Iron: What gets it down?

[mike716]

Okay, I'm probably posting too much. So I'll ease up after this one. But I've seen some suggestions by forum members about how to get down iron levels, and I thought it would be a nice idea if everyone who knew of some way to do it posted it so that we'd have a list of them. I'm into organizing things. I know it's annoying but I can't help it, it's a mania of mine.

Like, I saw a post from MerryBe about a drug named desferal or something that reduces iron and maybe could even replace plebotomy. She also mentioned that black tea binds iron. I didn't know either of these things. I've got high iron and i want to get it down, if possible before starting therapy.

There's this webpage I read (http://lefcms.lef.org/protocols/infections/hepatitis_c_01.htm) that says: " Despite substantial scientific evidence, however, few physicians implement iron-depletion therapy before beginning antiviral therapy. This partially accounts for the high failure rate of conventional drugs in eradicating the virus (Boucher E et al 1997; Martin-Vivaldi R et al 1997; Tsai NC et al 1997). So it seems like it might be important for me to start doing something now rather than later about my high iron, but I don't really know what to do. I mean, there's lactoferrin and IP6/Inositol as supplements, but there are also probably a lot of other things that reduce iron. I'd really like to know what they all are so I could decide what to take.

Maybe others would benefit from the same info.

So, if I'm not making too much of a pain in the a$$ of myself, could I twist everyone's arm who knows something about this to post it here?

Thanks!

Mike

[MKAndrew]

First of all, I agree with whoever said to stop the supplements.  You never know.  You might be taking a supplement that could impair your upcoming treatment.  Being "convinced they're good for you," well, you need to come up with a better reason than that, like proof of deficiency.  If you're really concerned about vitamins and minerals, your doctor can test you for deficiency.  If you've got high iron, stop taking iron.  

Regarding iron and treatment, last time I checked, there was no proof that iron interferes with treatment results.  When you settle down after finishing treatment, you can take care of your iron problem then, if you even still have it.  There are 2 types of hemochromatosis.  One is genetic, the other is secondary to liver disease.  If you cure the liver disease, that in itself might stop your iron transport problems.  If your iron overload persists after you finish treatment, the only safe way to remove it from your body is phlebotomy (bloodletting).  Desferal is dangerous, as is any type of iron chelation.  True chelators can drop a lot of iron into your kidneys at once and destroy them.

[GSDgirl]

It didn't need   to be pure for what we used it for.........cut.....that was 25 years ago.  good luck finding the purer stuff

[mike716]

Hi, Denise. You may be right about Inositol being some sort of vitamin, but the trick is to get it in a form where it's relatively pure so you don't have to take big doses of the other things at the same time. Sure, they sell it at GNC and the Vitamin Shop, and probably at all the online nutrient places, but I'm trying to avoid dealing with customs and import duties and all that. You can't imagine what it's like dealing with any kind of burocracy or authority down here in the Southern Hemisphere. They make everything as difficult as possible so that you have to bribe them. And if you're a yank, the bribe is ten times a big as for an Argentine. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

There's gotta be some inositol around here somewhere. Even if I've gotta manufacture it myself from plants.

M.

[GSDgirl]

isn't inositol just a powdered b vitamin?  We used to buy it in GNC many years ago.  Or can't you buy it online?

[mike716]

My doctors here don't have the time to bother about stuff like high (but not TOO high) iron levels. They have around two hundred HCV+ patients each, most of whom are a lot worse than me. So I've got to try and get my iron down all by myself, at least for the time being.

Serum ferretin of 300 is not good. Not when normal is around 50.

It's too bad I can't get lactoferrin or inositol here in Argentina, but I'm gonna keep looking until I find something that's a good iron chelator. I can't drink fifty cups of green tea every day...

Mike

[GSDgirl]

I was thinkin' the same thing as what trinity says.