# Struggles and Support > Nutrition, Supplements and Exercise >  >  Check your iron...

## Antidote

Personally I have had anemia on and off for years. I am not sure when it started because I was first diagnosed with it when I was 14, but it may have started in childhood for all I know.  

I've been looking online and it seems iron deficiency is fairly common in depression and anxiety disorders. Also, today I found an article about how low iron levels in childhood and adolescents is linked to increased psychiatric risks. 





> In conclusion, patients with IDA (iron deficiency anemia) did have a higher risk of psychiatric disorders, including unipolar depressive disorder, BD, anxiety disorder, ASD, ADHD, delayed development, and mental retardation. When encountering patients with IDA in clinical practice, prompt iron supplementation should be considered to prevent possible psychiatric sequelae, because ID does impair the development of emotional regulation and cognition. And vice versa, psychiatrists should check the iron level in those children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Finally, further well-designed cohort studies are needed to elucidate the causality or comorbid effect between IDA and psychiatric disorders.



Not only that but I've been reading from other sources that iron metabolism may be altered in those prone to anxiety: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22035068 (In simple terms, the rats that were missing an important component of iron metabolism had an iron deficiency in the hippocampus leading to heightened anxiety). So it may not be that low iron itself causes anxiety, but that people who have iron metabolic abnormalities may be prone to developing a deficiency which then leads to anxiety.

So I guess everyone with an anxiety disorder should make sure to regularly check their serum ferritin and hemoglobin (you have to get both tested to really know if you are anemic). And keep it well controlled.

----------


## merc

A few years ago, actually when my anxiety levels were extremely high. I was very anemic. I was so low the doctors were wondering how I was up and walking around. I'm still not sure I can blame all my anxiety on anemia but I haven't had any real long lasting panic attacks in two years.

----------


## Antidote

Yes, mine have been extremely low too. Once I had a hemoglobin level of about 7 which is almost half of what it should be. I was blacking out when I stood up. I remember being very lethargic and not having any energy to socialise, so I was very withdrawn at that time. That may have contributed to my social anxiety in some way.

----------


## merc

I forgot my exact levels, but i think at one point it was a four. I don't remember being lethargic; however I had pica. Try figuring out why I thought a rock chip would taste good or chalk or crayons or dry uncooked noodles. I was also at times unable to stop eating.  I would feel so hungry and unsatisfied after eating. My weight kept going up, now I'm not as hungry. although I still could loose a few.

----------


## Antidote

> I forgot my exact levels, but i think at one point it was a four. I don't remember being lethargic; however I had pica. Try figuring out why I thought a rock chip would taste good or chalk or crayons or dry uncooked noodles. I was also at times unable to stop eating.  I would feel so hungry and unsatisfied after eating. My weight kept going up, now I'm not as hungry. although I still could loose a few.



Yes! I had pica too. I didn't actually go as far as to eat anything weird but I would get extremely weird reactions to certain odours... smells like petrol and certain markers actually made my mouth water. Now I've been treated for anemia I no longer enjoy these smells so I do think it was a pica type disorder. I would also binge eat, mostly on carbs, and I did develop an eating disorder (I no longer have one). But I wonder if the anemia was a catalyst for it...

----------


## Member11

I'm low in iron, but I don't like the side effects that comes with iron supplements, anyone worked out a way to deal with them?  ::\:

----------


## Antidote

> I'm low in iron, but I don't like the side effects that comes with iron supplements, anyone worked out a way to deal with them?



What kind of supplements are you taking? I can't take it in liquid form. It makes me extremely nauseous and once I actually puked. I prefer the ferro gradumet pills.

----------


## Member11

> What kind of supplements are you taking? I can't take it in liquid form. It makes me extremely nauseous and once I actually puked. I prefer the ferro gradumet pills.



I used to take those pills, and my bowels got messed up. It went all black and sticky.

----------

