New Med and Don't know what do

[debber]

Well I'm sitting here with a Nature Thyroid and I really am reluctant to take after being off Armour for about ten weeks now and not by my choice. My hair has been going crazy texture wise and shedding and now I see this med has temp hair loss for about three months . I'm so sad by all this as my hair used to be so pretty and now it's a hot mess. I don't know if I can take any more shedding and maybe need to not take anything right now until i get More leveled with my body not having the Armour. I really don't know the answer.

[Hennerton]

If you need thyroid hormone and are taking nothing, your hair will definitely suffer, plus all your other organs. You will soon be very hypo. Why did you stop Armour?

[debber in reply to Hennerton]

I stopped it because I wasn't getting my shipments and kept calling them and come find our severals others were in same boat. I called my doctor and she called this other med in

[shaws Administrator]

I found Nature Throid great. I think you will feel fine on it. Hair Loss is also a symptom of hypothyroidism and when you get to an optimum dose of thyroid hormones your hair should come back.

At least you are taking all the hormones that our body lacks and Hennerton is right re heart etc.

[debber]

Thanks Shaws. I hate that all this happened. It makes me so sad. I'm so sick of it shedding. I've notice hair coming back in already but shedding and knotting still.

[shaws Administrator in reply to debber]

You wont be as sad as me as I have had repeat alopecia areata (bald) for 4 years now, it starts falling around Feb and begins to come back around October. My hair loss is another autoimmune condition.

I hope it doesn't start again in another couple of months as it is growing again but this time with bald patches.

P.S. I have found Nizrol Shampoo very good, I have used it this last time and it helped a lot as I didn't go completely bald.

[debber in reply to shaws]

Shaws, what causes that and there has be something they can do. I'm so sorry. I heard primrose oil good too. Also don't use anything such as irons and hair dryers and go natural. There has be something they can do. Is this something that will go away?

[debber in reply to debber]

I'm not so sure that all my hair loss is from thyroid and think some is due to coming off the Armour

[shaws Administrator in reply to debber]

Sometimes when you begin a new product there is some shedding of hair but it usually recovers.

[shaws Administrator in reply to debber]

I hope so but it is another autoimmune condition and I since read that if you have one there's a chance you will get more.

I had PA first, then hypo, then alopecia. But, you have to look on the bright side, as it could be a lot worse in that some get more serious illnesses. I did well on Nature Thyroid and am now on T3 alone and it suits me too. Lots of people spend years trying to find a suitable medication but are prevented by the guidelines. I feel well, have energy, and have normal health at the moment so am enjoying life.

Oh! I have a couple of nice wigs - probably better than my own hair

[debber in reply to shaws]

I hope so too Shaws. It's all so complexing. What's crazy about being off Armour is I feel great and my nails are growing better than when I was on Armour and there is new hair coming in so I'm confused with all this but am shedding a lot. One would think your nails wouldn't grow with hypo.

[debber in reply to debber]

And I know about the wigs as I had one when I went thru breast cancer and I never had a bad hair day and I did like mine but I couldn't wear all time. I hope they find a cure for all of this as it truly is devastating .

[shaws Administrator in reply to debber]

Maybe it's the fillers/binders that don't agree with you. This is what I found very good.

hairlosstalk.com/hair-loss-...

[debber in reply to shaws]

I will try this Shaws. It looks like a great product. I will let you know how it does.

[Ritaritarita in reply to shaws]

If you pm me I can give you a number for shampoo for hair loss the professional. I am a cosmetologist/ hairdresser. It might be expensive but I trust these people, I buy most of my supplies from them. X x

[debber in reply to Ritaritarita]

Hi Ritaritarita,

Thank you, that would be awesome. I start a new job on Tuesday and I will definitely buy some of it in the future. I didn't realize it's best to use stuff like this. I will try it. I will send you a message. Thank you again!!!

[CarolineC57]

Hi Debber - sorry you're suffering with this. But I'm a bit confused here. Won't coming off Armour have worsened your hypothyroidism, and that will have caused the hair loss? My hair falls out like crazy. I was left untreated on the NHS but I've been taking NDT myself now since last June. There's a long way to go with all my other symptoms, but I have noticed that my hair isn't coming out as much now. It takes time to build your hormone levels back up again so please try the NDT, be patient, and see if it helps you. Good luck!

[debber in reply to CarolineC57]

Hiya Cariline!!!

Well, I've shedded before with my thyroid but not like this. I feel like I'm on chemo and yes, I went thru chemo at one point n my life, I think some of the shedding is from coming ff Armour as when i went on it I shedded bad too. I wonder how long it takes for it to be out of my body

[Jackie]

Hi Nature Thiroid is the same formula as armour but much cheaper.

Jackie

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Jackie]

It is the same active ingredient, but it is NOT the same formulation:

Naturethroid®

nature-throid.com

Patient brochure:

nature-throid.com/images/30...

Manufactured by RLC Labs in the US rlclabs.com

Information below sourced from Patient Information Leaflet Rev021111/01

Active Ingredients:

38mcg levothyroxine (T4) and 9mcg liothyronine (T3) per one grain (65mg)

Other Ingredients:

Colloidal Silicon Dioxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Lactose Monohydrate (Present in traceable amount as part of Thyroid USP [diluent]), Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearic Acid, Opadry II 85F19316 Clear.

Armour® Thyroid

armourthyroid.com

Manufactured by Forest Pharmaceuticals in the US (forestpharm.com)

Information below sourced from Patient Information Leaflet dated January 2010

Active Ingredients:

38mcg levothyroxine (T4) and 9mcg liothyronine (T3) per one grain (60mg)

Other Ingredients:

Calcium Stearate, Dextrose, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sodium Starch Glycolate, Opadry white.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

Rod

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

If you read earlier posts by this poster, you can see why:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Rod

[greygoose]

It's a bitch, isn't! Last May/June, all my hair fell out in one go when I washed it one day! As luck would have it, it was just before my appt with my doctor. I went in with a tear-streaked face and a woolly hat. He looked at my scalp and had the nerve to say, oh, that's normal at your age!!! I'm 69, but still, I know others older than me who still have a full head of hair!

He said well, must be normal, because there's nothing else wrong with you (?), I've tested everything and everything is purfect. Lying toad!!! He had reluctantly tested my TSH, FT4 and FT3, B12 and ferrritin. He refused to test anything else as nothing else was important - according to him. My TSH was suppressed, which he didn't like, but I refused to reduce. FT4 Under-range (T3 only), and T3 at the top of the range. However, ferritin was too high (inflammation?) and B12 350ish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ferritin over-range did not mean that my serum iron was high enough (as my doctor believed). And B12 should have been more like 800! But for him that was perfect and there was 'nothing wrong' with me. Needless to say, I never went back to see him.

So, I immersed myself in the world of woolly hats, caps, bonnets and even a trilby! I tried a wig but didn't like it. And as I didn't have to go out much, didn't really feel the need. Just went bald-headed indoors, my family didn't mind. And gradually, without me noticing it, under the clôche hat, my hair started to grow again... It's still not long, nor perfect, but I'm getting there.

All that to say that many things can cause hair-loss, and sometimes we never find out why. Symptoms can lag a long time behind the deficiency. Especially problems with hair and nails. But, in the end, nature wins out and the hair grows again. I very much doubt if you're going permenantly bald!

Get iron tested, and testosterone - two prime suspects. And vit D, B12, folate, magnesium and zinc. Get back on your thyroid hormone asap, don't wait, you'll just make things worse. keep your scalp supple by masaging it every time you wash your hair, and brush the remaining hair over your head with a stiff brush every morning to increase blood flow to the scalp. If the scalp stiffens then the hair can't regrow. Biotin (well, a B complex) could help, as could evening primrose.

Have a look at these links :

naturalnews.com/047512_hair...

thyroidpharmacist.com/blog/...

Hugs, Grey

[faith63 in reply to greygoose]

I really hate doctors!

[greygoose in reply to faith63]

Oh, me too!!!

[debber in reply to greygoose]

Yeah they think they know everything and here we sit listening to our bodies and know best when something is wrong. And then all they want to do is put you on psych meds like you're crazy. That's the resolution for most of them. I know things are not an exact science but they could at least be thorough and not act like "it's normal". And just to think that they went to med school for that.

[greygoose in reply to debber]

Actually, when they say 'it's normal', they actually mean 'I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about so I'll just pretend'!

There's a whole list of little phrases like that that they all say. I truly believe that when they graduate, they are handed a little booklet called '1001 Things to Say When I don't Know What I'm Talking about'; things like 'there's a lot of it about', and 'there's no connection', etc. Stock phrases to help get them out of a tight spot!

[debber in reply to greygoose]

I agree Grey and oh, then treat you like your crazy and write you a script for psych meds. That's what got me when I went to the doctor initially. she tried to put me on meds and I didn't take them and I told her, too, that that wasn't the problem. I wonder how many people are walking around taking psych meds and the real issue is their thyroid. Just amazing to me!!!! And yeah, I don't need to go to med school to figure that one out. We have to be our own advocates and yes, it's a real pain in the arse at first to get leveled but once we do we've got it made. I could have gone on those and ignored the real problem. Lots of us want to chose the easy road but it's really not the right road. We have to take the hard road sometimes to get the right answer. Never give us and never give in.

[greygoose in reply to debber]

That's right!

[debber]

Thank you Grey, I needed that. I'm so sorry that doctor did that as no, something is wrong when your hair falls out all at once like that. I don't get these doctors and I don't have any faith in the medical system at all as I really don't know who to believe. Keep me posted on your progress with your hair and I will do the same. I have been trying really hard be gentle with my hair. The strangest thing about all this is I have no balding and new hair coming in and my nails are growing. And yes it's very frustrating and disturbing. I am going to get back to the doctor and get tested as soon as my insurance kicks in in three months. it's all so complexing for me. Your hair is going to come back Grey, that's a good sign but why do we have to go thru this at all. We should be having thorough tests done with out doctors. Before I got put on thyroid med I shedded but not like this and I truly believe it's my body going thru the change without Armour. I would have stayed on it if I would have got proper shipments but never received them and called and called. I did put a complaint in and heard nothing. I didn't call my doctor as no money as I am just starting work Tuesday this week. Yeah the stress of this and starting a new job, no fun at all but I'm going to try to stay positive. I do have the bottle of a Nature Thyroid but i am truly afraid to take as i am going throw my body again. These thyroid meds cause hair loss when you first take them. I don't know if I should just take or give my body some time. I have days where shedding is about 150 hairs and then days where about 50. When I wash my hair now my hair feels thicker on top and less on the length part and when on Armour it was the opposite but I didn't shed hardly anything. It's all so strange to me. I'm not sure still what to do with taking the nature thyroid. I did finally call and told them what happened and She said Im not the only one who is going thru this. she called the nature thyroid in for me. Us women are so complexing and I believe it's all hormone related. I love us Grey and we are together and it's really nice I made a great friend all this. Huggggggggggs baby doll !!!!!

[greygoose in reply to debber]

I thought it was just synthetic T4 that made you lose your hair. Mine started growing again when I was on NDT - and I tried every single one to try and find one that suited me! Didn't happen. I put on sooooooo much weight when I was on NDT and I'd been losing it on synthetic T4 and T3. As you say, it's all so complicated, and all the help you get from doctors is "well, I've never known anyone that didn't get better on Levo (or whatever)". Morons. They just don't understand that we're all so different. In fact, my ex doctor (here we go again! lol) actually said to me : 'you are no different from anybody else! The only thing different about you is your name and even that isn't very original'. Ha ha! I said he was nice and caring, but he really got so exasperated with me because I wouldn't just sit there and say 'yes doctor', I questioned his sacred knowledge! Which was actually no knowledge at all!

And pharmacies are just as bad. I used to have to order my Armour myself from a pharmacy in Belgium. One day, as it hadn't arrived when it should have, and I was getting low, I rang them and said hey, what about my Armour? They said oh, we didn't have the right sized pills, we only have the 1 grain, not two grains. I said I don't care about the size of the ****ing pills, I need this stuff to stay alive!!! Oh, they said, shall we send you the 1 grain then? It beggers belief! They, of all people, should know how important this is. They're always going on about being 'trained professionals' but they don't know squat! Shhisch!

Anyway, even if your hair does start shedding again, just tell yourself that it's only temporary, and just one of the obstacles we have to climb over to get well again. I know how difficult it is, but try and make a joke out of it - THE most important thing is to never lose your sense of humour. My grand children took a series of photos of me in wigs and woolly hats which I posted on Facebook, and got such nice responses from my friends. Made it all alright. Not suggesting you should do the same, but just try to keep a sense of proportion. It's only temporary. The day mine all fell out, I called my son and said 'will you still love me with no hair?' He said 'mum, I fell in love with a bald girl (chemo) why wouldn't I still love you?' So sweet. And all your friends and family will still love you, hair or no hair!!! xxx

[debber]

Well, I just wanted to inform you all I just took two tables of 65 mg of Nature Thyroid so wish me luck. I have decided to get started on it. God I hope I don't go back to shedding like it was. However, I am still shedding and so what do I have to lose; right? Maybe it won't be that bad. Next time I will never come off my meds and I will call my doctor and not let a pharmacy do this to me. Let it be a lesson to me. But now they have this Nature Thyroid that I can get at any pharmacy here. And yes, it's cheaper, too. Maybe I am on the road to recovery with getting my hair back. It truly is sad as my hair was long and it's still long but thinner now and as soon as I get all this leveled I will go to someone to get it all evened out. I have lost about half of my hair and people say they can't tell but I can. Let's hope I don't lose another half with starting on Nature Thyroid

Thank you for everyone's input and care, I truly love you guys. It's so nice to have a support group with all of this. I am trying to educate myself with all of this and I have to tell you it's pretty complexing. There is a lot that goes into all of this. I have struggled to even find someone that didn't think I was crazy. When I originally went to a doctor for this she wanted to put me on anti-anxiety meds lol Really!!!??? And then I went to a doctor who really took the time with me and has the same thing as I do and knows, so that is a blessing.

Wish me luck with starting my Nature Thyroid today. I took 2 tablets and glass of water and let's see what happens. If anyone can share their experience with starting on Nature Thyroid, I would so appreciate it. Thank you and I love my family on here.

[teenarocks in reply to debber]

Debber, what dose of Armour were you on? I am 5'6" and weigh 134 pounds. I take 1 1/4 WP Thyroid (Nature throid) 65 mg tablets 3 days a week and 1 1/2 WPThyroid 65 mg tablets 4 days a week. This averages out to about 90 mg a day for the week. You may be over medicating on 130 mg a day to start. How did you decide on your dose?

[debber in reply to teenarocks]

I was taking 60 mg three grains of Armour. The nature thyroid says two tablets at 65 mg. do you think I should just take one and not be so bad on me and gradually add it? I'm 5 4 and 134 pounds.

[teenarocks in reply to debber]

60 mg of Armour is one grain. Were you taking 3 of them each day?

Here is the conversion chart.

getrealthyroid.com/the-real...

I started with 65 mg. six days a week on doctors instructions but it wasn't nearly enough. After four weeks I increased to 1 1/4 tablets seven days a week. And then after another four weeks increased to 1 1/2 tablets four days a week and 1 1/4 tablets the other three days a week. So far this seems to be the right dose for me. You will have to judge for yourself but I think it is best to start low and gradually increase to your optimal dose.

[debber]

I forgot about that as when I started I was one tablet. I will call my doctor tomorrow and ask her. I've been off meds and I think she prescribed according to what I was taking. I will just take one tomorrow and work my way up again. Thank you for asking that as its best to go gradual. When you started nature thyroid did you have a lot of hair loss at first and any other side effects? How can you tell if it's right dose? I'm also really sensitive to cold really bad. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.