Hair loss: Has anybody figured out what cause... - Thyroid UK

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Hair loss

Nicole6 profile image
18 Replies

Has anybody figured out what cause hair loss besides hypothyroidism? I have Hashimoto's. I know some vitamin deficiencies do. I'm thinking either the Armour is doing it or the 1 1/2 gr. dose too low. I just started t3. Is anybody experiencing hair loss from Cytomel?

Thanks.

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Nicole6 profile image
Nicole6
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Marz profile image
Marz

healthunlocked.com/search/h...

The above link takes you to over 20,000 posts on hair loss - hopefully there is something there that will help you. I am T3 only and my hair has improved - or it could the VitD :-)

ghana60 profile image
ghana60

Great charity site www/b12d.org and interesting video (Dr Chandy was nominated for a pride of Britain award) youtube.com/watch?v=klobLSx... (Inside Out - Dr Chandy and B12 (HD)

Gismo333 profile image
Gismo333

I wonder why you are taking T3 with the Armour? 1.5 grains isn't a high dose for Armour but it depends on how you feel, symptoms, pulse and body temperature. What is your TSH? Have you had your ferritin levels checked (iron) this is very important as it will metabolise your thyroid hormones much better and conversion of T4 to T3. Iron supplementation should only be given if you have been properly tested. Have your cortisol levels been checked with an adrenal saliva test?

All these things will indicate what is going on. I was under Dr Lowe for years and he said that too little thyroid hormone can shut the body down and he would advise to his patients to gradually increase, sometimes up to 4 grains. If there was no response he would then change them to T3 only. Everyone is so different when it comes to dosing. You could try gradually increasing the Armour to see if your symptoms disappear.

Hair loss can be vitamin deficiency but normally low thyroid.

NaeJ profile image
NaeJ in reply to Gismo333

What is T3

tamladp profile image
tamladp

1 1/2 isn't much. It may be too low. What are your labs. Also, vitamin D3 is necessary for proper absorption.

hose1975 profile image
hose1975

Stress can cause it, and may well be the cause of my ongoing battles. It goes by the rather lovely name of telogen effluvium :)

Lipbalmaddict01 profile image
Lipbalmaddict01 in reply to hose1975

I've just been diagnosed with that. And alopecia too sadly but the patches I can hide, the overall loss is worse I think. I immediately blamed thyroid and my labs were indeed atrocious but both endocrinologist and dermatologist were in agreement it was stress related because of the pattern and whatnot. I'm still suspicious with a TSH of 8 while on 3 grains of NDT, but I was immediately put on to 20mg T3 with thyroxine instead. We shall see...

missymystique profile image
missymystique

There are a lot of causes. But it can't be a coincidence that all of us (hypos) suffer from it right? it should be related to thyroid I think.

My doctors told me everytime your hormones change, your body is kind of shocked . For example, if you stop birth control pills, your estrogen will fall and you will experience hair loss.

With hashimoto's the hormone level goes up and down all the time due to the attack, so it's common to have hair loss due to hormonal changes.

Chippysue profile image
Chippysue

B12, ferritin, folate, vitamin D ... are they all high in the ranges ? I don't mean adequate, I mean high up.

Ideally your free t4 will be at the top or just above the range and your free t3 will be around the 3/3 mark too.

Sue

thyroiduk.org

hi. ive been on levo, armour,and now t3 and flipin hair still falling out, ferritin is ok and ive had just about every test there is going,and its worse if im ill or stressed. so if you find an answer id love to know.

Nicole6 profile image
Nicole6 in reply to

You didn't say whether you have Hashimoto's but I'm wondering if even on the right dose medication it could help trying the autoimmune diet. That's what I'm going to try next and I think stress is a big factor. when I switched to graveyard shift 4-5 months later I lost a lot of hair. I'm back on days thank you. Some people practice meditation for stress.

dizzy864 profile image
dizzy864

Hi,

I also have hair loss - no hair at all under arms. Loss of hair at end of eye brows but very long hairs on rest of eye brows. Very thin hair elsewhere. I, also was looking for the cause.

I've been self medicating with B12 for 18 months so my level was 617 - a bit low but not bad. It seems to me unlikely that B12 deficiency is to blame. My vit D is 85 so although low, again unlikely to blame.

This leaves me with low ferritin ( 29.9). Can this be to blame?

I saw an endo earlier this month. He blamed it on thyroid. Said that It was caused by being under medicated. My blood tests actually showed I was over medicated.

He agreed that I should stay on same level of meds as previously and agreed that it might be worth trying to raise B12, Vit D and Iron as this would do no harm.

But said he had not heard of low levels of these vits causing either hair loss or under medicated thyroid symptoms.

It seems clear to me that not only our GPS but consultants and senior doctors are not receiving the training and support that they should with regards to thyroid conditions.

I believe that it is them and not us that should be surfing the net for solutions to our many problems. Yet it does not happen and we are left struggling to find answers ourselves.

phoenixoncemore profile image
phoenixoncemore in reply to dizzy864

According to my lovely old GP who has, sadly, retired, Ferritin needs to be at least 75 and preferably nearer to 100 for your follicles to see the benefit as they are the last place it goes after all the essential systems get their share. You can buy ferrous sulphate quite cheaply in pharmacies without prescription and with a level that low it will almost certainly be good for you, even if it isn't causing your hair loss. B12 deficiency is a big cause of hair loss too. Low protein diets, eostrogen/progesterone/testosterone imbalances and gluten sensitivity are culprits too. Most docs are beyond clueless about hair loss and quickly lose interest if they can't easily find the cause. Currently struggling with it myself and trying to find a useful and sensitive healthcare professional is a nightmare.

I hope you find some answers.

Looneytunes profile image
Looneytunes

It's a symptom of an auto immune system as is some thyroid problems

northern-lights profile image
northern-lights

I know some people whose low ferritin returned to normal levels after taking t3. But I guess it will take a while before that happens. Some people swear by Floradix as an iron supplement. It has the advantage of tasting nice :)

dizzy864 profile image
dizzy864

I've been vegetarian for 40 years so I'm sure that plays a part. I've been on T3 and T4 for eight years so T3 isn't the answer for me. I've increase Vit D and Vit B12. I'm struggling to increase iron.

I tried Ferrous Sulphate and gave up after 4 days as it made me feel really sick all of the time. I went on to Ferrous Fumarate. This is a bit better. I wasn't too bad on one tablet a day but I went up to two a day after a couple of weeks and I am feeling sick again. I'm also more hungry since I went up to two. This is odd as it says it may cause loss of appetite. I was really hoping I would get this side affect as I've gained well over a stone over the last few months!

I'll try to get some Floradix.

kc2833 profile image
kc2833

I was told that if you take T4 and your hair starts to fall out it is because your liver can not convert the T4 to T3 and you start to get a build up of t4 which in turn causes you to have symptom's of Hyper and loss hair. I have d/c my T4 and only take t3. My TSH levels are not perfect but my hair is not falling out and I feel much better. I am trying to find out how to get my liver to convert the t4 to t3. Anyone has some ideas I would be grateful

Maria00 profile image
Maria00

I have Hashimoto's, but I have never lost much hair until last year. My GP kept saying it was just stress. I have now found out (not thanks to my GP, but seeing a doctor abroad) that I have iron deficiency. My ferritin is only 10 ng/ml, and according to some experts, ferritin levels of at least 40 ng/ml are required to stop hair loss, while levels of at least 70 ng/ml are needed for hair regrowth. The optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml.

If you haven't done it yet, check your ferritin/iron levels.

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