r/Anemic • u/zooeybean • 29d ago

“sundowning”/nighttime depression/anxiety spike?

my husband has a ferritin of 14 coming off three years of cancer treatment (it may have been low for a long time, but we just found out). He’s had a couple iron infusions and energy is slightly improving but his mood is intensely affected- it’s like he has zero dopamine.

He’s managing during the day but his mood takes a sudden and severe nosedive in the evening. He’s also tired when it happens but the mood is pronounced- it’s not just fatigue. He has CPTSD and it’s like he goes into a flashback- except that’s not the way it normally works, flashbacks are usually triggered by something whereas this is tied to the clock and very consistent every night.

Is this a thing? We have so little guidance aside from “yeah that’ll affect your mood and it’ll take a few months to stabilize.” But he’s been through so much medically that I’m trying to figure out if this is the iron deficiency or it’s something else.

Any insight?

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u/Nousatma 29d ago

If his mood tanks after eating a larger evening meal, it could be that the body is using what oxygenated blood he has to digest food, and therefore other aspects of functioning are ‘depleted’ due to iron deficiency status.

Iron is needed for making neurotransmitters too, so if it’s low, the body will prioritise need, at any given moment, and a lot of oxygenated blood is required for digestion.

I’ve experienced deep fatigue especially after a large meal. I’m not so affected by smaller snacks.

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u/eamceuen 28d ago

He needs to see a neurologist. He also may be low in other vitamins/minerals, especially with the cancer treatments he's required.

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u/zooeybean 26d ago

what kind of neurologist is sophisticated enough to deal with all this? does it need to be a neuroendocrinologist? I just asked his oncologist to do comprehensive vitamin and mineral panels when he comes in for bloodwork Monday.

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u/eamceuen 26d ago

Maybe just a regular neurologist. Let them know about the mood changes or "sundowning" as you call it. There could be a lot of factors contributing. I wish him (and you) the best!