Hi. I’ve been on 75mg Levo for several yearsh now. We have a family history of hypothyroidism. My mother had Hashimoto’s. I’ve been trundling along and not really associating symptoms I’ve experienced with my thyroid, but afterreading here I can relate a lot to it.
My biggest issue at the moment is insomnia. I can feel exhausted after a busy day, but seldom sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time. Rapid heart beat and flushing as I’m drifting off to sleep means I’m awake again. I’ve also lost all the front of my hair and started to lose at the back. My eyebrows went first. I was told this was frontal fibrosing alopecia but could it be connected? Anyone else had similar diagnoses? I need to gen up on things and I’m due for a blood retest next month early as my levels were a bit off in November. Thanks
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Joceb
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you need to post your last blood test online..you could be undermedicate...the loss of eyebrows on the outside edges is low thyroid for sure.....not sleeping also effects cortisol which is bad for hair...., avoid all sugar, high sugar can cause hair loss, get a ferritin test and get a copy, low normal ferritin under 80 can cause hair loss and many drs write it off, get a good grade hair vitamin and start it also...i waited around and didnt do anything but now for too long and then finally did..dont just trust drs..do your homework and put all the pieces together....after menopause low progesterone and low estrogen can cause hair loss, and also dht but many times dht is a result of other hormones being low etc......get a good eye vitamin with balanced zinc and copper in it..you need both for hair but they need to balance out eachother......taking hydrolyzed fish collagen is also very good i have found....
Be aware that a lot of the supplements for hair contain high doses of biotin (B7) and this can affect blood tests. Some testing machines use a biotin assay so if you are taking biotin it can skew the results. If you decide to try a high dose hair supplement, you may need to stop taking it for 8 days prior to be safe and at least a couple of days for the type of dose in a multivit. It doesnt just affect thyroid tests either. If you are interested there is a link to a paper in my recent posts.
I’m so sorry about the these symptoms. I have hashimotos and my hair has become thin. I don’t know whether this is due to long term antibiotics. I found that taking Biotin has helped and I can feel new hair growing.
Thank you. My dermatologist has told me that whatever is causing my hair loss has killed the hair follicles so won’t grow back. It’s happened over the course of about 10 years. I’m ok with it now as I have wigs - which are amazing - and microbladed eye brows. In the scheme of things, there are far worse off. The sleep issue and others niggles - like digestive, dry eyes etc are getting more difficult and I’m not sure whether they’re connected with my thyroid. I need to research more, wait for blood test, and maybe speak to my GP. Lots going on at the moment as my husband has cancer 😔. Thanks
hi I'm not familiar with loosing hair except if i use a towel instead of a flat pillow slip my hair tends to stay in i hope this can help. i have had high cortisol levels and have been retested any advise I'm not sure what the outcome will be,,,,,
I have been taking a supplement from Holland and Barrett called Silica complex. I have been taking this for 2 months now with my evening meal and people have been commenting on how lovely and thick my hair looks.
I have Graves’ disease ( HYPER ) and WE lose eyebrows too .. not just outer edges .. I lost all of my body hair and a lot of head hair by the time I was diagnosed two years ago ..
But this is worth knowing ... when your values are all back to normal with correct treatment ... all will become well and your hair will be regrown ... so please don’t worry
Biotin is good but will affect your blood tests ........ Google that to see effects.
It is vital that you feed your body
With vitamins minerals and nutrients ...
Valerian helps you sleep !
Good magnesium in relatively high dose to begin with for help with sleeping can help enormously
Also B12 and
vitamin D3
VERY HIGH DOSE ACIDOPHILUS
I take 40 Billion per day
Zinc
Copper
Selenium helps with eyes
but buy or get drops from Doctor
Omega 3 fish oil for hair
Buy A PROTEIN SHAMPOO
All of the above will restore all that your thyroid disease has taken from your body ... and you will start to feel better and balanced again
It works ! Try it and see just how Well it works
Good luck .... it’s no fun having Thyroid disease ... but it can be controlled ... and YOU are the one who can do this .. I decided to treat myself and I’ve been Euthyroid for two years now .. loads of people on here have managed it .. and do can you .. learn everything you can about your disease so that you are the one in charge ...
Oooos sorry .. meant to say ... B12 ... MUST BE SUBLINGUAL .. ie ... dissolved under the tongue where it is absorbed by blood vessels there .. going directly into the bloodstream .. and NOT through the Gut .. where much of it is lost and where it is much slower to work .
Yep, I know this problem. Iron and b12 and vit d are possibly low - so please get these tested esp. wrt. hair loss. Vitamin D is vital as it's really a hormone, not a vitamin and it regulates other hormones too like the sex hormones and adrenaline function. Adrenals are really stretched and wonky if you're hypo and night-time cortisol can cause this insomnia.
I do the following to keep this under control.. It took a while to work as we're creatures of habit and it takes a while to train the body to change its ways.
1. First beverage of the day is some lemon juice in water - nice detox and good for the stomach - definitely NOT tea first thing as tea makes it hard for us to absorb minerals from any foods / supplements we consume. Follow with b12 sublingual.
2. At breakfast - no cereal and milk (too many carbs) but eggs / avocado or some kind of protein / fats even liver on some days if iron levels are low with gluten free toast. Protein really kick starts my body clock.
3. Omega fats + Betaine HCl (if having meat or fish) with breakfast and vitamin d and vitamin b complex to include p-5-p and b5 (for adrenals).
4. At 8pm - slow release carb snack (porridge) with some inulin fibre + Magnesium Citrate + low-dose Niacin (flushing kind) + Zinc + a menopause sup - sends me into the land of nod from 10:45 until 6pm.
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.
Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email dionne.fulcher@thyroidUK.org. print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor.
Prof Toft - article just published now saying T3 is likely essential for many
Always take Levo on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after. Many take on waking, but it may be more convenient and possibly more effective taken at bedtime
Many people find Levothyroxine brands are not interchangeable. Once you find a brand that suits you, best to make sure to only get that one at each prescription.
For full evaluation you ideally need TSH, FT4, FT3, TT4, TPO and TG antibodies, plus vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 tested
You sound under medicated. Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if under medicated and/or have raised antibodies
See if you can get full thyroid and vitamin testing from GP. Unlikely to get FT3
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
Hi am on 150mg levo and I am suffering with alopecia areata which is affecting my scalp and body hair great docs wont do anything for me apart from doc saying shave your hair off it’s in fashion I like having hair but they just aren’t bothered
Harrybutler That is a poor show - typical GP dereliction of duty towards those of us with hypothyroidism and unresolved symptoms.
I found NDT helped my hair thicken up again a bit - it thinned but was not serious like some people get with baldness. Most of my other enduring symptoms resolved as well. I was on 125mcg Levo but higher and lower doses did not help matters.
Did you get a print out of your test results with ranges to check to see if you are fully optimised not just in range? ie TSH <1 free T3 and free T4 in top 1/3 of range. If they are not you need more medication.
Thanks. I definitely need to be more pro active. I plan to get a print out of results and will see my GP as soon as poss in the new year. 🤔How do they determine whether your hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s?
The presence of thyroid antibodies (TPO and TG) proves you have autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) - it can be either or both types present.
I was tested for them under the endocrinologist at Guys
I think it is the reason for 90% of hypothyroidism so the odds are strongly in its favour.
Looks like it was just TSH which was well below 1 which is good. Pity the free T4 and T3 were not tested you can get them done privately. The free T3 is the most important and NHS hardly ever tests for it. Not sure why you would continue to have hair loss.
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