Losing Hair

[Abbeyelle12]

I have posted on here before and probably asked the same question about hair loss. I just recently started to lose a lot of my hair unlike before I would say I have lost about a 1/4 of my hair and it is depressing. Has anyone else experienced this and has their hair grown back?

[startagaingirl]

Hi - no you haven't asked about hair loss. This is a common symptom of under-medicated hypo and of some of the nutritional deficiencies almost universally associated with it. Beofre anyone can give you any proper advice, we would really need to know your thyroid results. Ask your gp's receptionist for a copy, you are entitled to them by law and write a new post. Remember to include the ranges. Look for anything you can get from tsh, ft4, ft3, folate, ferritin, vit d, vit b12, thyroid anti-bodies TpoAb and TgAb.

As the NHS will only very rarely test all of these, many of us use private testing through Blue Horizons (thyroid plus 11) or Medichecks (thyroid ultravit).

It can be improved but won't happen overnight and needs a fair degree of commitment as strict gluten free may well be a part of this.

Gillian

[JGBH]

Abbeyelle,

I too have been losing my hair for quite a while now, but it has become more drastic over the last year. It comes in handfuls each time it is washed, and to a lesser extend when I brush it, but it also just falls off...I used to have very thick, shiny long hair.... so much thinner, brittle and yet coarse now and I had it cut short. So I feel for you.

However it seems to be of little use asking the GP for advice....she actually said I was overmedicated (am hypo) a few months ago! I chose to ignore that comment as I was not prepared to let her interfere with my Levo dosage.... However I will see an endo soon (not on the NHS unfortunately, because they would not suggest an addition of T3 would be helping me...since NICE has stopped the prescription of T3). As staragaingirl suggests it would be helpful to have result for recent blood tests. Hope you can find a solution.

[Abbeyelle12 in reply to JGBH]

Thank you!

[TupennyRush]

Hi there

It took 6.5 year to diagnose me with hypo and I lost all he hair at the sides of my head, thinned on top, all of my eyebrows and all hair on my arms and legs. I was diagnosed late 2013. Started ndt sept 2014. The hair on the top of my head has recovered and regrown, I have a 1 inch strip just above my ears that's completely bald but the thin bit above it (I had a 1.5 inch bald strip and a few wisps in the inch or so above that) has grown back. I have a few hairs where my eyebrows used to be.

I suspect it depends on how much you've lost and for how long. I noticed the thinning in 2009 and it gradually got worse until I was diagnosed. I too used to have thick hair, it's back to being thick and not breaking (it's long again) but not all over my head....

[Lozzer66]

Hairloss can be over medication as well as under medication as well as low iron and low b12 ...mine was coming out alarmingly a few year ago through over medication. ..it's was filling the plug hole /brush /blowing out when i was drying it/and on my clothes constantly and coming away in my hands everytime I touched my hair.It all grew back once meds were reduced and I was also taking biotin and using nioxin.It's been fine ever since until recently over last 6wks it's started happening again ...this time I think it's undermedication and I'm working on raising thyroid levels ,back on biotin and nioxin and alternating with a product my friend reviewed on you tube that I will pm you that has worked for her.I personally think it's the worst symptom as even when meds etc are good and it's growing back it's a few years to get those hairs long again (if like me your hair is quite long )and thickening your tresses back up!I

[irme]

In my case hair loss was a sign of no medication at all when it was so needed. But even though I lost more than 2/3rds of my hair in my early twenties (late 80's) and even though I had to wear a hair piece ever since - which is supposed to have a negative effect in growing hair,not to mention the psyche- I must say that from time to time I have been noticing small,new hair growing on my scalp ,and I still do see new hair. Sad thing for me,as I am still with no thyroid medication even though I got a hypo diagnosis in 2015, is that my hair is too weak to grow back full length and strength,so it usually reaches 5-6 cmtrs and then it falls out again. So I guess that if you are on the right dose of the proper medication there's a good chance your hair will grow back and stay where it's supposed to be

All the best!