Ferritin levels

I was originally put on Effxr for “anxiety,” “fatigue,” and an overall feeling that my nervous system was falling apart. Over the years, those symptoms were treated as a chemical imbalance or mental-health issue, and venlafaxine became the long-term solution.

But I’ve just learned something that changes the entire story for me:

My core problem was never psychological.

It was severe iron depletion (extremely low ferritin) that went undetected for years.

Hemoglobin was always normal, so doctors assumed I was fine. But ferritin — the actual iron storage form — had been crashing for decades. And low ferritin affects:

• thyroid function

• mitochondrial energy production

• autonomic nervous system stability

• oxygen delivery

• adrenal compensation

• sleep regulation

In hindsight, every symptom I was medicated for was actually consistent with catastrophic cellular iron deficiency, not anxiety:

• chronic fatigue

• stress intolerance

• racing heart

• dizziness

• feeling “revved up” but exhausted

• emotional volatility

• cortisol surges

• inability to recover from exertion

• constant inner tension

• afternoon crashes

• hypersensitivity to stimulation

Looking back now, it’s almost shocking that this wasn’t caught earlier — but no one ever checked ferritin, only hemoglobin.

I’m not sharing this to give medical advice.

I just want to put this out there because:

Some of us were put on Effxr for symptoms that weren’t mental health issues — they were physiological issues no one was looking for.

If you’ve ever felt like your “anxiety” came out of nowhere, or like your body was collapsing for reasons that didn’t match your life circumstances… or if you’ve had heavy periods, ongoing fatigue, dizziness, or trouble regulating your stress baseline, it might be worth asking your doctor to include ferritin in your labs.

I lived nearly 25 years thinking something was wrong with my brain.

It turns out something was wrong with my iron metabolism.

Just sharing in case it helps even one person realize they weren’t broken — they were misdiagnosed.

If anyone wants details about what my ferritin levels were or what symptoms finally gave it away, I’m happy to share my experience.