Hi everyone. This is second time i am posting a question here although i always read all posts as a ritual to expand my understanding about thyroid. I have been hypo for 10yrs, and loosing my hair for about last 8-9 years, was always told that's part of thyroid.My dose was levothyroxine 100mcg per day. When i queried about it my new GP said, it looks like that you are on too much thyroxine and that can cause hair loss, so it was reduced to 75mcg and further to 50 mcg. There was no improvement in my hair, apart from me feeling really tired. I'm due blood test on Mon. I suggested at my last appointment that i dont think my body is converting T4 into enough T3 and to give me T3 medication along with T4, but his answer was there is not enough evidence to prove that T3 works any better than T4 and that he can't prescibe it, and that he has taken advice from an endo and his recommendations is to keep the dose to 75mcg. I want to ask you all real experienced people what should i ask my GP before my bloods tests. My results are:
I'm taking 62.5mcg levothyroxine at the moment. I got my iron, vit D,C,B12 tested and all these came back within the range , but towards the lower end, so l have been taking supplements for all .
Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks
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G2-1_g Can you post the results of your vitamin and mineral tests and what supplements you are taking, best to see if you're taking enough, or too much, plus important co-factors where needed.
Hypothyroidism can cause hair loss, as can low ferritin, as can low zinc, as can low Vit A.
On 50mcg Levo you were very undermedicated to have a TSH of 11.48 and FT4 of 10.6, yet on 75mcg Levo TSH is under range is only mid-range.
Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?
You can only know if you are converting T4 to T3 well enough of you have both FT4 and FT3 tested at the same time.
For your new thyroid test on Monday, follow the advice always given when having blood drawn ie
1) book the first appointment of the morning
2) fast overnight, you can have water
3) leave off Levo for 24 hours
This gives the highest TSH possible which is what is needed when looking for a dose increase or to avoid a reduction. It also gives continuity of conditions so that all future thyroid test results can be compared accurately.
Thanks for your reply Seaside Susie. I don't have results for vit and minerals , i was told they are in the range and when i enquired further they were at yhe lower end of the range. I'm taking vitD 1,000 l.u one tablet after lunch and B12 500ug 1tablet plus iron with vitc (iron 14mg and vitC 60mg) one tablet each after dinner. I'm going to ask my GP to test me for thyroid antibodies. Do you think i should ask for vitA and zinc to be tested. Almost all my tests are done first thing and 24 hrs after last dose of thyroxine exept the first one when on 100mcg levothyroxine.
I did feel ok on 100mcg except in last 8 year my long thick hair has disappeared and my hair are very thin and fragile now. I would say i have lost almost 60% of it.
G2-1_g You should ask for the results of your tests, ask for a print out, you are legally entitled under the Data Protection Act. Unless you have the results you could be taking the wrong dose of supplements. When you have the results, post them along with the reference ranges for comment.
If Vit D was low, then 1000iu daily wont be enough to raise it, it's a maintenance dose. You also need Vit D's important co-factors K2-MK7 and magnesium.
B12 500mcg is a small dose. Is it sublingual methylcobalamin as that is recommended for best absorption. Hopefully it's not cyanocobalamin as that is the a wrong sort. Are you taking a B Complex along with your B12 to balance all the B vits?
Are you taking your iron four hours away from your thyroid meds and two hours away from other supplements? Is that a combined iron/Vit C supplement? 1000mg Vit C is needed with each iron tablet.
You can ask for zinc and vitamin A to be tested but I don't hold out much hope. I take my zinc in a good quality multi mineral, and Vit A comes in my D3/K2/Vit A combo.
I will post my result when i get them at my next appointment and i will basking for your advice again. Because now i am taking all these bought from Holland and Barrett as suggested by my GP
Holland and Barrett aren't usually recommended. Yes they are cheaper and convenient but not always the best quality. I would look more into which brands are best when you have had your levels checked.
within range doesn't mean anything ...I have learned you need to be at the top of normal with b12 d3 etc vitamins I mean, or I feel lousy....when drs tell me I am at the top of normal and back off vitamins...I tend to lose all energy.....
as for hair....your ferritin being around 90 is helpful,zinc
your b12 at top of normal range
make sure you don't have high vitamin a or high selienium which can cause hair loss
take fish oil daily and vitamin e great for scalp
any hormone out of balance can cause hair loss....thyroid, progesterone ,estrogen ,testosterone...
but usually it is a combination of many things
even low stomach acid so you are not absorbing nutrients like you should so you have to take enzymes with food
hair loss is common I think as u get older, since mine started I now notice more women with thinning issues but then I see some that dont
high cortisol is a big cause of hair loss and high sugar....but all you can do is make sure you get 8-10 hrs sleep a night, avoid sugar, take your b complex and b12 and vitamin c, holy basil helps, and learn to control stress and let go of stressful things....and make sure you moving or exercising daily but don't over do it
mold anywhere in home can cause hair loss,
using tar shampoo can help sometimes with hair loss if it is ph or fungus related
do you have any scalp symptoms....like itching, heat, dryness,
some say put a raw egg which has amino acids and olive oil mask on b4 shampoo can help, avoiding heat hair tools, and washing at least every 2 days so not build up on roots,
I know what you mean...I am going on 2 yrs and it really is a dramatic....and drs seem clueless
My hair was thinning considerably. One day while talking to my hairdresser, she mentioned that her specialist had told her to take flaxseed oil for her eyes. As I also have blepharitis I decided to try it too. It didn't do a thing for my eyes, but my hair thickened up. I just put flaxseed oil for thinning air into Google and up it came. Hope it helps.
Thank you everyone for the info. Just back from Dr. I have asked for test for antibodies and T3 checked for my blood test on Mon. And my pervious vit. and mineral results are;
Ferritin 40 15 - 200 ug/l
Follate 5.7 3.1 - 20.0 ug/l
B12 223 200 - 900 ng/l
I asked for zinc and vitA and was told that they don't check that.
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