Question:
i AM ADDICTED TO EATING CRUSHED ICE! IS IT TRUE THAT IT MEANS I AM POSSIBLY A

   — kelley G. (posted on July 21, 2004)

July 20, 2004
I assume you were trying to ask if you could be anemic. The answer is YES. Craving crushed ice is a fairly common indication of low iron levels. It happened to me with both of my pregnancies and has happened as a post-op. Get thee to a dr. and get your iron levels checked.
   — Carolyn M.

July 20, 2004
Craving ice is a sign of anemia. Please have your lab work done asap. I waited and got into real trouble. If your level drop to low you may experience shortness of breath and or chest pains. My levels are so low that I now take iv iron therapy once a week for eight weeks and than it will be bi-weekly. Depending on where I top out I may have to have therapy for the rest of my life. Our body post op does not absorb oral iron well. There is a protein in the lower portion of the stomach that helps with absorption of iron; since that portion in longer used, we can become anemic. Please consult with your doctor as soon as possible.
   — Lisa D.

July 20, 2004
When my anemia was at it's worst I would come straight home form work and head for the freezer for ice. You really need to have your iron levels checked. In my experience things only got worse after the ice chewing got really bad. Be sure to have your ferritin level checked also. This shows the iron reserves that your body has left.
   — Pamela B.

July 21, 2004
Yes, definately a sign of anemia.. sometimes you can also have other cravings, like with me, when I'm anemic I love the smell of magic marker. Yuck! LOL.. but that's what it can do to you.
   — SouthernMagnolia B.

July 21, 2004
Yes it is true.When I was anemic due to the surgery and also heavy periods I ate ice all day long. I craved it! I also craved beer badly,Im not sure why but as soon as I was infused with iron a few times both my cravings stopped. Weird!
   — Vel K.

July 21, 2004
Looks like we have a consensus!! This happened to my cousin about two years ago. She ended up in the hospital and it took a very long time for her to get her iron levels up. Please have your labs checked.
   — Ali M

July 30, 2004
Sounds like anemia to me. My husband was just diagnosed with severe iron deficiency anemia due to hemorrhoids, so I decided to read up on it. Please see www.webmd.com and do a search on anemia. It will give you an overview, symptom list, and treatment options. One of the symptoms is craving ice, which my husband did!!! But the first thing you should do is go see your doctor and have labs done. He/she will probably tell you to take an OTC iron supplement and I recommend SlowFE as it is gentler on your stomach than regular iron pills. Also, keep in mind that it takes awhile to recover from anemia, so don't stop taking the supplement until your doctor does a new set of labs and tells you that you can stop them. Hope this helps and good luck.
   — jkardad