im 16, im iron deficient, is it serious?

Question

the doctor said im iron deficient and vitamin d deficient.

i have an extremely pale complexion, compared to other parts of my body which are mored tanned it looks odd, its not a pretty pale but a really pasty, unhealthy pale :l
i get really tired all the time and my period is very heavy and i get more exhausted when i have it. my nails chip easily and i get lots of bruises and never know where they come from. my heartbeat is pretty fast (i dont really exercise much though) and i generally feel weak a lot of the time.
from this, does it sound serious or normal for an iron deficient teenager? i take vitamin d and iron FGF tablets but i dont know if theyre working, i still feel tired and my complexion is still pasty. is there any natural way to make my complexion more tanned, will the tablets eventually help?

Answer 1

Iron Deficiency causes fatigue and lack of energy, and it is important for transferring oxygen in the blood to the muscles around your body. It may not be life threatening but it is serious to your wellbeing!



Tablets are one thing, but iron supplements may not work for everybody. There are some side effects like diarrhoea.



I can't believe no one has mentioned this. Please look at your diet and what you eat! Red Meat is rich in iron! Try and get least 3 decent serves of red meat a week. Also, green leafy vegetables are good too. Also, Calcium. Eat at least 3 serves of dairy a day as this will help your bones and your nails! Some brands of milk have extra vitamin D added, such as PhysiCal (in Australia..but there should be your country's equivalent somewhere).



Another VERY important thing is to get enough sun! Sunlight naturally helps you body make Vitamin D as it reaches your skin. (20-30 mins a day is good, dont burn though!)



It also sounds to me like you may be on a vegetarian or vegan diet, While achievable, being healthy on such diets can be really tricky, especially for teenagers as they are still growing. If you are on such a diet, consider going off or relaxing it for your own health benefits or look to other alternatives such as soy milk, eggs, tofu, green leafy vegetables, nuts and legumes. And you have to eat a lot!



If your period is very heavy, it is no doubt contributing to your iron loss and you should also get tests for PCOS and such and medications can help regulate that if you do. A nutritionist\doctor can help you get on track too.



I hope this helps good luck hun!

Answer 2

Wow, I just asked a question like this a couple days ago. Girl, I'm always cold, I always get headaches, I bruise RANDOMLY and never everrrr know where they come from. I run a lot - at the gym. And my heartbeat it fine, however, I can just be sitting down and my heartbeat starts racing. I always fall asleep in the car, when someone else is driving of course, I feel weak and lightheaded when I stand up or when I try to focus my eyes off into the distance. But anyway, I looked this up on (google) .. shh. lol. And it looks like these are all things that contribute to the effects of low iron. I'm going to the doctor in a few days to get tested - AND i work in a pharmacy. So, I will probably have a better answer later on. But I asked the pharmacist I work with and he said that the tablets should work and that the complexion is just from having thinner blood than usual, so it's nothing to be concerned about as long as you're getting proper treatment. Drink a lotttt of orange juice (that's been my craving lately) because it has a lot of sugar. And if you're just taking the swallow-able pills, you could maybe switch over to the chewables. They have nice flavors and they spread out in your blood stream evenly - more so than the tablets. Just make sure you're keeping up with how many of those tablets you're taking, because just like any other form of medication, a simple overdose can be harmful.

Answer 3

Take the medicine the doctor gave you and finish the prescription. Don't be so impatient. It takes a while for your body to metabolize the iron and vitamins. Give them time to work. Don't do anything for the tan unless it's topical (used on the skin). There are all kinds of bronzers to help with that. No pills!

Answer 4

Iron deficiency is called Anemia. And no its not a big problem. just take your iron tablets and you should be fine. Yes they will eventually help.

Answer 5

You should go to your GP and let them diagnose you. The symptoms could be from several conditions. Diabetes makes you excessively tired, along with drinking and going to the loo all the time. An underactive thyroid gland can cause tiredness. Get to your GP and let them do the tests and start living again.

Answer 6

comply with the meds, eat liver and green leafy veggies. take up citrus juices coz vit. C increases iron reabsorption.



hope this helps

Answer 7

no , its common, get a good multivitamin