Hi there. I was diagnosed (hypo) last February and I'm still trying to find the right treatment. I'm on two grains NDT and my doc has been holding me here for a while. Tried Levo with T3 for a minute but the Levo was BAD for me so went back on the NDT.
I'm doing everything right. Taking supplements to support my health, taking my 2 grains NDT, sleeping, exercise, decreasing stress (as much as possible) yet my hair continues to recede and it's getting bad. The front hairline area of my head is broken off, thin, brittle. The hair on the front sides of my head are short. The back of my head is fine (for now). It's at the point that the hair is more devastating than my hypo diagnosis. I literally am going bald and feel helpless and it affects my mental and emotional health. Leaving the house is starting to create anxiety because of how I look.
Has this happened to anyone? Were you able to reverse or figure out the issue? I know it takes time for hair to grow back but almost a year later, my hair is losing more and getting worse.
I take a multi, B Complex, Adrenal Blend, Probiotic.
Thank you.
Hair loss and underachievement thyroid
Hair Loss and Thyroid
HAIR LOSS AND UNDER ACTIVE THYROID 
Hair loss, hair growth...
Do you know what your iron status is?
Low ferritin is correlated with hair loss. Might be something to check out. If your iron/ferritin is low, there isn’t enough in a multivitamin to bring it back up again.
Hi Jazzw - I'm getting labs done next week. My initial labs did show lowish ferritin but not too low. Maybe with my hypo, it creates a less than healthy environment. Thanks for the response!
Well, it might help then. Hope so.
You also might find you need a raise in NDT dose, as it’s possible your FT3 levels aren’t as good as they might be.
Good point about raising my NDT. My Rt3 is high but my doc doesn't want to supplement with T3 which I am thinking I may need more of rather than NDT (T4 and T3). It's such a guessing game with this stuff!
Same here. And my endo does not advise T3 in addition to NDT.
So I have taken additional T3 on my own and I feel much better.
I do the same I self medicate with NDT and T3 and feel fine. My ferritin, iron and folate are always good and I have very thick hair.
This is so interesting. How do you obtain the T3 without your doctor prescribing? My doc is supportive of getting to the bottom of my thyroid but so against T3 supplementation which is puzzling if it seems to be helpful. I'm going to bring this up (again) at my next appointment. Happy to hear you're feeling great. Gives me hope! Thanks for sharing!
I live in France and buy my T3 over the counter for just about 3.50 Euros in the Uk the cost is around £250 for 100 tablets it's all about the money that's all
Do you need a prescription for your T3?
Yes. My doc put me on levo a while back (super bad for me!) and supped with 5 mcgs of T3. When i stopped the levo, i also stopped the T3 but have a bunch left. Maybe I should add 5mcgs of t3 to my 2 grains of NDT and see what happens?
I buy my T3 every four weeks with no prescription at my local pharmacy. Other people have said that you need a prescription, however, I don't for some reason I am lucky I suppose.
Thanks, could you tell me what it is called?
Research by several research companies have shown that most who don't improve on levo can on a combination of T4/T3. I have read a combination of 3:1gave good results. This is a link and on page 80 it states the equivalences which were trialled.
tpauk.com/images/docs/reduc...
Thanks for posting! I'm currently on 2 grains of NDT. My Rt3 went up to 17.8 with the most recent test (was 14 last test in Nov.) which tells me my body isn't converting t3? Thinking I need to decrease NDT a little and add T3.
Hello Bunnyjean What dose NDT and T3 did you start with? I am self medicating and dont know where to start. Thank you
Don't worry too much about RT3 and you can read about
it and go to the date March 24, 1999 on the following link. This is an excerpt :
Another enzyme called 5-deiodinase continually converts some T4 to reverse-T3. Reverse-T3 does not stimulate metabolism. It is produced as a way to help clear some T4 from the body.
Under normal conditions, cells continually convert about 40% of T4 to T3. They convert about 60% of T4 to reverse-T3. Hour-by-hour, conversion of T4 continues with slight shifts in the percentage of T4 converted to T3 and reverse-T3. Under normal conditions, the body eliminates reverse-T3 rapidly. Other enzymes quickly convert reverse-T3 to T2 and T2 to T1, and the body eliminates these molecules within roughly 24-hours. (The process of deiodination in the body is a bit more complicated than I can explain in this short summary.) The point is that the process of deiodination is dynamic and constantly changing, depending on the body's needs.
web.archive.org/web/2010103...
Thank you for posting Shaws. That's interesting. I read through and did not see any suggestions on how to address. Even though my TSH (recent labs posted last night) is below 1 and I'm on 2 grains of NDT, I'm so hypo at the moment. I've gained a few pounds over the past month and I'm very sluggish/slow. I don't know what to do. I'm pretty frustrated. This is all so confusing and complex. I know my feelings are not unique although I'd love to figure something out because I *think* I'm doing all the right things (nutrition, treating, sups, exercise, rest). Gaining weight, losing hair, and and feeling exhausted...I'm at a loss. : ( Sorry, having a poor me moment.
I tried levo which was horrible for me. I'm on Nature-Throid now which at first was nice but now I'm back to feeling like I'm walking through quicksand.
When we take levo it is different to how we take NDT.
NDT we gradually work up to a dose which relieves clinical symptoms.Usually the starting dose is equal to what we took on levo and should take pulse/temp when beginning. If we've not take NDT previously we start on half grain and every two weeks thereafter increase by 1/4 grain until we feel well.
web.archive.org/web/2010112...
The above link is by a doctor who was also an Adviser to TUK. He would never prescribe levo but only NDT or T3 for thyroid hormone resistant patients.
Also, this is how he treated patients:-
web.archive.org/web/2010103...
Blood tests were introduced along with levo which is T4 only. Therefore on NDT, which is T4, T3, T2 and T1 and calcitonin a person cannot compare with T4 alone. That's why Dr L was most concerned about relieving clinical symptoms which was the priority. That's also how NDT was i(ntroduced from 1892) and prescribed up until levo and blood tests began.
What is NDT, and how do you boost ferritin? If you don't mind me enquiring.