My blood work came back with these two elevated (first time in my life) and Dr. says to get off all of my iron and B12. Concerned that the levels will drop in a few weeks and I'll feel rotten again.

Hi @canada1223, Your ferritin level at 138 is well within the normal range. It’s a safe bet that it raised since your last blood test because of the iron supplements. Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body stores.

If a ferritin test reveals that your blood ferritin level is lower than normal, it indicates your body's iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency. As a result, you could be anemic. Normal readings for women are 11 to 307 micrograms per liter and for men, it’s 24 to 336 micrograms per liter.

When your reading was at 23 it was in the low normal range for a female and below the norm if you’re a male, so your doctor has you on supplements to get you within a comfortable range. I’ve posted a link below that helps explain the importance of ferritin/iron in our bodies.

Vitamin B12 is a water soluable vitamin so it is readily removed from the body. If a reading is high and you’re not taking suppliments, that can be cause for concern for a liver condition. However, even by taking a minor suppliment and then having let’s say, a steak which is high in Vitamin B-12, that can increase the level in your blood for a short time. Most of the B12 gets flushed out in the urine; the rest is absorbed in the liver, kidneys and muscle tissues.

The standard reference range for B12 is 200 to 700 ppl. While an optimum range is 500 to 1300 ppl. There’s no evidence that Vit B12 does harm to the body. Now, if you are not taking suppliments and that level is high, then that can be an issue. But you are taking suppliments and there is Vit B-12 in a healthy diet.

In my opinion, I’d stop looking for answers with Dr Google and adding to your anxiety. ☺️ It’s easy to have another blood test run in a couple of months to ease your mind. Your doctor can run a liver panel to make sure there is no underlying source of concern. Have you asked your doctor about your results? What do they say?

Thanks so much Lori for your response! I really appreciate the time you took to reply. How did you know I was hanging out with Dr. Google? 😆
What concerned me was the speed at which my ferritin raised as the accounts I’ve read say an average increase of 10 ug/L per month is more to be expected. I was gaining more than that per week. So the quick upshot to both readings made me wonder if something else is at play.
Again thank you for answering me!

Have u been checked for hemochromatosis?
If your ethnicity is irish or from great britain , it is not uncommon to show up in post menopausal women and earlier in men.

I see a hematologist
I am iron deficient
You should have your saturation level checked
I get B12 shot monthly
I have received iron infusion s in the past
I wish you well

High levels can also mean inflammation in the body

My lab that does my blood tests results, told me not to take a B12 supplement within 24 hours of a B12 test because it raises the actual level to much.

As for Dr Google, read my answer to the person who answered your post.

Thank you, it only took a defective body with so many rare health problems to gain all that painful knowledge. Plus about 65 years of my life. I don’t know how many thousands of hours at the library I spent, before internet, looking thru medical books. I even had medical books loaned to me by University’s from all around my state from the lending library program.

My husband has B12 reading of 1643 and I'm also at a lost as to why it is so high. He has been cleared for cancer, liver disease and myeloprolifeative diseases, which the computer said could cause high B12. his ferritin is high at 1,309 and his iron is low at 15. So I share your concern but right now don't have any answers but will contact you if I learn something.

Interesting thread. I’ve had rising ferritin levels for 4 years with monitoring every 3 mos. It’s gone from 230 to now over 560. This last time my B12 was over 2000. Hit and miss, I take a B12 supplement. My iron stores are normal. No inflammation markers. Negative for hemochromatosis . I’m not obese, I do have medication controlled HBP and lipid levels as well as under control hypothyroidism which my PCP attributes that condition to having had Covid 3 times despite being fully vaccinated.
Has anyone had a similar situation? I’m not sure the high ferritin and high B12 are related.
Thanks in advance for any insights!