Thyroid and Hairloss?

[Abzieg]

Please can someone help determine my newest thyroid results.. I am not on any kind of medication. I have been suffering hairloss for 3 years, and would like some help in determining whether any of these could be causing the loss.

My ferritin is 47, and B12 - 411.

TSH - 2.29

Total T4 - 71 REFERENCE 58-161NMOL

FREE THYROXINE (FT4) - 14.3 reference 11.5 - 22.7 pmol

Free T3 - 5.0 Reference 2.8 - 6.5pmol

FT4 : FT3 RATIO - 2.9 REFERENCE 2.0 - 4.5

Any advice i would greatly appreciate i'm getting so depressed

[bluebug]

Are you on medication?

Do you have the range for your ferritin?

Do you have the range for your B12?

Do you have a vitamin D test result? If so what is the result and range?

We can guess but without the ranges and information about your medication then the guesses maybe completely wrong.

[Abzieg in reply to bluebug]

Thanks my Ferritin range is 47 ug - reference 22-275

vit d - no reference range its just 65nmol

b12 - 411ng reference 187-883

I am taking no meds at all

[Clutter in reply to Abzieg]

Abzieg,

TSH>2.0 indicates thyroid gland is beginning to struggle but NHS doesn't diagnose hypothyroidism until either TSH is over range or FT4 is below range. You may find supplementing 200mcg selenium helps support thyroid.

Ferritin is optimal half way through range and hairloss is fairly common when Ferritin is <70-90. Supplement iron with 500-1,000mg vitamin C to aid absorption and minimise constipation.

VitD is replete 75-200. Most people are comfortable with vitD around 100. Supplement 5,000iu D3 for 6 weeks and then reduce to 5,000iu alternate days.

PA Society say B12 is optimal around 1,000. Supplement 1,000mcg methylcobalamin with a B Complex vitamin.

Another cause of hairloss is low zinc. You could supplement zinc which should be supplemented with magnesium for balance.

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I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[Abzieg in reply to Clutter]

Thankyou I have tried raising my ferritin through tablets before and it made my hairloss worse. Do you think Spatone water is ok?

If I could find someone to medicate NDT in the UK do you think it would help my hairloss?

Thanks!

[Clutter in reply to Abzieg]

Abzieg,

I would try Ferrous Fumarate. There is very little elemental iron in Spatone. Why don't you see whether raising ferritin to >70 improves hair growth? It's unlikely you will find a private doctor to prescribe NDT until TSH is > 3.0.

[bluebug in reply to Abzieg]

Your ferritin level is too low for optimal hair growth. Your vitamin D level is also to low and so is your vitamin B12 level. While they aren't not at the level to make you lose hair on their own, they aren't helping and they will be the cause of your hair loss if they continue to fall.

You need to get your ferritin level to round 100. Supplement 2 x ferrous fumerate per day for 3 months, wait 48 hours then get retested and then supplement 1 x if needed. Then you will need to get tested again in 3-4 months. Ferritin does rise slowly but the aim of the tests is to confirm you are not suffering from iron overload as you haven't provided a haemoglobin level, your sex or even whether you have reached the menopause. Ferrous fumerate can be brought at a pharmacy - you need to speak to the pharmacist and tell them you have "low iron" and have been recommended to buy it - or from Amazon. Take it with vitamin C on an empty stomach to increase absorption. There should be instructions on the packet what else to avoid otherwise ask the pharmacist.

Your vitamin B12 level is too low. Supplement Methylcobalamin which you can buy on Amazon. (Something like Jarrows or Solgar) Take another b complex tablet which can be brought from anywhere to balance your B vitamins out. (You can test again but it is really of no value unless you stop taking supplements for months as you will just be testing the serum vitamin B12.) B12 is water soluble so a high amount of this is not an issue. After you have finished the B12 keep taking the B complex supplement.

Your vitamin D should be over 75 ideally you want it at 100. Take 5,000IU of vitamin D a day with lunch or dinner for 3 months. Take it with vitamin K2 to target it at the bones. You can buy vitamin D online at Amazon, from an online pharmacy or from your local pharmacy. The generic online pharmacy or local pharmacy brands will raise your vitamin D level however on Amazon get a brand like Solgar. Get vitamin K2 from Amazon. Just take the dose recommended on the jar/packet. After 3 months take 2,000IU to 2,500IU per day of vitamin D. At the beginning of October get your vitamin D level tested. Again don't take supplements for 48 hours before the test otherwise you will be testing what you ingested. Vitamin D is fat soluble so you can take to much but unless you are taking more than 10,000IU per day it is unlikely.

Once you get to optimum levels of nutrients if your hair is still falling out then you need to have further investigations.

[Abzieg in reply to bluebug]

Thankyou - I have supplementing with Ferrous fumerate for 7 weeks and my hairloss trippled! I seems I cant process the iron very well, which is why i thought Spatone water, perhaps if I took 3 a day?

My b6 levels are very high, off the scale, and i dont take any B6 supplements so i worry about taking b vitamins with b6. Is it still ok to take b12 on its own?

I am 26 years old.

Thanks

Abby!

[bluebug in reply to Abzieg]

Definitely don't take b complex then.

Have you had a FBC with an iron panel?

Are you on the pill? Or any other hormonal contraceptive e.g. coil?

Even without answering that you can supplement vitamin D as it's not related.

[Abzieg in reply to bluebug]

im not sure i have had the iron panel. The pill started this whole nightmare for me, yasmin. I was put on the pill and hair started falling out in droves then i came off it and it hasnt stopped. I already supplement vit d with k2.

Is it ok to take a b12 supplement without the complex to raise my b12 levels?

thankyou x

[bluebug in reply to Abzieg]

Yep.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you tried 100% gluten free diet ?

A friend's daughter had terrible hair loss, and going gluten free definitely helped her, possibly as it also increased her iron levels without taking supplements.

[Abzieg in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks yes I am 100 percent Gluten free

[Josiesmum]

Biotin/B complex supplements can be very helpful.

[hathi999]

It might be worth looking up the MTHFR gene mutation and all of your symptoms against that? You may have a sensitivity to non methylated forms of vitamins? Even if you don't have the gene test run, you can proceed as if you do with the vitamins you take and see if it helps?

[Abzieg]

Thankyou I will look this up! Both my grandparents are hypo. Is it not possible then for low t4 levels to cause any hypo symptoms at all? X