Hair loss due to over medication, when can I ex... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

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Hair loss due to over medication, when can I expect it to stop?

19 Replies

After 2 years of being adamant that I was not over medicated, chronic pain, weakness, discomfort and twitching in my hands/arms and spreading to my legs caused me to eventually give in to the GPs and reduce meds quite significantly. Pain drastically improved (though still lingers) yet my hair loss hasn't stopped. I was taking 40mg T3 and 25mg T4 when the pain began (October 2013), dose was changed to 50mg T3 only in November and pain worsened and hair loss began (I'd already been very overmedicated according to my bloods for a year and half at this point). In attempts to sort out the pain my meds were altered a lot from December up until 6 weeks ago. I don't even remember what doses I was on but around 30mg T3 100mg T4 something like that. 6 weeks ago we finally connected the hair loss and pain to over medication and reduced my dose to 20mg T3 50mg T4. Like I said the pain and discomfort lingers but is significantly better but the hair loss remains :( I'm due a blood test this week but I'm sure on this dose my bloods would be in the 'normal' range

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19 Replies
Moggie profile image
Moggie

Have you every had your ferritin tested as if this is below 80 this will cause hair loss. Mine was very low but since it has steadily climbed up to near 80 my hair loss has has improved no end.

If you have never had your ferritin checked then please get your GP/endo to do so.

I also use a really good shampoo and conditioner that has helped a lot if yiu would like the name.

Moggie x

Thyroidmeg profile image
Thyroidmeg in reply to Moggie

What's the shampoo called?

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to Thyroidmeg

Link below but you must get system 2 for thinning hair - as I have said, it is cheaper on Amazon and if you use the thyroiduk Amazon link they will also benefit. I couldn't link to Amazon as it kept taking me straight into my Amazon account so linked to Beauty bay just to show you what the product is.

Moggie x

in reply to Moggie

Been using this since 1st January and still losing hair! Currently having one week break from it then will start using again. Must confess to colouring my hair for over 35 years so perhaps that hasn't been helping!

Was reading that L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology shampoo, conditioner and serum is supposed to make hair look thicker.

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to

I must confess to not knowing if it is this shampoo/conditioner or my improved ferritin levels that has stopped my hair shedding so much. As I said I did you something else last week and my hair was awful so went back on it.

For really nice hair you cannot beat the dancing Dolphin stuff - expensive but if you are going somewhere special its well worth it (and you get a 10% discount if you but thyroiduk in the appropriate box), now that really does add bounce but like most hair products it does tend to wear off if you use it constantly.

If you get the L'Oreal stuff you'll have to let me know what its like.

Moggie x

Yes I can't get my ferritin up! I take 2 spatone a day and that gets it up to around 50, as soon as I decrease the amount of spatone I take it drops back down, it's 26 at the moment... I also eat really well too - well I do eat some junk etc. but I definitely eat plenty of the right things so shouldn't be deficient in any way. Let me know what shampoo it is, though my hair itself is in fantastic condition - my hair dresser says she never sees such healthy hair!

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to

Spatone is not a good iron supplement to take as it has a very small amount of iron in it, 5mg to be precise, whereas the iron I am taking (ferrous sulphate) has 65mg in it. If I were you I would ditch the spatone and try another type of iron supplement as I doubt you levels will ever improve enough whilst you are taking such a small amount of iron.

My levels have gone from 16 to 67 (although this has taken me 9 months) but the higher my ferritin levels are the less hair I lose.

I automatically thought, when you said your hair was falling out, that you had thin hair but it seems I am wrong so maybe my shampoo and conditioner wont help you as it is specifically for thinning hair but here is a link anyway. It is cheaper on Amazon if you are interested.

beautybay.com/haircare/niox...

Moggie x

marram profile image
marram in reply to Moggie

Hi Moggie, Thanks for the link - I just went online to get some of this - I will post a review when I've tried it.

I have to wear a scarf when I cook lately or the food gets hair in, it is so fine you can't see it - but by heck you can certainly feel them. UGH. I have thrown meals away it's such a problem. I now wear a turban-style scarf and a tea-lady overall to cook meals!

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to marram

Nice look, we'll have to start calling you Mrs Overall - do you wear the baggy stocking as well.lol.

It takes a while to work - I actually thought it wasn't until I tried a "normal" shampoo a few weeks ago and noticed the difference as soon as I started to blow dry it (could easily stand out in a slight breeze with the same effect.lol) so quickly went back to the Nioxin again.

Hope it works as well for you.

Moggie x

HarryE profile image
HarryE in reply to Moggie

I had the Nioxin scalp dermabrasion treatment and it was really good for the itching, highly recommended by me :-)

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle in reply to marram

Omg marram this happens to me too. Have been out for dinner, had chair pulled out for me and by the time my bum hit the chair there was already hair on the table.

Neeta-K profile image
Neeta-K

Not to confuse things but Dermatologists have told me hair starts falling out 6 weeks to 3 months after a trigger. So if they are right.. try and remember what dose you were on back then and if you felt hypo/hyper. I keep a diary to help.

I also use the above shampoo. My hair stopped falling out last October. And I hope it stays that way! I haven't tried to stop the shampoo like Moggie, so I don't know if it helps, but I like the volume it gives my hair.

motherelle profile image
motherelle

If you read the small print on the add for the Loreal advert it says tested on bleached hair . I only noticed this after buying all 3 products .Used it at least 10 times now and not noticed any difference .I have a few bleached high lights .

Well my hair has always been fine/thin and always fallen out a bit more than i'd liked but always very healthy - it's not snapping off it's falling out from the roots (bulb ends) and it is of a healthy thickness and my natural black colour up until about 2 inches before the roots when it suddenly looks extremely thin and lighter and tapers off to nothing by the root. But the majority of the hairs on my head can't be like this as otherwise it'd be overall noticeably thinner near the roots, which it isn't! Strange, my hairdresser couldn't see any problems with the health of my hair/scalp and suggested it may be stress related. Not sure!

Ferrous sulphate tablets give me a very bad stomach (but then again what doesn't!) might be able to tolerate half spatone half ferrous sulphate.

humanbean profile image
humanbean in reply to

If you were to be prescribed iron supplements by your doctor, then he/she would have several supplements to choose from. Take a look at the BNF (British National Formulary) - the directory of drugs that your doctor can prescribe for you - and read what it says about iron supplements :

evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/b...

You can buy iron supplements without prescription from most, but not all, pharmacies (Boots insist on a prescription).

Personally I use ferrous fumarate 210mg, 3 times per day. A box of 84 tablets costs less than a fiver and lasts 28 days. Take each iron pill with 500mg - 1000mg of Vitamin C.

I've also read several times about a product called Proferrin which can only be bought from the USA but is apparently really fabulous and works very quickly indeed. But I've never tried it personally. I think it is quite expensive.

Hope this helps.

in reply to humanbean

Thanks for the advice. My GP's don't want me on iron because they consider me in the normal range (the lower end is 19, my ferritin was 21 which they consider normal. I'm not actually anaemic though my full blood count is always very good) they prescribe me spatone because my endo asked them to but I think they may not give it me for much longer! I don't mind buying iron supplements though if I am able to - I know I got the original ferrous sulphate tablets I had without prescription.

If my blood iron level is fine and I'm nowhere near anaemic, is it advisable to be taking iron?

HarryE profile image
HarryE in reply to

Your ferritin needs to be above 70 to enable your thyroid hormone to be used properly, and probably a bit higher for hair regrowth

in reply to HarryE

Ok thanks will work on that... I think there may be another cause as back when my ferritin was 21 (my latest results were 26) my hair wasn't falling out like now. Will get my ferritin up though. Is there a reason for having such low ferritin? Can't seem to get/keep it up!

HarryE profile image
HarryE in reply to

I think, although I am pretty new to all this myself, that your levels of iron, b12, folate etc drop while you body is trying to compensate for the falling thyroid hormone. Eventually you reach a tipping point and all the symptoms kick in and you have deficiencies to cope with as well as low thyroid. So to support your thyroid and get your other levels up as well is quite a job.

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