Posted 7/26/2022 12:37 PM (GMT -8)
I forget the exact numbers but my ferritin did something like go from 15 to 180. My haemoglobin didn't really change, but, I'm not anaemic. I can't say I noticed a difference in my energy levels or anything else to be honest. Sorry that's not helpful! The infusion was easy though.
Posted 7/26/2022 5:33 PM (GMT -8)
I am not familiar with Injectafer, but I just wanted to say that oral iron will often not help during UC flares. When the body reaches a certain level of inflammation, you get what's called 'anemia of chronic disease.' The body shuts off its iron absorption. It does this because high inflammation in nature is usually caused by infections like bacteria, and they feed on iron in order to grow. So the body shuts off iron absorption to protect itself. The only way to bypass this is with IVs.

I have been getting iron IVs for the past 2.5 years, once a month. I have been in remission for several months but still needing iron IVs. However, it now appears that I am absorbing iron again because my blood work shows the levels have not changed at all.

As a fellow UC patient, I recommend against oral iron. In addition to not absorbing, it is irritating to an inflamed colon and feeds bad gut bacteria. Anyone with UC who is chronically iron deficient should be getting IVs. My doctors sent me down the wrong path of trying all kinds of different formulations. All they did was make my flare worse, which means you bleed more, which is counterproductive.
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